The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1904-04-02

making application for aid, and who
made the claim that he was a member
Of the Team Drivers union was not,
and never had been a member of that
union. OF the eleven men who said
they were members Of the Flour and
Cereal. Mill Employees Union, when
making application for aid, the inspec-
tor learned after a most searching in
quiry that six Of the MEN so represent
ing themselves had never been affiliated
with this union, and on further in
vestigation by the Inspector, it was
found that five of the men had never
at any time been employees of any of
the flour mills in the city, The other
man of the six referred to, was an en-
ploye of the mills at the time of the
strike, and although not a member Of
the union, quit when the employees ceas-
ed work. During the time of his idle
ness, his wife was taken sick, and died,
the union gave him $1,000 to be applied
on the funeral expenses.
OF the five men who asked for aid
from the Associated Charities, and who
were members of this union, all receiv-
ed such aid on number of occasions
as the union was able to furnish. In
answer to an inquiry made of Mr.
James E. Jackson, General Manager, of
the Associated Charities of Minneap-
oils, he said, 1T is the exception rather
than the rule to receive applications
for aid from the members or from the
families of men who are members OF
organized labor.
No SuppIicants In Sanity City.
St. Paul, March 5, 1904.
MR.. E. B. LOTT,
State Capitol, City.
Dear Mr.. Lott:
In compliance with your verbal re-
quest Of few days ago, asking the
Associated Charities Of st. Paul for
information: as to the number of men,
members of organized labor, b or.zth heir
nm t|Ifa IS IE| |11lst leIlaaI
tfiia llaYes
Of our records. .*s I consider your request
fair and proper one. This office is as
you know a federation of the charities
Of the city, public and private, includ-
ing churches, SO that we know substant-
tally what all are giving, :.
Our fiscal year closed on September
30 last. During the IL months previous,
we did not have more than a dozen ap-
plications for aid, that could justly be
said to come from families that were
in any way connected with the labor
organizations of our city. We had for
the period above mentioned 1,112 cases
brought to our notice, in which aid Of
some kind was asked for. So it will be
seen that in scarcely more than one per
cent Of all the calls we had for aid, is
there any probability Of having been
made by men or the families of men
that are members Of these unions, and
our opinion is that for the year ending
September 30, last, that we have not
had single application from the fam
lily of a member, nor from a man that
| is a member of any labor organization,
| who was in good standing with his or
ganization. The record for each Of the
previous five years Is similar.
During the present winter, employ
| ment has been somewhot harder to find
! then for several winters past, and for
| the five months ending Feb. 20, We have
| had 934 persons or families brought to
our notice, that were seeking aid.
| We number each application made as
that of family, though fully one
third of the cases represent single
individual only. About seven, and one
half per cent of the 943 spoken of, were,
after investigation refused aid; Of the
943 coming to our notice since Oct. 1,
| 1908, it appears that only 3 claimed
to be members Of the labor unions.
! The claim was made by the family
Of one man at the time Of the applica-
ton, that he was member of the Car
penters' union, of the other two, one
was said to be member Of the Coopers'
union, and for the third man, it was
| claimed that he was a member of the
Stone Masons' union. In none Of these
cases was it necessary to send in out
side aid. The difficulty was other
! wise arranged. :,
orunkeness Cause Of Poverty.
It should be further said that our
! has brought out the fact that where
| an application for aid has been receiv-
ed from man or the family Of man
who is skilled laborer, that there is
| generally something wrong. Very freq
uently he is found to be a drunkard,
! and does not attend to his work. Oca
casionally we find a case where the
man appears to be bright enough, but
he is peculiar mentally, rash or hasty
in action, and this sometimes is the
cause of the discharge from work. I
have no doubt that the people who are
members Of organized labor, or CLAIM,
to be members, and who call for char
liable assistance are nearly always If
not always, in position that they have
no claim on the organization. know
that we have found cases of this kind
frequently. I believe you will find on
Investigation that the three cases !
have referred to in the forepart of my
letter win be as they We're represented
to be. ::zg & **s 1
j In general IT. may be- said that the
experience ofs this #of flee during its ex-
4 Elstence SIS that Ut. = distinct gain for
81 a1{laborins man eslensed .toa 81: