The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1908-12-11
LUMBER MEN OPPOSE
Object To ExtensiOnLOf Weekly
Payment Laws.
George Van Dyke and his Attorneys
Appear Before General Committee
at Montpelier.

Ter Journal, at hearing given on the
bill by Mr. Howe of st. Johnsbury
which calls for the weekly payment of
wages in cash by numbering concerns
doing business in this state. A prom
inent figure AT the hearing was George
Van Dyke the lumber king of the nor
thern valley of the Connecticut in
Vermont and New Hampshire, repres-
enting the Connecticut Valley Lumber
company attorneys, J. T. Amey, Harry
b. Amey and W. b. c. Stickney were
present, representing his interests,
while Attorney H. W. Blake with Mr..
Howe, took up the cause in the inter.
ests of the bill
Mr.. Van Dyke a thick set, hardy
looking character with long white hair
said that his company paid off the
men at the close of the seasons work.
He maintained that the company used
their men fairly and paid them money
when they needed 1t on account. He
paid off by check and the men were
hired under contract. although the
wages were not stated until It was
found what the men We're worth He
said 1t would be practically impossible
to comply with q weekly payment and
do business, for the men were of such
a class that 1t would be hard to keep
them together on the job. He said
that he thought it would be a bad
thing for the men to have their mon
ey weekly as they could not spend it
and had no place to keep it.
Attorney j. T. Amey questioned sew
eral witnesses put on to tell what they
knew of the business. A store keeper
from STAFFORD was questioned as to
the cashing of checks and bo said that
he had never charged a cent for this.
He showed a record of where he had
cashed checks to the amount Of sey-
eral hundred dollars in a month.
Then Attorney III. b. Amey read sew.
eral statements from men in the
towns where the numbering interests
were carried on and from foremen in
the woods in which they stated that
the men did not need any money, that
they were addicted to the use Of in
toXicating liquor, and that # would
work very much TO the detriment of
the employer Upon questions by At
toruey Howe he admitted that he had
drawn up the statements from the
knowledge Of numbering affairs that
he had himself and had given them
to the men TO sign after deliberation
II they saw ut
The article tended to show that the
men for the most part were without
families, and that the necessities Of
life were provided for them; that they
We're a rCSning lot Of men and hard
to keep together in q suitable condit-
ion for work II they had any oppor-
tunity TO get drunk
Judge Parsons Of the Fitzgerald
Land & Lumber Co., threw the most
light on the subject He used TO pay
OF monthly altogether. but for the
past two years he construed that the
law made Il necessary for him TO pay
weekly on demand. he said that it
was impracticable and unsafe to live
up 10 the letter OF the law He would
never dare to so into the woods regu
larry on a set day OF the week with a
large amount Of money on his person
to pay OF as they never knew what
sort of men they were dealing with
( He said that as FAR as the bookkeeping
was conceHtu Il would be possibl,
TO pay weekly, J.: svided that the mer
were compelled TO come to the head
quarters In the town, but that would
break up from one to three days &C
cordlng to the distance OF the camps
and would therefore break up the worl
When one man was gone on a drunl
It broke up a crew.
Attorney Blake took up the othe
side Of the question, and he contendeI
that while there was no complaint o
the way the Fitzgerald Land & Luu
Der Co.. ;ook care of their men tina
there had been about the Connection
Valley Lumber Co. and he said tina
probably 100 law suits had come unde
his personal observation against thi
company. lie told a story To illui
uatc the way the men feel ON the sui
feet and finally me- ntimated that th
men signed the petition hecausec the
we're afraid of losing their Jobs 10 the
didn't. and told OF conversation u
heard ON the train 10 substantiatc h
contention
one Of She superintcudents in q
woods for the Fitzgerald compa
testified that they had had more tro
Bile with ntoxication among the me
in the past two years than they hi
had before. He stated that Il Won
ho almost lmpt.. r!ble for the men