Daily independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 188?-1915, 1909-05-13

of the duty on print paper, wood and
wood pulp from which the paper is made
The trust averred it could not compete
with Canadas cheap wood and cheap
labor. The investigation by the Mann
committee followed. ..
Although the tariff on paper imposed
by the Dingley bill was avowedly to
protect American labor. the Mann com
mite found that in Massachusetts the
average pay for paper mill employees in
1905 wis $1.51 per day, and in 1906 81. 80
In fourteen Wisconsin mills the aver
age wages for all persons 1907 was 81 .4s
per day: and wages in 1907 were lower
than they had been in any of the three
years preceding. In Wisconsin many
boys are employed in the crews operat-
ing paper machines.
The Mann committee saw many 15-
year old boys who were working thirteen
hours for six nights. AT one mill, Com
bined Locks(page 2, 103) the night force
worked fourteen hours. Two 15-year-
ol1-boys ut one mill in Neenan, Wis,
on Il paper machine at the rate Of 1-2
cents AMI 10 cents an hour, respectively
Workers. in George A. Writings mill
at that place received pay varying from
90 cents to 81. 10 per day. Women who
were Sorting rags We're paid $3.50 per
week by men VINO pose us leading cit
liens. Paper mill workers in the Fox
River valley were paid II 1-2 cents per
hour for siXty-five hours per week.
Instead of giving to labor the rewards
which protection was designed to confer
the paper makers have treated their
Labor worse than almost any Their in
dustry has done. Beginning August t.,
1908. II prJtracted struggle was carried
on between the international Paper
company and its employees over ques-
lion of reduction of per cent in
waGeS-th1 contest entailing Il loss in
Labor and other items exceeding 81. 900.
900, all of which was ultimately borne
by the newspaper publishers, under the
provision of the tariff schedule. The
international Paper company admits
tnat by making that cut in wages it
saved 40 cents per ton in the cost Of
making paper. Moreover, the bulletin
OF labor fDr July, 1901. shows that of
foTty-0nr industries employing 334 1917
persons whose earnings were reported,
the paper industry was the only one
81 pwing II reduction in wages, and that
WAS when the trust had advanced paper
prices to about the limit and threatened
still higher price.
. The census report for 1905 shows that
65,G04 parS ms in the paper trade re-
ceIved an average of $0.32 per week, or
81. % Il day: and the New York state
bureau Of labor shows that for the first
quarter of 1907 the employees in the
paper trdd% averaged smaller earnings
than those in any other trade occupa-
ton.
These figures are most valuable be-
cause they are exact and from official
sources. They relate to IL trust which
had the special favor of Speaker Cam
non; they represent perfectly the work
lngS of the protective tariff as applied
t. mnnopo'i"s: and they show beyond
question just how philanthropic the
trusts are when they plead for duty
that shall prevent competition because
they want to shield the dear America II
working man from the inevitable pan.
periSn thai would result if he had 70
compete with foreign labor.
Imagine the generosity of a trust
that works children on machines at 10
cents an hour and compels 15.year-old
boys to work thirteen hours a night for
six nights of the week!
No wonder that the best of the re.
pnblicans themselves have grown sick
OF the deception and Misrepresentation
that charactcrize tariff legislation. and
no wonder the people, who inevitably