Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-01-15
LABOR NOTES
CONDITIONS BAD FOR LABOR
AT HOG ISLAND SHIPYARD

H. NJ. Brooks, business manager
OF the Harrisburg Building Trades
Council. has returned to the city,
after making an investigation of the
conditions of work in Philadelphia
and the Hog Island JOB. and pre-
sents the following report for the
benefit of all classes of workmen:
THE job at Hog Island is any
thing but q rosy one, and any man
expecting to go there and find an
easy job will have another thought
coming to him. Workmen have
been brought into Philadelphia by
hundreds with the idea of getting
a nice job with big pay. and the re-
suit is there are about three to five
men for every job. Men are walk
ing the streets hunting places to
sleep and board. There are no ac-
commodations on the jobs for the
men, except laborers. who are
taken care of first at this time. so
that they will stay and work, and
these men average S2S per 7-day
week, with a charge of 81 per day
for board.
''These jobs are so overrun with
men that it is impossible to take
care. of them. The moderate-p price
hotels and lodging houses are over
filled and men have been sleeping
in the cells of the station houses.
1t takes truck going into the Hog
Island job in the morning until night
10 get out, there being only one
road. While there will be nearly
eighty miles of railroad on the job
when done, it takes at present about
TWO hours for train to get men in
on the job. The street cars are
not to be depended upon.
Further, a very important thing
is, a man coming out from the job
on payday takes his life in his hands
on account of being held up and
relieved of his envelope and its con-
tents; so beware.
The fault of so many men being
there and stranded lies in the fact
that some agents of employment
who think more of getting a mans
dollar for a job than they do of a
human beings condition have
painted elaborate pictures of the
Jobs and how much money a man
can make and at the same time they
cannot place him.
Now, it will be advisable for any
man, whether he is union man or
not, to get in touch with the busi-
ness agent here and get full infor-
NATION before going after these
jobs, and he will save that dollar as
well as the railroad fare.
While the business of this office
is to take care of the members of
the untons'in its charge, we are by
no means selfish. We want to help
the nonunion man and the poorest
workman to better his condition in
all ways, and we want them TO feel
at liberty to call on us at any time
This also includes the needs of the
employer. AS a further assurance
that we mean legitimate business.
1 desire to inform all that at the
conclusion of the conference held
on January at Philadelphia, with
Il, c. FELTON,, Jacob Lightner and
Others. i vas decided to combine
the fGl.Ilties of this office with the
state Department of Labor and
Employment, making a move that is
going to bring the labor movement
10 higher plane, and have all our
services ready at a moments notice
TO aid our old Uncle Sam. Further
details of the work to be done will
be given later.
I'VE desire to state also that we
have secured new quarters. having
removed from Rooms 209-21O Pa
triot Building to 211 Locust street,
and again offer our services TO both
employer and employe, where they
can get the news of what is doing
in the line of work without cost to
either. The Government jobs in the
vicinity of Baltimore are overrun
with men; 500 men were brought to
Baltimore only a week or ten days
ago with promises of jobs. They
found nothing and a great number
of them, painters, plasterers, carpen-
ters, bricklayers, were sent back to
Detroit, Mich, from whence they
came. While the demand for help
has been beyond the limit, we have
kept up the supply fairly we'll. a
number of good jobs are open at
present for good, first-class mechan-
les, and, if the men will respond to
my requests and get on the job this
year as faithfully as they did in
1917, we will show the country how
we do it.
"In conclusion, will say that
while Harrisburg has a reputation
for doing things, there is a big
chance for greater one by having
a campaign of cooperation, educa-
ton and fraternalism. and it's up to
everyone to do his or her share.
VIII you do it?
Yours fraternally,
H. NJ. BROOKS,