OCR Text |
Show THEY CANT LIVE ON THEIR WAGES Steward Oil Teemsters Present Statistics on Plea for a Raise. . t . , . . . . . . ' ', CHICAGO, Nov. 21. Can a teamster buy clothing and shoes for himself and family, pay doctors bills, buy school books for his children, and get, tbe minor household necessities for -l cents a day? That is the question that a committee from the Oil Wagon Drivers' union asked Manager Stephen Hurd of , the Standard Oil company .yesterday. The oil wagon drivers get $2 a day and ares asking . for an Increase to 175 a month. , They adopted a novel; method of presenting their case to the representative repre-sentative of the richest corporation In the world. ' A committee headed by James Duffy, the business agent of the union, called on Manager Hurd yesterday.'. yester-day.'. . . . . -"I -want to show you what It costs the average family to live." said Duffy. He presented a schedule showing .that rent, food, fuel, light and car fare cost a man 11.87 a May. "We get 12 a day." said Duffy, "and I ask you if you' think that we can buy clothing and other necessary things on 3 cents a day. .Could you live on $2 a day yourself, Mr. Hurd?" "No. I don't believe I could, boys." replied Mr. Hurd. "and probably you can't either, but the fact is, I can get plenty of teamsters who are -willing to work for that price. That is really what governs wages more than the cost of Hying.". The new scale has been approved by the ieaimjters" Joint council. A meeting of the union will be held tonight to vote on the question of calling a strike. Three Independent companies have already al-ready agreed to pay the increase. |