Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-05-27
"Of Illinois.
GETs FIGUREs BY MISTAKE.

GETS FIGURES By MISTAKE.
The capital stock of Marshall Field
& Co. amounts to sGG00,000 and The |
Fair 100000. OF the firms mention
ed the Crane company recently put in |
a $3.50 minimum wage for girls.
Mr.. Edgar said he obtained his fig |
ures while preparing ''tax-dodging%
suits, and was told later that the fig |
ures were sent from the bureau of !
corporations through an error, and
that he would be liable under the fed !
eral statute if he gave out the fig
ures.
Wen let the state of Illinois profit
by the b.under, then" said Lieutenant
Governor O'Hara, and we'll see how
! serious a breach of faith the people
will regard it,"
TAYLOR AND O'HARA CLASH.
Graham Taylors frankness with the
commission came during the morning
] session. He showed no hesitancy in
| criticising methods of the inquisitors
He said the commission was criticised
by professors and sociologists all over
the country.
Isn't 1t true these professors and
socioiogists depend for their salaries
largely in money from the interests
paying low wsges?" asked Mr.. O'Hara.
Mr.. Taylor said he didn't know as
he would say that. He thought vice
was due largely TO the failure of fam
lily life and 10 unsupervised dance
halls and amusement places. Low
wages, he asserted, was q "sinuous"
influence. hard to define. He thought
the minimum wage question, which
he favored, was more of an economic
question, and said his criticism Of
connecting vice with it was not that
vice and the minimum wage needed
no attention, but that he feared by
connecting the real facts regarding
the two would be lost in the confusion.
PACKERS ON THE STAND.
, Louis F. Swift. president Of Swift &
Co.; c. L. Charles, assistant superin-
tendent of Morris & Co., and NJ. G.
Harding, superintendent of the Chi
cago plant of Armour e. Co.. testified
concerning conditions in the stock
. yards.
/, Each witness said his firm could
raise wages, if necessary, without
damaging effect on income Mr.
! Swifts' testimony summarized, was:
: Our 695 women average s10.05 g
week. In the plant the 399 womer
average $3.50 a week. They wort
about fifty hours. They are paid OIL
an hour basis. so the need for theiI
services may be met more economic
ally. Housing aid home life have
, much to do with vice, but IS a week if
, not too much for a girl. We pay the
! wages we do because they are stan
: dard for that work in Chicago"
What would It cost to establish {
minimum Of IS a week." asked tn,
Lieutenant governor.
About $4,000 a year"
Gould you do it without seriousl!
; interfering with dividends and with
/; out making customers pay for it,"
81 don't know. I suppose it woulr
.. be added to the cost"
But. Mr.. Swift" asked the chair
man. wouldn't your stockholders b,
glad to pay it,"
all We can, and we want 10 help tn
men, too. think it would be a goo;
thing for at least half Of the girls
CONDITION AT ARMOUR TLANT.
Mr.. Harding said the Armour plan
o employed s44 girls, the lowest wag
!, being 1-3 cents an hour. ten gettin
c that figure. There were 81 a
= cents an hour, or Sc a week, if the
!, worked sixty hours. One received l
n cents an hour; there were forty-nin
c at II 2-3 cents; seventy-seven at 121
cents, and others at higher wages
n The average for the S44, he said, wa
6 S.l9 a week for ten successive week.
= Mr.. Harding declared raising wage
= in Illinois might mean shutting dow
plants par of the time, if othe
h states could get help cheaper. H
" said competition would make it har
d TO raise girls salaries. When aske
% why women were employed he said
o It's because they're neater, MOI
skillful and more nimble. They ca