The San Francisco call., 1909-04-16
ALLEGES VIOLATION
OF STATE LABOR LAW
Workman Causes Arrest of Con-
tractors Who Are Razing
City Hall Ruins
Claim Made That Wages Are
Shaved and the Eight Hour
Statute Disobeyed

Charges that the wages of workmen
engaged in razing the city hall had
been Systematically shaved below the
contract requirements and that the
state eight hour law had been yio-
lated, eliminated yesterday in the ar
rest of four high officials of the City
construction company. The charges
were issued on complaint of A F.
Elliott, a former workman for the City
constructive company. The state bu-
reau of labor statistics is declared to
be behind the prosecution and has re-
tanned Attorney Nathan c. Coghlan to
press the charges.
The warrants We're issued for the
arrest of A. T.. Buchanan, director of
the company; w. l.. Williamson. W. e.
Price and Albert Z. Peters, secretary
of the. company. Bail was set at $500
The specific charge was violation of
section 653 (d) of the penal code of
California. which makes it felony
to take, keep or receive any
portion of the wages due laborers en-
ployed upon public works" With the
complaint was an affidavit made by
Elliott, which in part is as follows:
That on March s, 1909. the complain
ant drew down So of the salary due
him; the said City construction COM
cent. or 80 cents from the amount due
him al that time; that similar deduc-
tions of 10 per cent were made on the
thirteenth. twentieth and twentysev-
enth days of March. 1909, when he
drew respectively SO. SS and 81 of
the wages then due him; sthat in March,
1909. he was Informed that he would
have to work nine hours per day and
that he did work for nine hours on
March 10, 1909, all of which occurred
while being employed on public
work.
The affidavit was sworn TO before T.
c. Jones deputy commissioner of the
bureau of labor statistics of the state
of California
officers of the City construction COM
pany charge that the complaint had
been issued al the behest of the unions
This, however. Attorney Nathan Cogh-
Ian, representing the labor bureau, de-
nies. He said:
This is simply one case of many
that have been called to the attention
of the labor bureau and we intend to
prosecute it for the purpose of stop
ping such practices and for no other
purpose"
Elliott declared that he had gone to
the labor bureau with his complaint en-
tirely of his own accord.
Albert f. Peters, secretary of the
City construction company, admitted
that on occasions the laborers en-
ployed by the company had been
worked nine hours a day. but declared
that overtime was always paid.
Workmen employed upon the Larkin
street wing of the city hall. which is
being razed by the City construction
company, declared that they had re-
ceived their pay regularly without any
deductions and protested when they
learned that overtime hereafter had
been forbidden by the company. 1t
was declared at the Office of the City
construction company that w. l.. Will
Hanson and w. Z. Price. named in the
warrants. had not been connected with
the City construction company for sew
eral months past.
Time Keeper Slack when interviewed
last night said that he had not exam
ined his books and could not discuss
Elliott's charges.
The force of men removing the walls
of the city hall near the Hyde street
entrance struck yesterday owing to a
dispute with the contractor, John Tut
tie. over the workmen employed by
Contractor Sharstig in breaking up the
ironwork removed. These were de-
clared to be nonunion men. Tuttle said
if they were it wasn't his business, as
he had sold the material to Sharstig
and the latter did the employing.