United labor bulletin., 1909-10-08

houses, he collected S6 as special lee.
Similarly, constant source of irri-
tation to the foreigners, has been their
treatment by the special company police
Mr. Koukol cites instances also where
fees were demanded of ignorant work
men for certificates to secure benefits
under the insurance system Instituted
by the company in May.
Enough has been said to indicate the
temper with which the men resented
what they believed to be the gouging oil
their pay envelopes.
"The reports of violence have been as
greatly exaggerated as the reports pub
lished by some newspapers, that the
Pressed Steel Car company kills man
day in its works. Ten men only were
killed in these works the year the Pitts
burg Survey studied accidents in Allie
gheny county. The company, however
has general reputation for considera-
ton of Hunkie-life very much in keeping
with the contempt it accords its en-
ployes industrally-as machine tenders,
rather than men. These employees it had
gathered from the four ends of the earth;
and it had seen to it that there was no
trace of unionism among them. The
strike was of unorganized men, and at
the start no man had any more contro.
over the action of his neighbor than l
have over a crowd on the street. State
police and deputy sheriffs were called
in stones and shots were exchanged; a
score of men were jailed and five men
lay in the Ohio Valley hospital.
Strike of the Unorsanized
Il visited McKee's Rocks week later.
and throughout that week remarkable
order had been observed by the strikers.
They had held great outdoor meetings
daily without surveillance or outburst
of any sort. These meetings were in
the open, mile from the works, a
ridge of ground overlooking the Ohio
river, known as the Indian Mound Here
one two. three thousand men sat on the
ground in a circle, while men on saw
horse, with a little American flag stuck
on a stick. addressed them in four five
and six languages. However, 1t started.
and however it was 10 end, this was on
that day, strike OF peace-of the ma
tions together And not the lease won
derfuI element in the situation was the
five or six men of the American commit
tee. in the circle of foreign faces They
iIe>s nc scr. sliNod' pssh the Hunkies be-
fore Some of them had not struck.
Most of them had been repair men and
electricians. not affected by the pooling
system They were there with the Slavs.
They have got the whole of us to fight
now was the way C. A. Wise. the chair
man of the American committee, put il.
/ (He was in the axle department, and not
affected by the pools.) We are trying
to be men among men,"
This description from an impartial in
vestigator gives a clear idea of the sys-
tenn pursued by the company. THE right
to quit" was the only one the men could
use in order to call the attention of the
public to their wrongs. 1t was evidently
a surprise to the company when the men
utilized that right en- masse instead of
| individually
]
the company for such treatment of the
J.. men. All the railroads are feeling the
stimulus of more prosperous conditions
and are placing heavy contracts for steel
cars This business of building steel
cars is practically a monopoly in the
hands of three or four companies,
The newspapers recently mentioned
that one railway alone had placed orders
for more than s7.OOO.OOO worth of new
equipment and another great road Tor al
most an equal amount.
| Does anybody suppose that the steel
companies have any difficulty in secur-
ing good prices from the railroads? Ger
tainly not. There is no reason on earth
why they should not treat their men fair
ly as to wages and conditions of work,
and there is every reason why they
should and yet have ample profits.
The inhuman system of driving men
like cattle, underpaying them and refus
ing to listen to their grievances and TO
adjust their wrongs, is eventually ruin
GUS to the employer as well as the men.
Were the grievaces of these employees
of the steel company adjusted according
to modern peaceful methods, the com
pany would escape costly strike and
earn even greater dividends than under
a system of oppression.
Il What seems to be needed is man
ager with strong intellectual grasp OF
modern Industrial conditions and fore
mon who will be made to realize that
their jobs depend upon fair treatment OF
the men.
Labor efficiency is a peculiar problem
Unless the highest efficiency is secured
the capital invested in big plant will
not bring in the best results Labor eff
ficiency being a human attribute Is Sc