New Britain herald., 1916-04-07

labor would have been worth if con- sidered a commodity on the market was violated in favor of the com rany's cupidity and meanness. "Superintendent F. l.. Jeffries boasted to your investigator that he had cowed the strikers by a show of force, accomplished by parading his 200 armed guards outside the plant in view of the strikers. He admitted tnat these men had been hastily gathered and that many of them were hard citizens.'>
 ''Deputy Sheriff J. pionka. sent to the strike field by Sheriff Traeger of Chicago violated his orders to main tain impartiality. established his headuuarters inside the plant, per mitted his men to mingle with the armed guards. and authorized the arrest of strike leaders on tlimsy charges.
 Superintendent JeffricS admitted tC your investigator that labor con- ditions are determined by the New York officers, and that he could not have granted an increase had he de- sired to do so. He also admitted that the company, which maintains large plants in various parts of the cOun- try. made it a policy to keep wages uniform at all the plants.
 'The rate of r 1-2 cents q day is less than is being paid in any of the large industries in the Chicago dis trict, or in other industrial centers of the country, It is moro than 70 Der cent below the prevailing rate for unskilled labor. meaning that it is that much below a rate already too ff,, If and dccency.
 Real Estate Men Corner Land.
 Superintendent Jeffrics admitted that rents are highfn the community surrounding the plant. because the many square miles of unused land are being held by real estate com panies at high prices for an advance !n value.
 investigation esta blishcd the fact that married Worlmen could not exist on their wages without taking in boardcrs, and that in the typical Argo home the rooms were crowded with lodgerS. The men work night and day shifts of twelve hours each. and the same beds are occupied both day and night by different lodgers.
 "A month before the strike began.
 
 inaugurated q scale of wages by which men who had been in the employ of the company for one year should receive a ten per cent. in crease, or 19 IA cents a day for the unskilled laborers, and mon who had worked more than six months and less than d year should receive a five per cent increase. Those who had
 
 tinued to receive but 17 1-2 cents Superintendent Jeffries could not in- form your investigator what propor- ton of the men had worked at the i:lant more than one year, but the strikers asserted that it was V".'N low
 'The company makes no provisions for the welfare of it's employees, who are mostly Poles and Russians. They have no opportunity to learn English. They are exploited by StorekeepcrS doctors and priests, and their chief point of contact with American in stitutions is the saloon. They have lest faith in America and feel bit terly that the natives of the country arc their eXploiters.
 After the strike began an earnest effort was made by the American Federation of Labor to organize the strikers and protect them in their rights. This effort was handicapped by the companys absolute control of police and courts and by the helD of the local Polish priest.
 No serious effort was made by the large Chicago newspapers to make the facts at Argo known. The Chicago Tribune printed an edi-