The San Francisco call., 1905-02-06
BARRIERS VOTE
AGAINST BILL
Oppose Placing Themselves
Under Proposed Law Now
Before the Legislature
CALISH WORKS FOR ACT
Lively Meeting at Which the
TOnsOrialists Skillfully
Dissect the Word "Graft"

Barberdom Of San Francisco was we'll
represented yesterday afternoon at a.
mass-meeting held at 50 O'Farrell
street. Master BARRIERS and Journey
men BARRIERS, with the union and pro-
tective organizations, were represented.
Senate bill No. 346, to regulate the bust
ness and the sanitary conditions of bar
Der shops in the State, was opposed.
those voting In favor of it being 33 and
against it SO.
j. J. Calish, member of the dis
solved commission which had to do
with the BARRIERS trade, warmly ia.
vored the bill in the early stage of the
debate. but it was evident that he
falled to win a substantial following.
Section one sets forth that it shall be
unlawful for any person not at the
time OF the passage of the act in prac-
tlce as barber to begin such practice
unless he or she shall have obtained a
certlncate. Frank j. Harlow, a Jour-
neyman barber from Seattle and Min
neapolis, gave his experience of obtain
Ing certificate in those cities. The
matter Of procuring such authority had
seemed to him a mere bagatelle, though
a slightly costly procedure. He charged
graft"
1t was a lively meeting, and the word
graft" was freely dissected and the
practice shown to be somewhat preva-
lent. One young journeyman barber
told Of his giving 81 and obtaining the
privilege of barbering even without
passing an examination. In spite of the
determination of E. p. Roche, the
chairman, that there should be no per-
sonalities. they flew about like snow
flakes IN blizzard.
John L. Franklin, president Of the To-
cal BARRIERS Union; George K. Smith,
State organizer of the California State
Federation Of Labor and president of
the BARRIERS Union of Oakland, and
others representing the journeymen
spoke on the subject of the bill. Paul
Hammam, ex-president of the local un-
ion, expressed fear that If the bill did
not pass they would be confronted with
some Of the conditions that he said pre-
vailed in Louisville, st. Louis and Chi
cago, where shaves could be had for
cents.
Ex-Commissioner Calish insisted that
the bill would be blow to barber col
leges. The students to-day, he said,
were on the ground floor and shaving
1000 OF San Francisco's citizens week.
Harris Bernard, president Of the Mas
ter BARRIERS Association. characterized
the travelling expenses of a commits
sion as graft" while another speaker
had little reliance in a commission that
could If 1t liked mulct a master barber
In heavy expenses by closing up his
place without having justly inquired
into or weighed conditions.
Another speaker told Of the already
existing power Of the Board of Health,
which can go into any barber shop and
see to its being conducted in a proper
sanitary manner.
One gentleman asked whether they
could sterilize a barber before he went
to work, or customer when he en-
tered a shop. The answer failed to
come
Calish, after the bill failed to receive
the support of the meeting, wished to
have the matter reconsidered and to
adjourn for a week, but neither of his
prOpOsitiOnS carried