The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1909-10-30

Ing before the Immigration commits,
sion. In July In, Duluth. two men
were sent to "a place near. Mountain
Iron to work for the Northern Lun- =
Der company. Each had his railroad
fare advanced. amounting to $1.48.@
! They were engaged to work as saw
yers at: the rate of :$3 per month.
When they arrived at the camp they
were given work as swampers. They
found the food below the ordinary
standard and the accommodations
about the camp very poor. SO they,
quit their jobs and left the camp. 80:
On their way to the nearest town
they were stopped by an official of
the lumber companv. who threatened
to prosecute them unless they re-
turned to work. The men were coax
ed into an office known as the head
quarters. four miles from Mountain
Iron.
Arrested Without q Warrant.
while they were there, the Off
cial of the lumber company telephon-
ed for the town marshal, who came
out in a carriage and arrested the two
men without warrant. That in it.
self is contrary to law. They were
taken to Mountain Iron and placed
in Jail, where they were held until
the official of the lumber company
appeared and made complaint against
them. They were tried before a JUS
tice of the peace. They told their
story to the; court and strongly MAIN
tanned that the conditions of their en-,
ployment were misrepresented by the
employment. agent at Duluth.
Russian, Consul Interested.
"The> official of the lumber COM
until he met them on the roadway,
said that the only testimony he could
offer was that he believed the men
accepted transportation for the sole
purpose of getting from Duluth to
Chisholm, town which the men had
passed on the train on their way to
camp.
Upon this testimony the judge SEN
fenced the men to thirty days in the
county jail at Duluth for failure to
pay a debt of $1.48.
These men being Poles, are sub
jects of the car of Russia. It is said
that the Russian consul is now in
vestigating the matter. - -
All of these. facts were admitted
by the justice Of, the peace who sem
fenced the men, by the town marshal
who arrested them and by the Off
cial of the lumber company, who
swore to the complaint.
II heard a chief of police of a
northern Minnesota city admit that he
beat and kicked man back into a
camp and compelled him to work out
a debt that he owed to lumber COM
pany.
Another Side of the Story.
There isn't any Imprisonment for
the employer who fails to perform his
contract. Last winter an employment
| agent at Duluth sent a man and his
wife to cook in lumber camp near
Duluth. They took with them their
seven-yearc-old boy. When they ar
rived at the camp they found no work
for them and were given shelter in a
deserted cabin near the camp. DUR
ing the night the boy contracted q
cold. In the morning he had fever
and could not be taken away The
fever developed into pneumonia and
the boy died. The father hewed out
log and made a coffin. Having no
money to pay for transportation of
the body back to civilization, he dug
hole in the ground and buried the
boys body. 49,.
Lumberjacks Suffer Much Injustice.
! 1T is no wonder that the workman
is himself INSCRIPTIONS about quit
ting JOB after. his transportation has
been paid. The type of man that is
usually hired for work In the lumber
camps Is a victim of avarice and dis
honesty at every stage of his exist
ence. H..
! AT the camp he is charged extor-
tionate prices for the things he wears.