New Britain herald. [microfilm reel] (New Britain, Conn.) 1890-1976, 1918-04-12

my aliens are excluded now by q
Federal regulation. Slavs and Firms,
I4ungarians Irishmen and Italians; in
short, men of nearly every national
ity, are busy rolling hogsheads and
shifting bales and cases.
Club For Workinsmen.
Formerly when stevedorc5 were
waiting for work there was no shelter
provided against the snow and rain
except the saloons, most of them run
| by foreigners. At meal times these
dirty and ill-smelling quarters vert
| almost the only places where the mon
| could get hot soup, steaks, stews and
| other hearty food. That is the condi~
| ton today at most of the docks
But at the Terminal, this dis
covered to be a mistake. The eff
cheney of the workers was lessened b.
| exposure to the weather for hours
while waiting to be taken on a job
| Their physical condition was not bet
| tered by herding in the water fror,+
| Saloons boiling poorly cooked food
| and buying drinks in order to be al
| lowed to sit around the greasy tables
| The foreigners who ran these places
| were likely to foster an alien spirit,
| and agitators found there an oppor-
| tunity to spread doctrines of discon-
| tent. The pro- German feelings of
| many Of these saloon keepers was
| shown in their defiance of the law at
! Newark, when they resisted the gov
eminent regulations as long as posi-
| BILE. Such resorts breed disloyalty.
| The LOngShOreman's clubhouse was
| built to do away with these conditions
| that lead to inefficiency and labor
trouble. 1t is a substantial brick
building of one story and a great as
| sembly hall occupies most of the in
| terror. At one side is an alcove with
| a kitchen and lunch counter, where
| food is sold very near to cost price,
substantial and we'll cooked dishes
suitable for q hard working dock la
! borer. Coffee. tea. milk and soft
| drinks are sold, but nothing alcoholic.
! The tables and chairs in the hall are
i m ova BILE, and serve for meals, and,
| later on, for games Each table has
| a checker board painted on it's top.
Amusement FociIities.
| The furniture can be arranged for
amusem ents, as well, and at one end
Of the room is a platform for piano
| or entertainers. 1t is we'll adopted to
| showing moving pictures, in fact it
is just right for social gatherings;
light and cheerful, well warmed in
| winter and cooled in summer.
This is the only place at the Term
| inal where smoking is permitted. 1t
| Is free to men employed there with
out dues Or initiation fee.
| All these matters are considered as
business rather than as philanthropy.
1t is not mere welfare work to see to
it that those who work for us are
kept warm and dry and sufficiently
fed. We do that much for our draft
horses. It is a straight business prop
osition, but unfortunately such good
judgm ent is not found in all busin esS
enterprises. The influence Of such
treatment upon the foreigner is worth
considering. He is here to stay. We
| need him and We want his good will;
for he does much of the work essen
tial to our success in the war.
Will he do better work if he is
heart and soul with America? Not a
bit of doubt to that!
Therefore it is to the interests of all
to win his affection for this country.
In this club house. the right way
has been found The men are given
/ these physical comforts and necessi-
ties. and then when they see the AM
erican flag they are willing to believe
that it stands for "a square DEAL for
the workingman. Am ORGANIZATION in
practical form like this will bring to
naught the efforts of Germans
and battle the destructive and insidl-
Gus professional agitators