New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-12-30
Mere Camouhage to Claim
Shortage of Unskilled
Workers, Is Charge
Men Needed Can Be
Hired, 1t Is Asserted
Frank Hedley Says Substi-
tuition Is Necessary to
Keep Cars Running

Protest against the action Of tho
New York Street Railways Company
subsidiary OF the lutcrboroueh, and
the Brooklyn Rapid Trsusi. Company
in substituting women for mon as .cas
conductors on the ground o. shortage
In labor. was made yesterday 10y VIII
lam Collins, an organizer Of the Amer
can Federation Of Labor.
There is no such scarcity OF uusk'ilco
labor, he declared, offering TO produce
1000 men willing 20 take employment
on the surface car lines Of the city.
Investigation into the statement made
BY the American Federation officer
showed that his contention was FULLY
uphcld By tho City Public Employment
Bureau At No. 90 Lafayette Street. ];
wss said there that neither tho Nc"
York Street Railways Iutcrborough nor
3. Z. T. systems had made any apph-
cation for conductors, although it has
been known that every week they have
been placing women conductors ON some
Of the various lines, cNcusinE the a'-
ton By the explanation that they can
not get men.
Finds No Labor Shortage
Henry y. Saycr, State Industrial Com
missioner, who has made am exhaustive
INQUIRY into labor conditions, has JUST
finished a report in which nc says posi-.
lively there is no shortage Of labor ana
he condemns as unpatriotic tho cor
,o,atjon which displacos men 10y
women, paying them less money OF
foyeing competition between the scNC>'
IN an effort TO prevent labor gct'lht
sn,l yaIuc for its work. Nr Saycr, I'D
respect 10 this new phase of the LABOR
problem, says in his report:
"Neither the needy WORKING "'I'ld"
nor the working man should u' con-
pelled TO compete IN TIC lab'I 'lal -
with women who work Tor l"" pa! "
cause Of tho novelty OF the Jop -.
cause they arc led 20 believe tHcy '''
performing patriotIc ScIEIv .... Ia
F"Tbc time NAV come, and VIC must DC
,,.nared for H.. when the labor OF
yoTen in industry must be used "n "a
r,ncb larger scale than - ls a. prcsen',
~ no woman should bc substituted
To- a man in an industrial process SO
long as there Is available maze it'''
20 be secured. .,-,:r.,o
/ awe will be very shortsichtod II We
Ao,,,it our women 20 bC exploited by
fsrtorv owners, who, under the camou
fagc Of an alleged labor shorlag'' seen
"a -eplscc we'll paid mon with uua''
naid women. There IS no PATRIOTISM l"
tbat Kind OF management. and Dr. con,
.sins the seeds OF industrial unrest anu
disturbance.
No Calls From Roads for Help
The clerks in charge yesterday at tnG 1
Public Employment Agency "PCI"'yu
by the city, were most 'h'pu".''
IL, assertion that an the men necCs
asrv for street car conductors cou!o Dc
Snrn;shed. They said that, On the irSJ
,,Iaee. IL the traction companies "ahteu
,nncn 4. was strange that they had NOT
made anv application for them 10 inc
employment bureau.
Their ANALYSIS Of the situation was
that II was not the difficulty ln g lIlnt
men that the marlborough or b. H. ~
vas cncountcrinC. but ENC trouble IN
Getting men 90 work for i1' wages
which they paid.
Tho contention OF the management
Af the city's employ mcnt bureau WaS
that the traction compaucs nero were
irving 90 avoid "a reasonable ialsc iu
wages by employing women ~ the Ola
standard by hiring cheap labor.
There is no shortage of unshlllcu
labor 70 Justify tho traction companlcs
"a. al O.
aid Mr.. Collins Yesterday az the Office
Of the American Federation OF Labor
these companics are taking adNan-
tsge OF the patriotic sentiment
throughout tho country 90 prevent the
present workers from hct'crlug them
selves.
they should not have continued 20 en-
ploy men. VIC can furnish them with
men if they want them. There are
1000 mon out of work 200 this city be-
cause Of the strike iu tbld,'s rcstaU-
rants. They could be made into first
glass conductors iu "a few days.
"Then there is another very impor.
tant development, which We arc inter
es.odly watching. when She warm
weather hits US. How about women on
the opcn cars in the summer time?
Is Il going 20 be either possible or
dignihed 20 permit women 20 work
slong the running boards ON the sides
% the cars? Running an open car.
climbing over countless hundreds o.
raen. s. not woman's work and
doubt n IL Is proper OF that women
have the strength TO do it,
Hedley Denies Charges
When the matter was put up 20
Frank Hedley, vice-president and gem
erAl manager OF the lnterborough and
New York Railways Company, yester-
day the assertions Of both the Ameri-
can federation OF Labor and the
\ Public Employment Bureau were met
\ With strong and fat denial.
Its ridiculous" said Mr. Hcdley
I'VE cannot get men; that is the only
reason We are putting women on the
esrs As guards and conductors
Everybody knows we can't get men
enough; % has been impossible TO find
them. We are willing TO pay them
good wages wages that are Satisfac
tory, but they are not 10 be found
We need conductors. trackwalkers
guards; We can use lot Of them, bat
they are not available. There simpl,