Spray courier. (Spray, Or.) 1???-19??, 1915-08-19
STANDARD WAGES
| THOUGHT TOO Low
Company Blamed for Strike by
Federal Investigators.
PAY LESS THAN COMFORTABLE LIVING
Settled Policy Toward Employees Is
Criticised Laws Against Child
Labor Strongly Opposed.
PAY LESS THAN COMFORTABLE OORR|ADtf LIVING

Chicago.-The report of George p
West, and c. T. Chenery, who investi
gated the July, 1915. strike Of the
Standard Oil Company employees a
Bayonne, N. j., for, the United States
Commission on Industrial Relations
was made public 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 import.
ant 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. Rookie.
| feller, Sr., and his immediate family.
The facts regarding the company's
labor policies must, therefore, be re-
garded as of special significance be-
| cause of the tremendous power WELD
| ed by the group of men who control
| this industry and because of their an
nounced intention to enter the field OF
| industrial relations with view to
widening their influence and activity,
propagating what they deem to be the
proper theories and principles that
should govern the relations between
employer and employe."
The following findings of fact are
to be considered in the light of the
foregoing:
"The Standard Oil company, of New
Jersey, although conducting an enor-
mously profitable enterprise, pays
wages too low to maintain family
on a comfortable, healthful basis.
st fixes wages, not with relation
to the earnings of the company, but
by taking into consideration wages
paid by other companies in the same
locality and then fixing the wage as
low 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 con- |
tradiction to the claims of the COM |
pany in a statement issued at 26 |
Broadway that it has always paid the
wage or better. The state
ment of the general manager of the |
company that the interests of other
companies in the same locality are |
considered in the fixing of wages con-
stitutes in effect an admission that |
the company combines with the poor
est and least generous employers to
TX the wage rate.
'The company has instituted no ma
,hinery by which real or fancied
grievances may be peacefully and
adjusted. The officials say
hat any man has access to the gen.
raj superintendent, but the employees
llege that they would be discharged
efore reaching the office.
General Manager Clifford is not a
eliever in child-labor legislation, and
n the other hand, thinks the children
hould be allowed to go to work
arlier. He and Mr.. Hennessy appar-
ntly have little respect for the for
ign-born men whose labor produces
he company's earnings and are pro-
onents of the extremely Individual
tic and reactionary industrial theor-
IS discarded by enlightened employ
rs and by economists many years :
CO."
The report then recited that the
employed detective agency
New York City to furnish guards
nd strikebreakers. 1t quoted the at
,rney for the agency as referring to
lese men as "a lot of thugs" The in
added Their appear
nee amply justified his use of the )
.rm."
"The strike was broken. by Sheriff
ugene Kinkhead," the report stated,
Who first overawed and disorganized
le strikers by assaulting and arrest
g one of their leaders and then
rengthened his control over them by 9
'omising to use his influence to OBJ 7
in an increase in wages and by ar 4
sting 80 of the armed guards" /: