South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1920-09-08
SISTER HEARS FROM
Man THOUGHT DEAD
John GilIiland Suffers Cruel
Treatment While Employed
in Alaska Cannery.


Mrs. Leroy Hitchuer. go ". Bat
tel Ct. was made happy Tuesday
when she received word from her
brother John Guluand. whom she
mad thought dead The letter stated
h. had arrived In Portland. Oregon,
after suffering much while employ
ed At a cannery IN Alaska
SIR Giuiland. who is former
AIishawaka resident. resided IN this
city until last spring when ne left
for Alaska Since that time his Sis
ter has not received any word from
him.
The following dispatch taken from
the Oregonian. Portland. Ore. was
mailed TO Airs Htchner hy her
brother. '"Tne Alaska ships are
coming back. and with them the
old old story OF exploitation. hard
ship. Nth. profiteering and inhu-
man treatment Six Of these ships
are in port today Two OF them, the
Pucatolas and the ?. - Cheney
bring 10 men. who tell or being
worked at the point or guns. mace
10 sleep in unclean and unsanitary
quarters cf striking when they
heard their contract wage would not
be paid. of paying eXorbitant prices
for small deHcacies that would re-
licve the monotony OF poor fare and
one hundred and one other grew
anceS. The men laid their cases
before the ia Dor commissioner.
Tomorrow afternoon ommls-
s.oner Mclaughlin and his agents
will be on hand when the men are
paid off AT 1143 Grant av- 20 see
that they get the money called for
in the contract.
Men In Strikes.
The contract the men have calls
for $3.50 for the season. That's
what We were promised when we
signed up said John Gilliand, "A
Mishawaka lad. VINO made the trip
on the PactoIas our first contract
we found out was pretty much bunk.
We signed paper we thought was
p contract but really referred 20
the clothes we were 20 take ana
other things. So we went ON strike.
and we put IL over We got a sec
-ond contract up i'm Alaska, caHlnS
for $3.50.
Threatened With Guns.
Two foremen armed WITH guns
stood guard while We worked an ln l,
cannerv.' he charged 4 man could
moi Quit. II "a fellow stopped work
gun was poAed at him 10 make
him keep going A man had noth-
ing 10 saw about his work. they
said 81 For you
"CuliIand also charges that wa
Ter was withheld from them so they
would buy soft drinks from the
r-bf,ese and Mexican fOremen that
had concessions. That the men were
allowed TO wash only every TWO OF
rbrc. davs. That the hunks IN
which thev slept were in poor CON
Tition and the mess room unclean.
Tb,t chinese peddled mop aooaIu
SHIN That they were given out l"V
meals a way. consisting or couee'
yvitbort sugar or milk. and piece
NJ bread for breakfast. ana ellhel
bcaos macaronl or spaghetti Tor the
second meal.
Exhorbltant Prices.
...Ard the prices we paid Tor eN-
>~ss we're terrible he charged
80 been charged a cent for
single soda cracker. 3 cents TOT d
.ooLfc z cents for piece or nara
tacL and from CSC 20 81 Tor a can
nj fruit. and for other articles III
..GiIltIand declares that since re-
turning he and others have oeen
odvised 10 accept $500, instead OF
tbe $3.50. the contract calls Tor. ana
mat they have been told that goihs
80 he labor commissioner wouldh {
holm them. The two ships they say
are owned by Hungry peterson
whose barque. the MCLaurln. was
branded "a hell ship. and figured
prominentlv in mutinies and court
investigations here before II was al
lowed 90 SAT-"