Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-06-16
SOON TO MAKE
SILK WITHOUT
WEAVERS' AID
Manufacturer Tells Labor Prob
ers Perfected Machines viii
Replace Operators.
COMMISSION LEARNS THE
1918 STRIKE is STILL ON
Paterson Workers, Said TO Be
Underpaid, Only Waiting to
Break Out.
Especial to the Evening star.I

PATERSON. June 16.-Henry Doh
erty. jr, OF the Henry Doherty Sill,
Company, one of the largest silk man
ufacturing concerns in this city, tes-
titled before the United States Com
mission on Industrial Rela tions yes
terday that the time is not far off
when silk may be weaved without hu-
man weavers
Judging Dy the progress that is
now being made in perfectinS the
mechanical working of silk looms" he
said, at is only a question of time
Wien silk weavers will no longer be
required
According TO the testimony at yes
terdsys hearing the great silk strike
of 1913 Is still on and the workers are
only waiting the opportunity to break
out They are underpaid, 1t was tes-
tilted, and conditions are deporable.
Urge Uniform Wage Scale.
As one of the suggested remedies
for existing conditions the establish
ment of uniform scale of wages for
the industry throughout tho United
States was favored by Mr.. Doherty.
He said the conditions were unsatis-
factory alike to the workers and
manufacturers.
Much of the proceedings yesterday
dealt with the strike of 1918. Adoph
T.essig organizer of the Paterson In
dustral Workers of the World, which
organization engineered the strike,
and who is now secretary Of the Ma
tional Union of Textile Workers,
created something of a stir by reply
ing to a question put by William O.
Thompson, counsel for the commits
sion, that ''if a strike could be won
by blowing up a mill'' his organiza-
tion would sanction it.
Looms so Fer Cent. II cient.
Doherty testified that at this time
the silk looms are 80 per cent. efficient.
weaver works only when a loom
is standing still he said, and that
means only about two hours of sctutl
work each day.
He said that before the strike his
company offered to turn over to its
employees it's mills at Lake View and
Paterson and let them share III the
profits if the company was allowed
per cent. on it's capital invested. The
employees tried it for q while. he said
but didn't like the system and went
back to the old order OF things.
Doherty said that before the strike
the four loom men were making big
money and the first indication OF
trouble came when the two loom
hands demanded the end of the four
loom system.
II believe" he said, that this COM
mission or the government should TX
uniform scale OF wages. and this
would do away with much OF the
present trouble. My father and |
favor the cght-hour work-day, pro.
viding it can be made eeffctiye all
over the country
Doherty asserted that the average
wages in his firms mill from the
highest to the lowest amounts to Sl6
week.
Adolph told the Investigators that
the |. W. W. adherents had 5000 ad'
herents In the strike. but now has an
actual membership of only 1.400.
isn't it the policy of the l. ". ".
to destroy or make a poor or inferior
grade of silk?" he was asked
1.-THE I. W. W. doesn't hesitate to
say that this is So" was the response.
"Other organiza tions also do it, but
they deny that they do"
Lessig said that the cause of the
strike was overwork and underpay.
He said that as a result of the strike
some of the workers were getting
shorter hours. Thomas Morgan, Sec
ond vce-president of the Textile
Workers of America, said:
"The chief reason for the strike was
the unrest among the foreign element.
Twenty years ago so per cent of the
workers in the silk industry were
.Englsh-speaking Today the great
majority are Italians. Hebrews. Ar
menians and Syrlans. Only 10 per
cent. Of the Weavers today are Eng
lish speaking