The New York herald., 1921-06-10

New York Herald Bureau.
Washington. ID. c., June 8.
Frequent clashes between Senators
on the Committee on Education and
Labor and President Sidney Hillman
of the Amalgamated Clothing Workers
OF America, fatty contradictory state
ments as to conditions in the in
dustry in New York and elsewhere
with further evidence to substantiate
charges that Amalgamated workers in
tend to take over the industry and run
1t themselves and are using methods
OF violence to that end, marked a hear
ing before the Senate committee to-
day on the Borah resolution for
nationwide Congressional investigation
of the entire clothing trade.
Hillman was the first witness ap
pearing for the purpose of giving a
clean bill of health to the Amalga-
mated organization and was followed
by President w. A. Bandler Of the
New York Clothing Trades Associa-
tion; A. f. Stevenson, their counsel
and Luther c. White, employment
manager for the Clothing Manufac-
turers Association of Boston.
Representatives OF the employers
agreed as to the necessity for an investi-
cation and urged that it be made in the
interest of the public. the industry and
the preservation Of American standards
of Government Mr.. Hillman opposed
the investigation. though processing to
be willing to give further information
should the committee conclude 10 order
the investigation. Decision as to what
course may be taken was reserved for
further action, which the committee may
take at its next meeting.
Inquiry Believed rropabIc.
Throughout the day there we're almost
no points of fact on which the opposing
sides could agree. and the hearing was
succession of charges on the one hand
and denials on the other. with the COM
m!ttee bewildered as to how to get at
the real situation. This feature, Il Is
believed, may lead to approval Of the
investigation IL for no other reason.
The unvarying evidence on the part Of
representatives Of the employers was
that there has been deliberate under
production by the workers, encouraged
by their, leaders: that agreements as to
wages, hours OF work, conditions of labor
and suspension of threatened strikes
have been Violated repeatedly; that the
principles of the Amalgamated are
counter to the best traditions OF Ameri-
can government. and that personal vlo-
lence against open shop employees is
constant on the part of the Amalga-
mated agents.
Mr.. Bandler presented sworn affi-
davits showing how three buttonLole
makers Of Heidelberg Wotf & Co had
been set upon by members or agents Of
the Analgamated and badly beaten :
charged that bribes had been offered by
Amalsamated agents to workers in open
shop factories to try and induce them to
stop work; that injunctions OF courts
are being violated, and requests for
conferences on wage adjustments had
been refused by Hilman. He insisted
over denials of Hillman that In cases
where open shop workmen had been en-
ployed after the ,AInalgamated had
failed to furnish workers after forty
&esht hours the open shop employees
had to obtain passes from the Anal
gamated before they were allowed to
go to work.
Mr.. Stevenson supplemented Mr..
Bandlers testimony by showing how the
employers had been unable to get con-
slderation by Amalgamated officials OF
had arisen charging that the interstate
commerce law had been broken by the
Amalgamated when II orders a strike
IN Philadelphia because workers were
being employed there to fill orders from
New York open shop concerns.
Aim mt Complete Control.
He read the preamble to the Anal
Gamated constitution. showing. he said,
how 1t looks toward control by tho
workers. not only of the clothing In
dustry but of other industries as we'll
The situation in Boston showed many
of the same conditions as in New York,
according to the testimony of Mr.. White.
Underproduction was shown by figures
taken from the books OF the firm OF
MacCuliah Parker, where Il appeared
that coat pressers In 1915 at $50 week
pressed fifteen coats day. and in 1920
pressed only eight coats day, with
wages at s55 week.
Questioned by the committee for an
explanation OF these charges. Hillman
either denied them speciflcaiiy or ex-
planned that they were due either to fail
ure TO use the machinery for arbitration
which employers had agreed to use or to
take the questions to the courts.
Our record will compare favorably."
he said, with the record of any group
peaceful solution of Industrial relations
between employers and employees"
Does your union force men TO quit
work as charged by this testimony"
asked Senator Shortrdge of California.
You should understand that under
our agreements with the employers"
Hillman started to say. when he was in
terrupted
Quit quibbling," Mr.. Shortridge said
You evade the question l want an
answer TO the question
Hillman admitted the charxe in part
but was not prevented from making an
explanation in which he sought to show
that the action taken by the workers
was a part Of the agreement made by
the employers and employees
He described in detail the extent OF
the amalsamated organization and said
that so per cent. OF the members we're
Americans. that most OF them spoke
English and were Intensely loyal
Americans" He denied they had inter
national Affiliations and insisted that the
strike was produced by a movement
among certain manufacturers to get
back TO the open shop. which. he said.
meant return TO the old sweat shop"
system with starvation wages. employ
ncnt OF children under school age and
production at home under conditions
where disease prevailed.