Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1918-01-19

NlND M.ANET, RGffHMON1
smaller industrial towns. Pittsburgh
manufacturers are still in need of la
Dor. and this In spite Of tho fact that
the railroads and q few OF the indus
trial concerns Of the locality have had
labor agents in the South. These
agents labor,ng under great Difficult.
ties because OF the obstructive tact lies
adopted in certain southern commun-
tiles to prevent the Negro exodus,
have nevertheless succeeded in bring
ing several thousand colored workers
into this district. That they have
had little success In keeping these
people here. Is acknowledged by all
OF them. One company for instance,
which imported about thousand
men within tho past year. had only
about three hundred Of these work
Ing at the tine Of the investigators
visit I'm July, 1917. One railroad
which is said to have brought about
fourteen thousand people to tho
North within the last twelve months,
has been able to keep an average of
only eighteen hundred ut work.
Ho describes another condition, too
but he has already stated the result
OF his Investigations and tho class of
| people who, with their famil'e left
the sunny South. He remarks:
1t must BIO admitted that the labor
agents. because Of their eagerness to
secure as many mon as poss Bile, are
not particular az to the character Of
those they are bringing hero, and
there is therefore eoodly number
or Idle and shiftleBs Negroea who arc
floating and undependab.e. On tho
other hand we must not fail to TccoE-
! nice that most migrants come through
their own volition, pay their own
fares, leave their native states, and
break up family connections, because
they arc in search of better oppor-
tun1ties. social and economic. Az a
class they appear to DO industrious
ambitions, pious and temperate, and
are eager to get established with
their families.
White Southcrners, then, were them
selves largely responsible for tho Sc
robustness Of this migration. AS they
caused 1t, by kind treatment and bet.
, tor laws, together with the vouchsaf-
ing to colored folks their fundamental
Fights, these same colored folks will
como back home again. Ha continues:
From the table, 1t Is apparent that
nsnGty-1yn IF ,tf,r, .,
who stated their occupations, were
doing unskilled labor, in the steel
mills, the building trades, on the rail
roads, or acting as servants. portors,
jantors, cooks and cleaners. Only
twonty or four per cent out OF four
hundred and ninety-threc migrants
whose occupations wera asccrtaincd,
were doing what may be called semi
skilled or skilled work, as puddlers.
mold-sctters, painters and carpenters.
On the other hand. in the South fifty
nine OF five hundred and twentynine
claimed to have been engaged in
skilled labor, while large number
were rural workers.
comparison between work hours
of migrants in the South and In Pitts.
burgh, reveals another interesting
feature. AS against the twenty seven
per cent who were working less than
ten hours q day at homo. only six
teen per cent are working for like
period here. A greater number work
q ten7hour day here than in the
South, (ffty.one per cent as against
thtrty-e!ght per cent?, and there seems
to be @ greater number working over
twelve hours per day before coming
Il 1,{o l.. Il
ably due to the fact that a consider
ablo body Of these men were farm
labordrs.
DR.. Epstein discusses the questions
OF wages In the North and in tho
South. This information Is given
Arst-hand. Here it ia:
AS to the comparative wages paid
nero and in the South, it appears
from table number X, that the great
mass OF workers get higher wages
more than in the places from which
they come. fifty-six per cent received
less than two dollars day in the
South, while only five per cent re.
ceiyed such wages in Pittsburgh.
However the number Of those who
said they received high wages in tho
South is greater than the number of
those receiving them here. Fifteen
per cent said they received more than
three dollars and sixty cents a day
at home, while only five per cent Ne.
cefVed more than that rate for twelve
hours work here. S!xty-seven per
cent OF the four hundred aid fifty
three persons stating their earnings
here, earn less than three dollars per
day. Twentyeight per cent earn
from three dollars to three sixty per
day, while only five per cent earn
more than three dollars and sixty
cents per day. The average working
day for both Pittsburgh and the
South is ten and four-tenths hours.
The average wage Is $2S5 here: in