The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1908-04-02
Unemployed Men Line Up on Wis,
Consin st. to the Number of
Over Two Hundred
TRANSFERS FOR SQUARE DEAL
Mayor German Notifies Contractor That
Preference Must Be Given to
Kenosha Laborers as Con
tract Provides
lFrom Monday s Daily.l

KenOsha worl1men who have been I'M
employed for many weeks had field
day this morning when the contractors
started work ON the paving Of Wiscon-
sin street and when the horses started
with the pillow to loosen the dirt on
the street there were no less than two
hundred man lined up on both sides Of
the street waiting for chance to get
a Job on the work The men were from
all classes and it was evident that the
men were actually in need Of the work.
There was all sorts of disorder in
connection with the meeting Of the
laborers and for a minute it looked as
if Kenosha would have a parade of the
unemployed seeking work. The men
crowded about Mayor German and City
Engineer Moth and asked to be put to
work One man said: II have a wife
and family to support and l have not
done a day 5 work since the first day
of December and the members Of my
family are sadly in need He got one
of the first jobs handed out by the CON
tractor. There were many foreigners in
the large company that gathered to look
for work, but they were not all foreig-
ners by any means and among the num-
Der were men who had been residents
of the city for years. The teamsters
were also very much in evidence and
there came near being one fist fight,
while the men were looking for work,
So violent became the discussion at one
time that the mayor arrested one Of the
teamsteIs or charge os using abusive
language but the matter was fixed up
and the man returned to work on the
job. The teamsters alleged that favor
itism has been shown in the matter of
employing teams for work done strictly
for tie city and the men asked that
every man be given a square deal in the
handing out of the paving work. May
or German assured the men that he had
not given single order or made sug-
gestiOn to the contractor in regard to
the people who were to be employed on
the paving work but that ne had insist
ed that in accordance to the contract
the preference be gwen to Kenosha
workmen and Kenosha teamsters. The
contractor is of course bound to re-
spect no orders from any Of the city
officials more than that the contract pro-
vides that they must give preference to
KenOsha residents so long as they can
find labor in the city,
There is little doubt but chat every
man needed for the paving work can
be found in the long list of unemployed
in the city and the officials will see to
it that as many of these men as posi-
bic are put to work. AS soon as the
large contract for city improvements is
let, there will be a demand for from a
hundred and fifty to two hundred men
and this will aid materially in furnish
ing work for the unemployed of the
city. The contractors are anxious to
have these contracts let at the earliest
possible minute in order that all the
work may be done before the summer
season is over. 1t is certain that many
of the men seeking work this morning
were in earnest an they would
be willing to get to work at any reason
able wage. Most of the men are men
with families and some of them are now
receiving support from the city.
The small piece of paving started
this morning will probably furnish en-
ployment to thirty or forty men. 1t is
probable that the work of the city, the
regular spring work of cleaning up the
alleys and the parks, will be started
within another week and this will give
employment to at least score of men
and it is possible that larger number
may be put on. 1t is claimed that at the
present time there are no less than five
hundred idle men in the city and the
factories have no work for them at this
time. Some of the factories are putting
on few men just at present but the
most Of them are waiting for the bust
ness to show better results. It is said
among the manufacturers that by the
first of June or July at the latest all of
the factories will be running with full
forces and most of them on full time.
The factory managers are making an
effort to pus. all the substantial citizens
to work at the earliest possible moment
SO as to keep these men who have built
up homes in the city and who are re-
garded as most valuable men for the
factories in Kenosha. A few have al
ready left the city but most of them
have accepted the assurance Of work in
the near future and have decided to
Stuck It out until places are found for
them.