The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1919-01-25
SOL DIERS COME TO WORK ON !, 5. HOUSING PROJECT Seventy five Employed in
 Worcester of Whom 48
 Arrive in Bridgeport. LOCAL UNION PAYS FARES OF SOME BACK Housing M a Il a g CT Says
 Strikebreakers Are Now on Bridgeport Job.

Martin Kane, representing the Bridgeport Carpenters Union, an nounced this morning that 4S returned soldiers had come to Bridgeport to work on the Bridgeport housing, and that 30 of them had been sent back at the expense of the union. MT. Kane claimed that conditions in Bridgeport had been misrepresented to the men.
 W. F. Parker, representative of the U. S. Housing Corporation in this city, said this morning that between 25 and 30 soldiers brought down from Worcester were at work this morn ing.
 About 200 carpenters, he said, have been hired to take the place of the strikers.
 W. F. Parker, representative of the U. s. Housing Corporation in this city, when asked this morning about the hiring of returned soldiers who had been brought down from Wor- cester claimed that between 25 and l 30 of the soldiers were at work this l morning, and that about 200 car penters in all had been hired in the past few days to take the place of the 1 striking carpenters.
 | Many of the union men them selves feel that they should return to | work under the conditions which ex- | ist throughout the country today. It
 
 i public in general that it is the heighth | of folly to go to Washington and at tempt to control legislation to the ex- | tent of extending government con- | tracts when over $8,000,OO0 worth of 1 building is being held up by a sym i pathetic strike in Bridgeport. It is illogical to say the least, and many of | them are coming back to work of l their own accord and refuse to be used as a club by the heads of the organization in New York to gain | their ends.'
 | Martin Kane, business agent for ,ha local branch of the Carpenters Broth l hood, made a statement this morning | in which he said that discharged sol | diers and sailors in Worcester are | being hired to come to Bridgeport to 1 act as strikebreakers on the govern ment housing projects. MT. Kane claims that 75 have been hired there for that purpose and that 4S were | sent here yesterday.
 MT. Kane said: ''The forty-eigh: men, all discharged soldiers, arrived here on the 4:50 D. m train from 1 Worcester to do carpenter work or i the buildings which are being put uI
 by the Cauldwen-W -Wingate Co.,, fol
 the government. They had beer
 hired in Worcester by an agent of tn U. g. Housing Corp. in the office O
 the U. s. Employment Service Il
 a lengthy speech this agent pictured | the exceptionally alluring condition
 in Bridgeport, and the so cents al
 hour which would be paid regardles
 of whether they were carpenters O
 not This agent laid particular stres
 on the fact that there was pOsitivel
 no labor trouble here, that the pro
 ject was entirely one of governmen
 and the men were not to be asso
 ciated in any way wita private con
 tractors.
 |
 worse, if possible, than those in thi
 city. The returned soldiers and sail
 ors have practically no means of live
 lihood, if they have no relatives the
 are in dire straits. Nothing has bee
 done for them, and the prospect (
 easy money in Bridgeport was on
 not to be thrown down. So, whe
 they were asked to sign up 75 sign
 fled their willingness to come. (
 these AS started yesterday, and tn
 balance were to come Sunday Tn
 men did not know who furnished u
 money for transportation expense but they came under the charge Red Cross worker. When they a
 rived and found that they were be used as strike breakers, 30 refuse if to go with the housing represent;
 tive who met the train. Many .s them were union men, holding unic Y cards from different trades organiz n tions, and positively refused to ha7 n anything to do with the matter, Tn, v proceeded to headquarters of the I # cal union, and sufficient funds we a furnished to send them back "a Worcester. The number sent bat
 is probably about 3o
 A conference between the heads , the allied trades is being held in Ne " York, and it is expected that son
 action will be taken which will il 'f volve other associations besides u u carpenters.