New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-06-16
Merely Biding Their Time
I.W. w. Officials Tell In
dustrial Commission.
FOUR-LOOM SYSTEM
BLAMED BY MEN
Employers Favor Organized La
Dor, and Say Employees Are
Satisfied with Wages.

From staT Correspondent Of The Inoune'I
Paterson. y. J., June B.-The Uni'ec
States Commission on Industrial Rcla-
tons began to dig in Paterson to-day Tor
the causes OF last years disastrous strike
among the textile workers. The basic
cause so far produced is the introduction
of the four-loom system In the mills.
Adolph Iessig. secretary Of the National
Industrial Union OF Textile WORKERS ami
lated with the Chicago branch Of the
J. w. w. asserted that the workers were
merely hiding their time.
The strike" he declared, Ito my mind
hasn't ended ye.. II is merely deferred
Two strikes are on now in mills where
promises were not kept. Tho men went
back 10 work with a reservation.
All representatives Of the employees
agreed that the installation Of the ioos-
loom system. where one weaver has four
looms TO watch. was at the bottom OF the
trouble They realized. they said, that
while the new system meant temporarily
increased wages for some Of the men, II
also meant that the factory could be ran
az capacity with about half the NUMBER
Of men formerly employed. That meant
streets full OF unemployed and a conse-
quent drop in the price Of labor.
AS TO increasing or decreasing wages
opinions differed. Thomas f. Morgan OF
the United Textile Workers Of America
said wages were going down. Lessig' OF
the Chicago ]. w VS., said they were
slightly higher now than they had been
ten years ago. but that the weavers ala
about twice as much work. Henry DO
herty. jr. one of the largest SILK manu-
faoturers in Paterson. said that tax
about ;he good old days when wages
were high was moonshine.
His father, Mr.. Doherty said, had been
a weaver when there were only six looms
in Paterson. and those hand looms lie
had kept a record Of his average wage
The highest il reached was Sll 80. WeaN-
ers working to-day under the four-loom
system. he said. got from Sl9 to 81.
Reasons for the failure Of the strike
were also brought out. Back Of all the
ostensible reasons is the heterogeneous
character Of the labor now employed II
the mills. All of the labor organizers
called. TO whatever branch Of organized
labor they belonged. agreed that the for
eieners who now worked the. looms had
no idea Of sticking to the organization
To-day they join the organization salo
IAssig. and tomorrow they ask: When
do We strike?' II the strike isn't imme-
diate,v successful they lose interest
II was this lack of cohesion and loyalty
among the workers that led to the breach
between the leaders OF the A. F. OF l.. ana
the I. W. w in the Paterson strike, with
disastrous consequences for the strikers.
The two organizations had totally differ
emf theories of procedure. The American
Federation Of Labor was for going slowly
first getting a strong organization with a
vell-lined cashbox, and then trying It's
mower The Industrial Workers or the
World were for striking first and organiz-
ing afterward.
Everything was going along all right
and there was a settlement in sight, ue-
clared Morgan. of the Textile Norkers'
when along came Elizabeth Gurley
Flvnn and Big BIZ Haywood to butt in
and it's all Off"
For the employers Mr. Doherty said his
firm favored organized labor His en-
uloyes. who were working under the
four-ioom system, did not want to strike,
ne said. They were making more money
than they ever made before, and many oil
them stuck to their work in spite OF
threats. AS a last resort, he said. he
offered to let the union run the whole
plant through a board Of managers He
and his father would be satisfied, he said,
with S per cent of the profits. His offer
vas refused. The four-loom system could
rot he used for all kinds of silk, he said
and fear that it would become universal
vas groundless.
The inquiry will continue this morning
with Rudolph Kats, of the Detroit branch
Of the I. W. W, on the stand. lie was
active in the strike Of 1911. Katz and Les
sig were arrested during the strike
troubles and Lessig still has an Rdict-
ment over his head.
The hearings are held In the City Han.
The commissioners present yesterday
were Frank r. Walsh, Professor John r.
Commons, Of Wisconsin; John b. Lennon
and James O'Connell William o. Thomp-
son, counsel for the commission conduct
ed the examination OF witnesses.