Los Angeles herald., 1909-06-29
AHEAl
AUUEUUCI MLV
START REVOLT
OPPOSE ORDER WHICH FOR
BIDS PRIVATE MESS
ONE HUNDRED MORE LA6oRERs
ARE NEEDED
Employees Organize to Fight system
of Deducting Money from SAL
aries to Pay for
Meals

Have times grown better, or are men
so disguised with. food conditions on the
aoueduct that they viii not stay
whatever the answer to this question
the aqueduct department wants 70 hlre
100 laborers, and expects the 100 men
To make application at the aqueduct
bureau in the Central building TINS
morning.
This is the first public announcement
of men wanted that the aqueduct de-
partment has had to make. In the past
there have been more applications Tor
Jobs than there were jobs to go around,
and applicants with hungry families at
home have hung around the aqueduct
offices hoping for a chance to earn a
few dollars. Many of them cared little
what kind of food is served them as
long as they get any food at all.
Revolving against the order of Gen.
A. R. Chaffee forbidding private mess
on the aqueduct, and commanding that
70 cents a day be deducted from the
wages of auueduct employees for food,
whether they eat or not, 5000 employees
on the aqueduct are preparing to sub
scribe to a fund to fight the board or
public works in the courts and have
engaged an attorney for this purpose.
The men want the privilege of sup
plying their own food, because they are
much dissatisfied with the food served
by D. j. Desmond, who has the con-
tract for furnishing subsistence. A pc
tition is being circulated which 1t is
expected will be signed by every aque-
duct employee protesting against what
these employees consider rank lnJus-
tiee.
The new order goes into effect June
80 but before that date it is expected
the opposition will be well organized,
and efforts are on foot to induce the
board of public works to rescind the
order promulgated by the advisory
committee and which bears General
Chaffee's signature as chairman of
that committee.
To Deduct for Meals
The text of the order which has
stirred up so much opposition is as
follows:
Denomination is essential to the sue
cess of any large construction opera
ton, and, to be efficient, it is neces-
sary that the disintegration of an i'm
portant factor of the organization
through independent action of individ-
uals in employment, be discounte-
nanced by the authority in control.
When men take employment, efficient
service and loyal support of controlling
authority, so long as the employment
lasts, is an essential part of the en-
gagement.
line DOdT0 OF puDllC WOIhS vi NiiC
city of Los Angeles is the legal author
ity in the control of the construction
of the aqueduct, and whatever policy
it adopts to carry on the work, indi-
Vidual employees are expected to con-
form to it, so long as they continue in
employment.
1.-The board has announced its pur-
pose to, subsist employees through the
agency of a contractor, and to that end
i'm a contract IN furnish SUBJ
sistence. to provide buildings and tents,
to furnish table and kitchen furniture.
and to provide the necessary cooks and
help for efficient service. The deter
mination of the board to subsist en-
ployes by contract will not be changed.
The purpose of the board to require
of the contractor a reasonable compli-
ance with the stipulation of his con-
tract will not abate nor change. To
maintain his organization in an eff
Gent state, the contractor is entitled
TO an assurance of the patronage he
is called upon to make provision for
at the many points in the work.
ANY and all existing arrangements
not in accord with the spirit of the
preceding paragraph will be discon-
tinued on or before June 30, 1909.
There will be charged against the
pay of each employee whose family is
not present on the ground 70 cents per
day for subsistence, whether the en-
ploye takes his meal at the mess or
not; the contractor will be paid ac-
cordingly.
1.-THE proper issue of meal books to
employees in excess of the number ac-
tually required, for men who perform
service beyond, the camp will be dis
continued and meal tickets will be is
sued instead, in all cases not warranted
by the circumstances herein mentioned.
1.-THE contractor must provide at each
meal subsistence for the full number
of employees in the camp married men
whose families are on the ground eX-
cepted) whether the employee partake
of all meals or only part thereof
during the day.