The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1909-05-29
Waues in Wisconsin.

ported that the average wage for 1907
was less: than in any one of the three
years precending. In Wisconsin many
boys are employed in the crews opera
ting paper machines. The Mann COM
n1ittee saw many fifteen-year-old boys
who were working thirteen hours for
six nights. At one mill, Combined
Locks (page 2103), the night force
worked fourteen hours. Two fifteen
year-old boys at one mill in Neenah,
Wisconsin, were working as members
of tn crew on a paper machine at
the fe of eight and one7half cents
an = Dr. respectively. Workers in
George 4. Writings mill at that place
received pay varying from 30 cents to
800, per day. Women who were sort
ing rags were paid $3.50 per week by
men VINO pose as leading citizens.
Paper mill workers in the Fox River
Valley were paid fourteen and one-half
cents yer hour for sixty-five hours
per week. OF. s$s.42 per week, .-.:. T.. :.
Paper Ma,<ers' "Meanness..~ '--"4~ -
In stead Of giving to labor thes re-
wards which protection was designed
to confer, the paper, makers have
treated their labor worse than almost
any other industry has done. Beginn-
ing August l, 1908, a protracted strug-
gle was carried on between the Inter-
national Paper Co. and IT'S employees
over; question Of reduction Of five
per cent Ill wages-the contest entail
ing q loss In labor and other items
exceeding one million dollars, all Of
which was ultimately borne by the
newspaper publishers, under he pro-
visions of your tariff schedule.
The International Paper Company
admits that by making that cut in
wages 1t saved forty cents per ton
in the cos of makeing paper.
The Bulletin Of the Bureau Of Labor
at washington for July, 1907, on page
3 (pages 372 and 719 Of Pulp and Pa
per Hearings), shows that of forty-one
industries employing 334,107 persons,
whose earnings were reported, the
only Industry in which the pay of lab
or had been reduced in 1905, as COM
pared with 1904 and 1905, was paper.
The hours Of labor in that industry
were also increased in that year.
The Census Reports.
The census report for 1905 shows
(page 372) that 1854 persons employ
ed in the paper trade received an aver
age og 1892 per week, or $1.55' per day.
The paper makers based their in
crease in price of news print paper to
$4,000 per week, or $3.50 per day.
The paper makers based their in
crease in price of news print paper
to $4,000 per ton in 1907, upon the
representation that the cost of labor
had been increased fifty per cent by
reason Of the change Of hours from
twelve to eight hours (page 1889. It
now. appears by tho records Of the
American Paper and Pulp Association
(page 1743), that only twenty-nine
mills hal changed to the three-tour
eight-hour system, and that 215 had
continued on the twelve-hour basis.
In comparing relative pay with Can
ada, Mr.. Cowles, while president Of thu
American Paper and Pulp association
said to the Mann committee: If any
thing, I should say that labor is highe,
in Canada than it is in the United
States"
The chairman-"Do you mean skilled
labor?', r.,
Mr.. Cowles-'T mean skilled labu
and cheap labor, both. That was no.
formerly &C. but it is so today. Tha
is my own experience and my own OBJ
servation.''