Evening star., 1918-02-03
MEXICAN LABOREREs.
A REAL AUTOCRAI:
Works One Hour, Gets Payfor.
r.-i-ts
Eight-En Encouraged
to Quit.
PRO-GERMANS ARE ACTIVE.
(Correspondence of The Sunday Star
and New York WORLDLY


and New York WoridJ
MEXICO CITY, January 25.-Dfscus.
sion increases in the newspapers Of this
city of the possibility of the Ward Line
steamship service between New York
and Progreso. Vera Cruz and Tamptco
being suspended because Of the dids
Guilty in handling cargo at the Mexican
ports. The chief trouble is caused by
the unreasonable exactions OF the Mex
lean laborers. This is especially serious
at Progreso.
Mexican longshoremen seem to labor
when and how they please at Il max
imum of compensation for a minimum
of toll. 1t should not require more than
a day to work" cargo at Progreso. Now
the boats are held there two and some
times three days. 1t costs $500 a day
to maintain one of these ships in idle
ness. One man who recently watched
the dock laborers at Frogreso through
an eight-hour shift kept tabs. ana
noted that they put in exactly one
hour of work in the eight, but they
collected pay for full day.
Exactions of labor constitute one OF
the really serious hindrances to re-
vival of commerce and industry in the
republic. In most places an employer
cause without paying him three months'
wages. Vera Cruz has labor law
which permits a workman to quit his
job for variety of reasons. Among
boss toward the workmen or any Of
his family. If the hired man thinks the
boss is not acting in an "honorabte
manner" or in way to bring discre6tt
to the latter the laborer can quit and
ask and get three months pay.
Pro-German Press Active.
The war between the pro-Germsn
newspapers in this city and thoab
which oppose the kaiser and all his
works. the latter led by Ell Universal,
goes merrily on Felix PalavicinL
fused to take a job in Carranza's new
cabiHet unless German Minister Won
Eckafdt is given his passports. Is esps-
cially singled out for attack since he
subsidized various Mexican newspa-
pers and were supplying them with
paper and other necessities. The pro-
German editors accuse Palavicinf, who
man than anything that Mexico has
ever before produced in that line. Of
being rich.
Recently one of the German sheets
published pictures of several houS&1
which they said Palavicini owned. ana
asked: Where did he get them?' The
inference was that Palavicini had
bought the houses with money fur
nished him by the United States gov-
ernment to "betray Mexico to the
Gringoes." Palavicini countered in an
open letter addressed to Won Eckardt,
in which he offered to dispose of all his
property and devote the proceeds 10
Belgian relief if Won Eckardt would
divert part of the funds which Pafa-
vicini says he Is spending on propa-
ganda for the support of ten poor
Mexican families who are suffering, a.
Palavicini says, "as the result OF She
difficulties which the German infiuehco
has brought upon the Mesican peupIe"
Won Eckardt has not yet accepted
the offer nor replied to it. PalaSictnt
is Mexicos Northcliffe. He breaches
constantly his conviction that Mexico
win be ruined unless the government
breaks with Germany and comes out
on the side of the United States and
the allies Consequently. he is probA
ably. for the time being. Mexico's most
unpopular citizen. but his newspaper
is the widest circulated and most In.
tiuential in the republic.
More Protestant Bibles are now sold
and read throughout Mexico than ever
before, according to statements made
by persons onnected with the distribut.
ing branch of the American Bible So-
ciety in the City of Mexico 1t is re-
ported that deep and popular interest
has been aroused in the last year among
the Mexicans. especially in the capital,
in the Protestant religion. and that
thousands of converts have been made
School teachers throughout the -rAr
public are complaining that they are
unable to obtain pay for their serv-
ices. In the schools of the capital q
three-month vacation has been de-
clared, allegediy because OF lack Of
funds with which to maintain the
schools and pay the teachers. The
teachers of the capital are protesting
against being deprived of
their places and of their salaries, Us
most of them have no means OF sup
porting themselves or their families exs
cept through their profession.