The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-05-11
DAY AT THE MILLS.
Mann Print Paper Committee Goes
Over Hudson River Plant.

|. Corinth, N. Y. May 11.-After an
entire day and night spent at the Hud-
son river mill of the International
Paper company, the congressional
committee which is investigating the
manufacture of news print paper in
this country, left for Washington
where they will resume hearings. The
representatives spent all their time in
learning the process of paper making
at first hands and ascertaining from
the employees of the mills the ratio of
wage increase in the last ten years
Most of the committee work was en-
tirely informal and it was only at a
short hearing that any sworn testi-
mony was taken.
In the party were Representatives
Stafford of Wisconsin and Sims of Ten
nessee. Accompanying the committee
were John Norris of New York City,
representing the American Newspaper
Publishers association; Representative
Cyrus Durey Of this congressional dis
trict and officials Of the International
Paper company, which owns the mills
at Palmer Falls.
Representative James r. Mann of
Illinois, chairman of the committee,
would make no comment on the result
of the visit. He stated that the COM
mittee had not yet decided if it would
visit any other of the mills of the In
ternational Paper company and had
vestigation. In their trip through the
mill they were accompanied by War
rem Curtis of New York, director of
the company; c. w. Lyman of New
company, and w. A. Whitcomb, New
York manager of the manufacturing
department. The committee was in
formed by these officials that the COM
pany's investment at the Hudson river
mill is between $5,0O0,0OO and So
100000, and that the percentage Of
wage increase during the last ten years
has been between 66A and IS per
cent. The working force at the Hud-
son river mill is divided into nineteen
main divisions of laborers and these
are further subdivided into nearly one
hundred others with an individual
wage scale for each class of workmen.
The head Of several of these sections
were sworn as to their present wages
and those they received for the same
class of labor ten years ago. With no
exception the testimony of the wit
nesses was to the effect that the wages
now were slightly larger than ten years
ago and that their time of labor per
week had been shortened from SIS and
&c hours a week to 48 hours.
Charles w. Walker, superintendent
of the Hudson river mill. stated in his
testimony that he had been superin-
tendent Of the Brompton mill in Can
ada and that in his opinion common
mill laborers in Canada received fif-
teen cents per hour as against 16 u
for American laborers. He said skilled
employees in the Canadian mills had to
be imported into Canda and declared
that the wages paid those skilled en-
ployes was equal to those paid for a
similar grade of work in the United
States. He also testified that 80 per
cent of the pulp wood used in the
Hudson river mill comes from Canada.
The present force of the Hudson river
mill is CTS men, he said, and the ca
pacity of the plant is 240 tons per day,
the greatest in the United States. Su-
perintendent Walker was directed to
prepare a table showing the wages per
week paid al the Hudson river mill in
1898 and 1902 and at the present time.
This will be used by the committee in
rendering its decision.