Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1915-08-20
INVESTIGATION OF
STANDARD OIL CO.
COMM SSION SUBMITS REPORT
SCORING CONDITIONS AT
BAYONNE, N. J.
STRIKE BREAKERS ARE. THUGS
WAGES Too Low to Provide for Fam
iIes-Manager Said to Favor
Child Labor-Neighbors
Pay More.

Chicago, Aug. 16.-The report OF
George p. West and c. T. Cherry, who
the July, 1915, strike OF
the Standard Oil employees at Bayonne,
N. j., for the United States commits
sion on industrial relations, was made
public Sunday by Frank p. Walsh,
chairman of the commission. The re-
port said, in part, after stating that
the strike was against the Standard
Oil company of New Jersey;
"The company is the most important
of the Standard Oil group, and this
group is the principal contributor to
the wealth, prestige and power of the
largest estate in the country, II not in
the world, that of John ID. Rockefeller
ST., and his immediate family. The
facts regarding the companys labor
policies must, therefore, be regarded
as of special significance because OF
the tremendous power controlled by
the group of men who control this in
dustry and because of their announced |
intention to enter the field of indus
trial relations with view to widen
ing their influence and actively propa-
eating what they deem to be the proper
theories and principles that should
govern the relations between employ
err and employee. The following find
ings of fact are to be considered in
the light of the foregoing
"The Standard Oil company of New
Jersey although conducting an enorm-
ously profitable enterprise, pays wages
too low to maintain family on a COM
Portable, healthful basis.
ct fixes wages, not with relation to
the earnings of the company, but by
taking into consideration wages paid
by other companies in the same local
ity and then fixing the wage as low
as or lower than the prevailing wage
in that locality. In Bayonne it paid
common laborers less than those of
two companies whose plants adjoin its
refineries. This is in direct contra
diction to the claims of the company
in a statement issued at 26 Broadway
that it has always paid the prevailing
wage or better The statement of the
general manager of the company that
the interests of other companies in
the same locality are considered in the
fixing of wages constitutes, in effect,
an admission that the company COM
bines with the poorest and least gen
, erous employers to fix the wage rate.
"The company maintains a settled
/ policy of refusing to deal with any
r labor organization or professional
labor man and even refuses to permit
those employees who can not speak
English intelligibly to engage an at
,, torney as their spokesman and repre-
sentative.
. General Manager Clifford is not q
: believer in child labor legislation, and
2 on the other hand, thinks the chill
t dren should be allowed to go to work
q earlier. He and Mr.. Hennessy ap
parently have little respect for the for
y eign-born men whose labor produces
the company's earnings and who are
proponents of the extremely individ
8 ualistic and reactionary industrial
: theories discarded by enlightened EN-
y ployers and by economists many year
ago."
The report then recites that tn
r company employed a detective agenc,
of New York to furnish guards an
strikebreakers. 1t quoted the attoi
l. ney for the agency as referring t
these men as "a lot of thugs" TIL
-. investigators added their appearance
amply justified his use of the term.
!; 1.-TWO days after the men had n
n turned to work the Standard Oil con
:. pany announced increases in wages
~ These increases we're less than thos
Re demanded by the strikers, and tn
ID rates being paid are still below thos
rs paid by one of the other companie
~ adjoining the Standard Oil company
- plant, if the common labor rate ca
~ be taken as a basis of comparison.
1.-THE outcome of the strike const
tutes a complete victory for the Stan
ard Oil company as to it's vital policie
az that is, it's refusal to recognize or pc
ne nit collective action or to make an
Us concession to the men except of /
us own free will and accord"
te The report gives a long history
at the strike and of the disorders whiC
OF accompanied it. 1t accuses the Stan
ge ard Oil company of urging the Ba
ed onne police to keep strikers off Il
err streets and asserts that the attem
OF to do so caused the first riot
ID July 20.
tu-