The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1913-02-21
SAW DUST RING LINES UP
WITH EMPLOYMENT SHARKS
Especial Correspondence.)

house on labor and labor statistics, i'll
a Joint meeting, for the consideration
of S. B. 139 and H. B. 21O, the pur-
pose of which is to make it illegal for
private employment agencies to charge
the worker fee for securing him en-
ployment, witnessed the spectacle OF
the big lumber concerns appearing
and making a plea for the employ
ment agencies. True to the instincts
of the "sawdust ring" they begged
and they threatened. They said in ef-
feet that any legislation that was
aimed at the private employment
agency was aimed at the lumber in
dustry, which they were careful to
impress upon the committee, is the
largest single industry in the state;
that if the business of the private
employment agency were destroyed,
it would likewise destroy the lumber
industry.
Among the big lumbermen of the
state who appeared before the COM
mittee on behalf of the employment
agencies were E. P. Blake, log buyer;
M. e. Reed, of the Simpson Logging
Co.; ]. E. Barnes, of the Puget Sound
Mills & Lumber Co.; e. S. Grammer,
of the Browns Bay Logging Co.;
George w. Moore, representing a Sc
attic agency, was the only employment
man to make an appearance before the
committee, and the worst he could do
was to call every one who appeared
against the agencies socialist or an
l. w. W., but appeared greatly discon-
certed when he learned that some OF
them were standpat republicans and
democrats.
The hearing proved to be one of the |
liveliest and most interesting of the
session, lasting from 1880 to IL o.
clock, and would have been going yet
had not the overworked and tired
committeeman called a halt. The de-
| tenders of the employment agency
sharks we're met and defeated on
every point that was brought out in
the argument Their principal conten-
| ton was that they had to depend upon
the private agencies to get men for
their camps. that these agencies were
able to specialize on the classes of
men that they wanted. When asked
if the free employment agencies could
not furnish these men, they promptly
replied in the negative. Asked if they
had ever given the municipal agen-
cies chance to furnish this class of
help, they were compelled to acknow-
ledge that they had not The labor
forces contended that the city agen-
cies could just as we'll develop eff
cheney along these lines as could the
private agencies, provided that the
employers would give them their or
ders for help, so that it would be to
the advantage of that class OF labor
| to register for work. With the en-
ployers refusing to give their orders
to the free agencies, there will con-
tinue to be little advantage for the
men to register at these agencies.
For the labor forces there appeared
Paul X. Mohr, of the Seattle central
body; G. o. Young, organizer for the
A. F. of L.. Rev. Simmons of Oakdale;
Gordon Rice, of the State University;
J. G. Brown and c. J. Folsom of the
Shingle Weavers' union; Mr.. Distler,
1 of Cosmopolis, and H. l.. Hughes, of
the State Federation of Labor, who
produced a large amount of documen-
tary evidence on the conditions of
graft that exists in the private employ
ment agencies of the state. The labor
I forces had all the best of the ragument
on every point advanced and kept the
representatives of the big lumber in
terests in an agitated state during the
} entire evening.
Mr.. Kenyon, in the employ of the
; civic service commission of the city
of Seattle, who has had charge of the
J work of adjusting the claims of de-
frauded workmen against the employ
; ment agencies of that city, gave some
, very important testimony as to the
conditions of graft and misrepresen-
tation that existed there. He said that
his work had resulted in the return
J of thousands of dollars to workmen
who had been sold jobs, only to find
there were no jobs when they arrived
at the destination to which they had
been sent. During the time of his
work they had put more than 20
crooked agencies out of business in
that city, it was plainly evident that
not all the crooked agencies have yet
been cleaned up.
! Mr.. Horn, manager of the Tacoma
municipal employment agency was a
most interesting speaker before the
committee. He did not hesitate to
D say that the private employment agen-
! cies were frequently in the habit of
dividing the fees with some manager
! or foreman on the job, and that as a
result of this there were three crews
:. of men on the job, zone coming, one
4 working, and one going" Having in