United labor bulletin., 1910-11-17
WARNING TO PARENTS.
Conditions Should Be Investigated Before
Apprenticing Boys.

(By w. E. Bryan. General President, In
ternational United Brotherhood of
Leather Workers on Horse Goods.)
l deem my duty to warn the par
ents of boys, that contemplate appren-
ticing them in any factory of the Sad
dlery and Harness Industry, except
where the number is limited, to thor
oughly investigate the conditions pre-
vailing, before giving your consent and
being party to the crime of enslaving
your boy and placing him in a condition
of servitude, for the rest of his life, with
out just compensation.
The facts in connection with this in
dustry as it effects the future of the boys
are: Without the number of apprentices
are limited the boy will never become a
mechanic in the trade and will never be
able to command scale of wages suffi-
cient to occupy the intended position in
life, equality with all mankind, or will
he be able to rear and educate family
of children, sufficiently to enable them to
occupy a position other than one of serv-
itude with all the trials and the accom-
panying denials of the luxuries of life
and many of the things, under the Amer
lean standard of living, classed as neces-
sites.
Some of the manufacturers in this line
are filling their factories with boys and
each one is put to work upon some piece
of harness, and under instruction he is
taught how to make this particular piece,
he thus becomes a part of machine but
never a mechanic. therefore occupies
only an inhnitesimal position and COM
pletely at the mercy of class of en-
ployers that have demonstrated by in
stituting this system into their factories,
the greed for gain is greater than the
welfare of the human family.
In factories where we have working
agreements, the apprentice is taught
step by step intricacies of the trade, and
il he applies himself and has any me-
chanical instinct at the close of his ap-
premiership, he becomes a mechanic in
his chosen trade and able to build har-
ness or saddle complete and command
the wages of mechanic, prevailing. and
wish to assure you such wage is totally
insufficient at the present time to support
family as they should be supported.
Beware of the manufacturer who cries
down the system of trade unions in linn
itluS tHe uumDer OF apprentices, enQedV-
oring to show that it limits the opportun-
ity of the boys to become self support
ing; to the contrary. their purpose is to
lower the standard of living and to make
slaves out of the boys that Will serve
their purpose when they become men,
totally untitled as mechanics, to COM
mand the respect and compensation as
such
Such employers are only striving to
reduce the cost of production at the ex-
expense of the workers and through COM
bination market the product at the top
most price. in direct violation of the Anti
Trust Laws
Parents who may see this article, II
you are contemplating placing your boy
or If he has commenced under the con
ditions here described, to learn any
trade connected with the Saddlery and
Harness Industry. you will do Your son
valuable service and exercise a moral
duty to your child by causing him to give
up the work or to Danish any idea he
may have of engaging in it.