The Sentinel=record., 1912-03-05
TESTIMONY
 0F CHILDREN
LITTLE FOLKS TELL OF WORK ING CONDITIONS AT THE LAW
 RENcE TEXTILE MILLS.
Relate Stories of Hunger and Desper- ate Working Conditions of Men, Women and Children and
 of the Strike.

Washington, March 4.--Girls and boys, 14 and 15 years old, striking mill workers from Lawrence, Mass, testified today before the house com mittee on rules, which is considering a resolution to investigate conditions which followed attempts to send chil- dren from the strike-ridden city.
 Children told of working long hours for low wages. how they had to pay the American Woolen Company 5 cents week for drinking water, which they described as "canal wa ter" Some of them told of seeing women beaten by police and children knocked down and hurled into wag- ons Hike bundles of rags" at Law renee a week ago Saturday.
 Representative Berger and Samuel Gompers, president of the American Federation of Labor, were again be- fore the committee. Both made statements about the rival union con dition at Lawrence and both were cautioned against the use of person alities.
 After the testimony of seven or eight children had been taken, Max Bogatin, a salesman of Philadelphia, one of the socialist committee which went to Lawrence to accompany the strikers children to homes in Penn sylvania, was questioned as to the charges of disorder and brutality at the Lawrence depot. He declared a soldier tried to keep him in the sta ton by guarding the door with a bayonet.
 T saw the soldiers pick the chil- dren by the legs like they were rags, ' he said, land saw one woman chok- ed by a soldier. was beaten by one of the policeman and still have wounds on my back where they beat me"
 Miss Jane Book. also of Philadel- phia committee, corroborated much of Bogatin's testimony
 Samuel Golden, 16 years old, testi- fled he received s1.64 for three days work and never made more than $5.lO in a week. He said children paid , cents a week for drinking water whether they drank it or not, and were docked an hours pay if they were late. His father never made more than $9 a week, he said He saw one policeman grab a woman by the throat and hit her with a club, he said.
 Charles Vasierslie. 15 years old. said he went to school until he was ii and then went to work.
 q would have kept on at school but we didn't have enough to eat, he said.
 Do you ever go hungry?"
 Sometimes; we never have az butter"
 John Bolderer, 15 years old. L.. thunian, said he got $5.1O a week and so did his father
 ''Would you like to go to school?" asked Representative Lenroot.
 Yes, but I have to work and it's hard. We can't eat bread and water all the time"
 How often do you have only wa ter?"
 Some times for two days at a time
 .How often do you have meat?"
 "Once a week"
 Not oftener?"
 No We have bread and molasses and sometimes beans"
 Victoria Weimaryzk, 14 years old, was the first girl witness. She said she was one of eight children. She testified to the riot at the depot.
 Do you get enough to eat?' Vic. toria was asked.
 When we were all working did ?
 Several other children testified.
 There has been some question, said President Gompers, in Qlis argu- ment before the committee. "as to the authority of this committee to make this inquiry into conditions at Lawrence.
 T think the alleged fact of inter ference of authorities of the law of Massachuss1s with children leaving Lawrenceis is of sufficient importance