Twin city review. [volume] (Champaign, Ill.) 19??-1929, 1923-02-16
Goa ST Ii uILDIN &
TRADES CONTRACTORS
MISSREPRESENT FACTS
BY WILLIAM }. SPENCER.
hN NILiIfW y ~ NV IN
Secretary Treasurer OF the building
Trades Department of the Amefi-
can Federation Of Labor.


Secretary Treasurer OF the building
Trades Department of the Amefi-
can Federation of Labor.
The statement appearing in The
daily press as report Of the ASA
eiated General Contractors In CON
vention at Los Angeles, California
relating 10 the lack Of Building
Trades mechanics and aseribing as j
reason therefore the restrictions i'm.
posed by the immigration law, is
simply preposterous and is based
either upon gross ignorance Of tho
true facts or aims to serve some spe-
eial purpose which the Contractors
are unwilling to disclose.
The fact remains that in all trades
of the building industry, with perhaps
two exceptions, there IL surplus OF
labor and considerable unemployment
which would be still further augment
ed TO a demoralizing extent were the
immigration restrictions removed and
alien labor encouraged 10 immigrate.
By the term "alien' IL Is to be un.
derStood that those of non English
speaking races are referred 20 of
which there has been in the past a
minimum number admitted who have
followed the building industry. For
reluctance TO employ them.
Usually the foreign workers COM
prising the Building trades come from
the British Isles, Germany, Sweden,
Denmark and Norway. which coun-
tries have not sent their quota under
the existing law. There are five mil
lion unemployed in the British Isles
alone at the present time. OF these n
goodly number are Building Trades
mechanics who under the existing law
are eligible to admittance 10 the
United States, If the claim of the
contractors Is correct one. There
is no reason why the alleged shortage
cannot be amply supplied by the Eng.
disappearing races or by those coun-
tries herewith named whose quota has
not applied for admission TO the Unit
cd States under the present law.
These facts are as well known to
the contractors as TO any other body
of men who care TO make inquiry and
desire to be properly advised on this
subject, so that II is manlfestly evi-
dent the Associated General Contrae-
tors either purposely avoided a study
of the subject, or, as stated before,
some hidden purpose turks in the re-
port coming from Los Angeles.
The two trades referred TO Qe the
Bricklayefs and Plasterers. II there
is a shortage Of these workers it is
due to two causes; these are the IN
precedented housing program launch
ed throughout the country which Is
nearing completion at this time.
Again it will be admitted that dur
ing the war solid structures were
not erected by the government, nor
were private enterprises in building
erection permitted, so that since there
we're no workmen employed 1t folr
lows no apprentices were introduced
to the trades.
There is perhaps no one in this
country in better position 10 judge
as to the trnthfulness Of the latter
statement than the officials Of the
Associated General Contractors Of
America who had charge Of all can
torment work, and indeed all war con
struction, and who will without doubt
readily admit that there was little II
any employment for the workmen Of
the two trades herewith mentioned,
and that under the draft laws pros
pective apprentices would not be per
mitted employment even had the op.
portunity been open to them"