Voice of action. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1933-1936, 1934-10-05
Rotten Conditions
In West Oregon
Lumber Mills
By Jean Leeds

Kingsley, an opposer of all I'M
ions. is the chief stakeholder of
the West Oregon Lumber Mill.
Even the fink Al union was too
high In standards for Kingsley.
Ii is charged that he is so dirty
he even cheats his own stock
holders by going through the
company books and ordering
poor lumber (which he knows
is out of stock, so that it must
be filled from better grade stock
for his private yard at Monta-
villa, Clatskanie, and st. Helens.
Thus he gets good lumber for the
price of poor lumber.
Since the law has been in eff
feet that no more mills may be
licensed, Kingsley has built a new
mill out of his profits on the
workers efforts and produced a
very new looking license which
he claims is several years old.
Here is how Kingsley makes his
profits to build private mills.
The mill hands must rent houses
(shacks. really from the com
pany. All houses are poorly seal
ed in n. 3 common, and placed on
poor foundations in a crowded
row between the highway and a
railroad to the mill. Tie high
bank of the road cuts off most
of the light from the south.
Rent Exhorbitant
The rent of the houses is ter
ribly high, as follows: one which
would rent for 50 outside this mill
town in Portland proper rents
here for SIS. Some that rent for
$l4 here can be secured for 81 in
better parts of town. Double
houses which have cracks which
one can see through in the CEN
ter walls, go for $l1 and $l2 here
instead of S. and 81 as in town.
None but the largest have hot
water connections and only three
have bath tubs. OF these one has
no toilet and the tub is in the
kitchen along side the sink. The
rest have toilet only and that in
the place called a basement but
really just room in the fOunda-
tiOns. None of these rooms have
any furniture whatsoever and the
worker must furnish his own, ev-
en- to the range which is usually
present in all houses at over $40
in town.
Three shacks at the end of the
row are occupied by japanese
workers who receive their wages
through a single Japanese boss.
The out-houses of these shacks
are in such bad condition that
a wind from them makes the 9TH
er houses almost unbearable.
Special Rackets
Lights, water and wood are all
separate from the rent, With the
company paying flat rate for
light and water from the city
and power company the workers
must pay the mill owner accord
ing to his reading of the meters.
This runs from 80 to 100 per cent
higher than the same amount of
light or water if bought direct
from the city or power company.
The wood must also be purchased
from Kingsley at a ruinous rate.
Rent, light and water bills are
deducted from each months pay
before the check is handed out
to the slaves at the mill.
1t is almost impossible to get
any shingles or paint for ordinary
repairs such as other landlords
are glad to get done.
No garages may be erected be-
cause Boss Kingsley thinks no
worker has any right to a car. Any
lumber bought for such purposes
is cOnfiscated by the little Car
of the mill.
All unions or talk of unions is
barred. That might show the
workers what their united power
was able to do. A worker who ac-
cidentally handed Kingsley a
leaflet on organization was al
most killed when Kingsley at
tempted to crush him against
the fence. Under a murderous,
fink boss like this, we must
like this. we must toll and slave
for AZ cents an hour with no tine
and a half for overtime.
Fellow Workers! How long
are we to be denied the bene-
fits of our work because we do
not understand that union is
power and the Workers power
ic r,oinhfut