The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1916-05-11

the kind of work to be performed.
SO the immigrant, spending his few
dollars for the office fee and rail-
road fare, will often be discharged
shortly after he starts to work. or
he will quit the job of his own ac-
cord. But often he will be sent by
the employment agent to a distant
place, where the work for which he
Is hired does not exist.
Two years ago an employment
agency in Minneapolis sent so men
200 miles to lumber camp, which
was closed years ago. Only lately
1t was reported by newspapers that
many agencies take the opportunity
offered by the good labor market
and send laborers to many distant
places, where they are soon DIS
charged to make room for new
gang, from which the foreman re-
ceives certain sum of cash for each
man from the agent.
Such floating laborers and immi-
grants are often in great need and
dependent on charity, which is
caused, to certain extent, by the
work of these agencies which force
the alien to spend his money with
out getting the promised work.
You will find hardly an immigrant
who was not, at least once, the VIC
tim of labor agency. Of course
these agencies are watched, and
many cities have special ordinances
to regulate their business. On &C.
count of 80 much trouble, thers
are states that closed the privsts
agencies entirely and supply work
through state labor agencies only.
Each year we read in the papers
of hundreds of thousands of acci-
dents which happen in the big in
dustries of the country; in factories,
mines and on construction work.
But after reading these figures we
seldom realize that IS per cent of
all these accidents occurred to
laborers of alien birth. How much
sorrow and misery are brought to,
the families of these men, who left
their homes hopeful to work, to
earn, to save and return to their
loved ones. How many of them are
killed on the vast battleields of
work and labor and will never re-
turn; and how many are crippled
for life to become a burden instead
of help to their families.
Nearly forty of the states adopted
workmen's compensation law,
which provides compensation for
a laborer when injured at work. 1t
is not my intention to discuss this
law; refer TO it only because it is
the one which, on account of so
many accidents each year, involves
a great number of aliens. Who
ever Is acquainted with the method
that was necessary for a workman
to get compensation in case of an
injury previous to the workingmen's
compensation law, has to admit
that said law is benefit for the
welfare of the worker.
But does it work in the case of an
alien? When an accident occurs
the injured man is overrun by
agents from law Offices called
ambulance chasers," and persuaded
to entrust his case to one of them.
Usually he is promised by his law
yer much larger compensation
than the law provides in his case.
and is induced to sign an agreement
with the lawyer which will fix an
exceedingly high attorneys fee, if
we consider the small rates on
which the compensation is based.
The lawyer is often not to blame;
but when his fee is deducted, then
there is not much left from the
compensation, and the alien is of
the opinion that there is something
wrong with his attorney. or with
the company for which he WORKED
or what is worse, he thinks the lae
itself, which was made for his pro-
lection, is against him.
Concluded on page 81