Arizona republican., 1915-02-05
Inquiry Begun into Strike
at Chrome and Roose-
velt, n. j., Brings Out
Story of Hardship Tn
dergone by Low-paid Men
HEPBURN ADMITS
is UNINFORMED
Director Of Chemical Com
pany Says He Knows
Nothing About Condi-
tions Of Employees, Only
What Newspapers Print
ASSOCIATED PRkss DrsPATcH1

ASSOCIATED PRESS DISPATCH1
NEW YORK, Feb. Enquiry into
the strike at Chrome and Roosevelt.
" j., plants of the American Agri-
cultural Chemical company, which re-
suited in the recent shooting and
killing of strikers, was inaugurated
by the federal commission on indus
trial relations Antoni Waiter, a
striker testified that he tried to sup
pcrt his wife and five children on Il
wage of $3.50 a day and failed. Even
with the additional money his wife
was able to earn he could not pay
for the bare necessities of life, he
said. So he ran in debt.
Earton Hepburn, a director of the
company, who is also chairman Of
the board of directors of the Chase
National bank of New York and
trustee of the Rockefeller Founda-
tion, testified he knew nothing about
the conditions of the employees os the
chemical company, and had never
visited the plant He first learned
the strikers had been shot wne1 he
read the newspapers. He called up
an cff:cial of the company and was
old the men were on strike for
more wages end shorter working
hours" The official also told him he
believed the strike would be short, as
there were many men looking for the
places ct the strikers.
As stockholder Hepburn sad he
did not consider himself responsible
for the conditions at Roosevelt. He
defended the Rockefeller Foundation
and its purposes and policies and said
he had not known that among the
securities held by it were those of the
American Agricultural Chemical COM
pany.
Other witnesses were George Kirch-
wey. professor of law at Columbia
University; Morris Hillquit, socialist
writer. and John Lawson. kirehWey
gave as his opinion that there was
some doubt that the charters of the
Rockefeller and Carnegie foundations
We're constitutional, as they failed
properly to define the scope and pur-
poses Of the institutions. Hillqult as
sailed the philanthropic foundations
as being at the bottom of business
enterprises' founded by the capital
lists not to relieve suffering Of their
fellowmen but as a means to
strengthen their own social and eco
nomic positions. While Rockefeller
relief ships for Belgium are being
loaded he said thousands of Amerl-
can workers are suffering from nun
ger within a mile of &c Broadway.
Hillquit said that while Egyptians
and Malayans are being freed OF the
hookworm he could not forget how
many thousands of American work
ers died annually of tuberculosis,
mostly victims of social and indus
trial surroundings"
Hardly any part of the huge funus
concentrated in the modern philan-
thropic trusts is applicable to the re
lief OF the widespread poverty, mis-
cry and distress of the American pop
ulation,'' said Mr.. Hillquit. He cited
the relief furnished to the Belgiais
as the only charitable work on large
scale undertaken by the Rockefeller
Foundation.
why restrict the necessary help 10
Belgium" he asked. while the Bel
gian relief ships were loaded with
wheat, corn and other foodstuffs, tens
of thousands of American workers,
their wives and children were gong
hungry The bread lines in New fofk.
within perhaps one mile of 26 Broad
way, were growing longer and longer
from day to day. Many of the men
in these dreadful lines probably have
at some time been working in one or
the other of the numerous industries
in which Mr. Rockefeller has invested
and probably have helped to augment
his great fortune
The foundations activities in eradl-
fCoptip,Ied on pape SiSl