The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1941-11-19

pie of farmers nearly came to blows
with contractors of whom it was said
had abused horses they had rented
from farmers. Labor won out in the
committee hearings, especially in
1888.
| Resulting from public legislative
hearings, laws were enacted by the
| legislature providing that the highway
commission should not pay the con-
tractors in full unless they produced
receipts to show that they had paid
for the material purchased to carry
out the contract and had paid the
workers the wages prescribed in the
contract.
AS the legislature had considered
a building program to help relieve I'M
employment, Senator Bob Pauline of
Kalispell introduced in the 1881 ses-
sion of the legislature, bill for
law to compel contractors to hire only
home labor, if available, and to pay
the prevailing rate of wages as paid
for the same. class of work at the
county seat in the county in which
the work was to be done.
Pauline fought the bill through the
legislature to it's final passage, how
ever, the bill was amended to take
some of the teeth out of the penalty
clause.
The prevailing wage law has done
lot of good as the wage scale must
be inserted in all contracts for public
works in Montana exclusive of federal,
and gives the home man who is unem-
ployed a chance to get work.
During the administration of Gov
ernor Erickson, an engineer on the
highway project acted as Labor Co
ordinator. Some of the engineers
were good, others allowed things to
go slip shod The late Governor
Cooney saw to it that much improve
ment was made towards better condi-
lions and wages for highway workers;
this was continued during the admin
istration of Governor Holt. When
Ayers became governor, he appointed
a shovel operator, Louis Schofield, as
Labor Co-ordinator at a good salary
and instructed him to see that the
workers on highway construction got
a square deal and that the contractors
were likewise to be treated fair.
Labor Co-ordinator Louis Schofield
did good work. When the dam on
the Tongue river was being con-
an out-of-state contractor
from Minneapolis, 38 men to do the
work of common labor while many
workers were unemployed in Big
Horn, Custer and Yellowstone coun-
ties. A complaint was sent to Mr..
5chofield and he hurried to the scene,
secured the facts and Montana men
displaced the out of state men.
Another instance took place in
northern Montana on highway con-
'truction project. A contractor from
tut of Montana had the contract. He
,hiselled on wages, worked the men
onger than eight hours a day, locked
rom his employees wages the amount
# the Workmen's Compensation pre-
NUNS in violation of the law and con-
ract. The workers threatened to
trike. Don McKinnon, state high
way engineer, was notified and he
rdered Schofield to proceed at once
o the scene of action. SchOfield set
led the dispute of forcing the con-
ractor to make good on chiselled
wages, four of the workers had to
o paid by the contractor, back wages
to $2S, $9S, $105, and $12S
besides all of the men
eceived back money that was locked
rom their wages for Workmen's Com
ensation premiums. These are only
vo of hundreds such cases in four
ears time.
If any dispute took place between
ighway workers and contractors over
hiselled wages or hours of labor
tate Highway Engineer Don McKin-
on ordered all work stopped until
le dispute was settled and it had to
2 settled right.
The present Labor Co-ordinator has
My been on the job short time but
as made good, and there is no reason
complain against his work or con-
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