Durango semi-weekly herald., 1907-06-10

Suhtpah1 also mas trafhe arrange
ment with the McAdoo tunnel
People TO handle their downtown pas
sengers. The terminus OF the McAdoo
tunnels will be In the sub-basemens OF
an enormous building twenty-five sto-
rios high and covering an entire block
IL VIII be one OF the largest buildings
in the world and contain 1000 office
rooms.
l Thess new arrangements are expect
ed to relieve the terrible crush, delay.
Inconvenience ard annoyances nov
suffering by the leople of New York
in reaching their homes. 1t Will st!m-
| u.ate an exodus from city apartment
houses to villages cf pretty cottages
"nich ara now bt ng built on Long
island anI In Nes Jersey for people
oil small incomes VINO can now scarce
ly afford to live in New Yor.,
he strike II the longshoremen. or
| do?khands. in New York CITY, which
has been going on for three weeks
and is stu in progress. presents some
| unusual and interesting features.
Nearly all of the ocean steamers are
now getting away on time, but they
are sacrificing more than half their
freight earnings In order that their
passengers may not he detained. The
newspapers every morning will tell
You that certain steamers left on time
with their usual cargoes, but that has
not been true In hardly single case.
Not one steamer has left for foreign
port in Europe or elsewhere for the
last three weeks with their holds filled
with freight. and, In many case5
steamers have not been able to dis.
charge the freight they brought from
europe. Several have been compelled
10 carry It across the Atlantic twice
and unless IT, strike breaks they win
have TO carry the same packages four
times across the ocean before ,i.ey
can got rid of them. All freight Ia
accepted on Doth sides of the Atlantic
"at the shippers rlsk9--that In the
steamship companies win not be re-
sponsible for the delivery or even the
safety OF .he goods.
1t requires about $4,000 men to hun-
die freight c. the docks OF New York
Under normal circumstances, and most
OF them are Italians. This work was
formerly done by Trishmen Dock
walloping' was one of the famous EN-
pigments of the Irish immigrant, but
that day has gone by The Irish have
been driven out by the "Dagoes'' be-
cause the latter have been willing to
accept lower wages, and now the 'Da-
goes are demanding higher wages
than were paid to the men they sup
planted. They have been getting 25
cents an hour for day and and SO cents
an hour for night work. aud they de-
mand 40 cents an hour for day and 60
cents for night work, with double pay
for Sundays and holidays. They we're
put up to this strike by Irishmen.
many Of whom still belong to the
Longshoremens union. ard the strike
is directed by an Irishnan named
Corners. There are various theories
as to the motives of the men who are
behind the strike, but loDe Of them
seems to be reasonable.
Italian dock labor, like italian rail-
road labor, Is handled by padrones or
| contractors. who make contracts with
| Aht ot'h"1iip 'OAhpihitot 80 tbBy ait
in the habit OF making them with the
railroad companies, to furnish them
with So many laborers at a certain
price per day. These contractors re-
ceive their money in lump and pay
their gangs according to their private
understanding, deducting a commits
sion or squeeze" This is the practice
everywhere with newly arrived Italian
labor, but, as the men become more
intelligent and better informed az to
the labor conditions and customs in
this country, they become dissatisfied
with this padrone system and. sooner
or later, obtain release from it. In
the present strike this disposition Is
| illustrated. The Italian longshoremen
have defied their padrones and are
following an Irish leader. The pa
| drones are powerless. They are I'M
der contract to furnish men at a fixed
price TO do the work, but they are not
able to control their men. Most OF
| khem are loyal to the steamship COM
| panies and have brought In more than
a thousand strikebreakers-gene
| ltalians-with different parts OF the
| country. Out of total OF $4,000 long
| shoremen. about 10000 are now out
and idle. Their work Is being done
by from 1000 to 1900 strikebreakers.
The exact number Is unknown, because
they sleep and are fed on the docks
and are not allowed to leave them;
while the gateways are guarded by
policemen to prevent interference
from the strikers.
The strik55reakers have been as
sisted In handling the freight by sail
| ors, stokers and even stewards OF the
different steamships. who are paid
double wages for doing this unusual
work. and some OF the steamship com
panies have Increased their crews to
three or four times the necessary quo
Ia in order to have a sufficient num-
ber of men to discharge and take on
eargoes. The leaders OF the strike
have found this out and are making
an investigation. If they find case
that will come under the contract
| tahnr iaw fhav will he able to make