The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-02-27
'ST0CKYARDS SQUAlOR
LAID TO DRINK COST
81, 900 Year Spent I'm Saloons
Where Chicago Packers Work.
men Live.

Chicago, Feb. 2s.--Residents of the
.dirtrtct known as Back of the Yards
spend $4.500,000 year for drink, ac-
.cordinG to testimony given today In
the stockyards wage arbitration by
Ebert Beeman, in charge of employees
welfare work for Wilson & company.
The section empraces 1875 square
blocks of tenements occupied almost
exclusively by foreign born laborers.
40 per cent of whom are employed In
the packing house industry.
The witness read from a report pre-
pared by Young Mems Christian as
ISOLATION workers In 1912, which show
ed that the gross receipts of each sa
Ilocn in the district averaged $4,000
"a year The district now has 500 sa-
looms or seventy-fve more than In
1912. Beeman introduced in evidence
Ia large map OF the territory showins
there are seventy-five more saloons
than retail stores where food In sold In
the section. The number OF food
stores was 22S. Witnesses for the
packers declared that the saloon was
responsible for much OF the poverty
and distress among the foreign-born
laborers employed In the stockyards.
one block in the section contains thfr-
teen saloons and is known as ''whis-
key Point"
Harvey G. Ellerd. chief of tho wei
fare department of Armour & COM
pany, cross examined by Frank p.
Walsh, denied that a majority of the
seyenty-fve men on the FIRMS pension
list were strikebreakers In 1904, FL
lerd also said the majority OF acct
dents occurred on Monday,
DO you wish to give the impression
that this is because OF drunkenness on
Snndeys?" inquired Mr.. Walsh.
NO. I am not explaining It."
1t IS not true that the majority of
accidents occur in the last two hours
OF the day. when the men are tired
out"
IT ia not true" replied Mr. Eiierd.
/ The peak OF accidents at our plant
IL at II A. NJ. and q P M"
MiEs Catherine Brady, In charge OF
the visiting nurse work for Armour
said she and her two assistants made
between 100 and 1900 nursing calls
! at homes OF stookyards workers In
1917. In addition to this, 5000 calls
+
relief 10 poor families.
7 have at my disposal an smer.
gency fund which I use at my discre-
ton" said the witness. when an
empleye i~ absent two days from work
we. Investigate and do everything for
the person's relief. We aim 70 look
after every empIoye who Is sick or In
trouble. We try to lend a helping
hand 10 all who mead 1T"
Miss Mary Mccarthy In charge OF
the welfare work for Swift q Co, de-
MED the stories Of poverty and suf-
I feriug told by Mrs. Eva Macienski and
| Mrs. Katie LvsoKarski, widows of for
/ mer employees of Swift a Co. who
we're called az witnesses Of the en-
pioyrs' side. Mrs Macienski. tbs wit
ness said, received s20o from Swift Il
Co.'S Employees Beneft association
! when her husband died. Her house
/ rent and grocery bill were paid for
eight months. In addition the witness
said the women received $500 life In
surancs from an outside source Mrs
/ LysogarEki. the witness said. received
! sl,2s life insurance when her husoa nd
/ died and So week from Swift a Co.
In additional to baskets OF food three
times a week and shoes for her chill
dren for a period Of several months.
/ Both women are now working fol-
Swift & Co.