The Butte daily bulletin., 1919-06-07
Every New York Worker Requires at Least
$1,000 Year, Says Labor Advocate

II they could afford to pay the wages
| asked. The books of the boat COM
panies had been kept away from in
spection.
Yet he was able to present two in
stances OF extraordinary profiteering,
he said, the case of the coal-boat In
dian, costing about $4,000 which
earned S1l,250 in one year yielding
a profit of $6,750 in that time and
| the tug Willett, which in one year
| gave a return of 81 per cent on an
investment of $4,000.
Contrasting the ease with which
groups of employers supplying ma
terials for towing work were able to
obtain the prices asked from the
boat owners, with the difficulties the
workers had to get their wage de-
mands. Walsh gave the board the fol-
lowing instance:
Il asked the witness when he fixed
the increased charges of from 100
to 400 per cent, and notified these
boat owners, did they refuse to pay;
did they tell these men they would
have to organize and go on a strike,
that they would have to call in the
government of the United States to
fix the charges on these dead mate
rials before they would pay it?
mot at ALL he replied. They
paid it,
why? Because as he testified
their companies were as strong as
the boat owners or stronger. They
had as much at least of economic
power as they had and when they
sent the bills in they were paid.
81 saw hV the Same argunaOt that
it is only justice to these men to take
the wages that they paid in 1907 and
add a 100 per cent to them as fair
charge.
Shows Glass Conflict.
Walshs voice grew resonant with
suppressed anger when he recited to
the board the details of the lives the
boat men have to live on the hafbor,
in contrast to the declaration of the
employers. He said:
"There was gentleman who went
on the stand, dapper young man,
forget his name. | am
going to undertake to say that it cost
more to clOthe that young man, and
shave him and cut his hair and man
icure him and prepare him for go
ing on this witness stand than they
allow in the Ogbrun budget for the
clothing of a man and his wife on
these boats for an entire year.
"He thought that the business of
a lighter captain in the barge busi
ness was a fine pleasant one. 1t de-
veloped that he had not been on one
at all
He looked to be about 80 years
of age He said it was a delightful
occupations; that they could even
have entertainments. He knew some
men on boats such as Captain Bren-
nan represents here that have Vic
trolas, and they have a delightful
time; that it was preferable to being
on shore.
"Of course, the claim made by
these men is that they have a right
to have their children educated.
There are something like 5000 of
them still on these boats, and more
than that. This young man suggest
ed that they should send these fami-
lies ashore.
Captain Brennan called his atten-
ton to the fact. and it stands undis-
puted in the evidence now, that there
are harbors in which these boats go
where the paint upon them, when it
is light, is turned blue on account
of the noXious materials that are in
those harbors; that they are COM
PEELED to deliver coal alongside of a
great ocean liner, and that the offal
and slops from the toilets of the
boats are thrown right down on the
deck where the men live.
He told instances that ought to
say so strongly to this board that his
demand is a decent and fair one that
l ought not to have to argue to the
gentlemen that heard it, how boat
was sunk: they ran together, three of
them, and two of the captains were
lost, with all their families, and when
they found Captain Fox he had in
his arms the dead bodies of the two
children of Captain Nichols. And
this young manicured, well-dressed
gentleman would go on this witness
stand and say to this hOnOrab BILE
board that this was a good Occupa-
ton
Shove Perils Endured
Walsh scored the heartless remark
of Senator Daniel c. Chase, an en-
ployer's witness, in commenting on
the accident to a flotilla of barges
carried out to sea in storm without
the tug captain knowing they were
gone.
81 remember the reply" said
Walsh: "He said those boats were
not injured in any way whatsoever
What about the children? What
about the women who passed that
night in horror and narrowed feel
ings? What about the husbands of
those women and the fathers of those
children? What effect did it have
upon the nerves of those people? If
you simply estimate everything in
the cost of and destruction or injury
Of dead material, you would not be
here.
1--WE are here urging Walsh
thundered, that these men and wo-
men have right to be considered,
and we say that an occupation con-
tanning these hazards and these per-
ills and these responsibilities should
be compensated for, and that these
men should get $125 month for
their work.
Scores Bosses Views.
Walsh was now in the full. course