The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1912-05-17
PAINTED A BLACK PICTURE.
Of Working Condition. in the Lumber
District of Burlington.

Unpropitious weather conditions kept
the attendance at the labor meeting in
carpenters hall in the Nichols block
down to a mere handful of working
men last evening, but the message
brought to the few jealous ones pres
ent by John Z. Potts of Boston, an
organizer for the United Brotherhood
of Carpenters, and George Wilkins OF
Burlington, president of the Vermont
state branch of the American Fedora.
tion of Labor, seemed to be more than
a sufficient reeompense for the few who
brayed the elements. Alex. lronstde
presided at the meeting, and after Or
ganizer Potts had consumed an hour in
describing conditions at Burlington, it
seemed to be the unanimous sentiment
of those present that something should
be done toward aiding the striking wood
workers in the Queen city.
Mr.. Potts told of his first visit to
Burlington several yeers ago when the
need for improved conditions among the
workingmen became most apparent. In
April. 1911, he again visited the city
and after comforting with the employees
and mill owners it was decided to defer
action for another year. In February
of this year. he said, the mill hands
served notice on the owners that their
demands for shorter hours must be
granted by NAV l. Mr.. Potts took oc-
casion to deny that the mill owners had
not received this notification, saying that
each and all were furnished with type
written copies He told also of the 80
union men who went out May /, and
of the 665 other non-union men who
went out in sympathy at the same time.
He asserted that the average wage at
the Burlington mills was under So per
week and he promised that the non
union workers, out in sympathy at the
present time, would be shortly organ
lied.
In the course of his address, the speak
er instanced several cases OF gross un-
fairness, which he said had come under
his notice while conducting operations
in Burlington. He told of one veteran
employe who had worked for SO years
for wage that would average under
$3.50 per week The highest paid of
the employees, he said, received no more
than $3.50. These are few and in their
class are the inspectors. Others who
go to make up the rank and file of
hands in the mills receive from that sum
down to S4 per week for go hours. On
the strike rolls at the present time, he
asserted. there are $50 boys ranging in
age from ~ to IL years, and some of
these have worked in the mills for four
years. In connection with this state
ment, Mr.. Potts arraigned the present
method of enforcing the child labor laws
and expressed his opinion of conditions
which are allowing the mill hands to EN-
ploy young school boys to work after
school for $l.50 during the exigencies of
the strike. The manufacturers, he
are meeting this argument
against their methods by saying that
the boys had better be earning money
than playing ball or otherwise idling
their time away.
Calling attention tc the cry of bonuses
made. as he stated, by the mill owners,
Mr.. Potts said that standing offer
made it possible for men to earn sc per
thousand feet extra after they had run
l75,000 feet of sheathing through the
machines One man., he admitted, had
profited by this generous offer and he
operated the best machine of its kind in
the manufacturing district. This, and
other facts were continually brought
out in the course of the speakers re-
marks. He said that number of the
mill owners went to different Burling-
ton clergymen and urged them to bring
pressure to bear upon the workingmen
through their pulpits. Some of them
assented, he said, and the speaker. scorn-
ing their right to the title of Christian
disciples, said their course might better
be likened to that of Judas lscariot. He
told also of a city alderman VINO visited
the homes of widows and threatened
them with refusals for credit at different
stores unless they prevailed upon their
sons to return to work. In assailing
the action of city officials, he mentioned
5he attitude of the truant officers on
the child labor question, saying that they
previously notified the manufacturers of
their prospective inspection tours in or
Ter that the children working illegally
night be hustled out of sight.
Latterly, the speaker directed his at
.ack on the conditions toward certain
whom he claimed to be re-
'ponsible for much of the misery. He
old of leading manufacturer who took
worn out carpets from his household,
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