Speech #630060571

BOSTON. July 16. 1913. Whereas at a meeting of Cigar Makers Union No. 97. of Boston. a resolution protesting against a mieasure now pending in the Congress of the United States. which measuire !lpts the cigar makers and other organized workers against Mongolian. Asiatic. and oriental hand labor of the Philip)ine Islands. was unanimously adopted. because of the following reallS: Onehalf of the cigar factories In Manila. P. I.. are owned by Chinese. whose employees work from 10 to 1.2 hours per day. while organized cigar makers here work 8 hours per (lay. he Third Annual Reepolt of the Bureau of Labor of the Philippine Islands shows that in 53 factories the annual wages averaged 93.50. which is less than $2 per week. or about 20 cents per day. Tie cigar trade is practically a hand industry. practically no machituery is used in the productiou of cigars. Owing to the difference in the standard of living there and here in 0he cost of living. in the wages and the hours of labor the hanl workers of this country can not successfully compete with the hand labor of the Mongolian. Asiatic. oriental coolie handworker of the hilippine Islands nd shlold not in justice be asked to do so: If the product of this oriental cheap labor comes Into this country the result will be rulinous to the industy here and would in a measure impair and partly nullify the Chineseexclusion act. Resolved by the Bostone Central Labor Union il regular sessioni assembled. That we. the delecates fully indorse and concur in the position and protest of the affiliated organized cigar makers and cigar packers union of Boston for the reasons stated. and instruct our secretary to immediately forward a copy of this resolultion to the secretary of the Cigar Makers and Packers Union of Boston. Resolved. That notlhing in the foregoing resolutions commits the Boston Central Labor Union. Its officers. or members. individually or collectively. to a protective tariff. a low tariff. a tariff for revenue only. or any kiud of a tariff. and that the resolution and our action thereon is solely an Indorsement of the protest of our affiliated organiced workers being pitted against the Mongolian. Asiatic. oriental. and coolie hand labor of the Philippine Islands. They state their case. I have heard nothing from any of the imnufacturers of cigars. but simply from the ialdworkers.