UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON


DEC 21 2015
SPECIAL REPORT
LIBRARIES
ON THE
Salmon Canning Industry
IN THE
State of Washington
AND THE EMPLOYMENT OF
ORIENTAL LABOR
ISSUED BY
STATE BUREAU OF LABOR
OLYMPIA, WASH.
November, 1915
OLYMPIA
FRANK M. LAMBORN	 PUBLIC PRINTER
1915
iSpecial Report on the Salmon Canning Industry of the State of Washington as Relating to the Employment of White Labor, Made by the State Commissioner of Labor, November, 1915.
Ever since salmon fishing began to develop into one of the foremost industries in the State of Washington, there has been constant agitation against the employment of Oriental labor in the canneries.
In the early days of the industry, Chinese coolie labor was almost exclusively employed, but since the passage of the Chinese Exclusion Act, the supply of this class of labor has gradually decreased until today but few canneries rely on securing enough able bodied Chinamen to handle the output. With a few exceptions those that remain are becoming too old to be desirable.
It is almost invariably the rule that Japanese are filling the places thus vacated by the Chinamen, and this intensifies the problem rather than offering a solution, for the people in general have greater antipathy toward the Japs.
This sentiment is to some extent shared by the cannery owners, for the reason that the Japs are not nearly as trustworthy and reliable as the brown-hued brother of the Celestial race. Moreover they are not as amenable to the requirements of the employer, are quarrelsome among themselves, as well as less efficient in their work. As a matter of fact, the Jap laborer is looming up much stronger now than the Chinese and is causing much irritation in the communities of the State where his labor, for certain reasons, is sought in preference to that of the white workman.
These communities have, in the past, by no means been free from uprisings and demonstrations against these brown men who have invaded the field of white labor. So intense has the situation become in many instances that the arm of the law had to be exercised to its full extent before the disturbances werequelled. On some occasions the Orientals were driven entirely away from the localities where they had gathered for employment, and this was not done without bloodshed. To say the least, this spirit of retaliation is constantly fomenting, as exemplified by a demonstration that occurred in Anacortes, on the 20th of July of this year. This city is located on Puget Sound and is largely dependent on five large fish canneries, which in a good fishing season give employment to upward of 2,000 men. At the instance of this trouble nearly all of these canneries had brought Japs from Seattle and other cities to put up the season’s pack. The city was unusually dull owing to a forced closing down of the lumber mills in that vicinity and unemployment was at its height. Eager to procure employment the local workmen became enraged at the sight of the Japs coming to the canneries. Little by little the agitation gained headway among the townspeople until by the night of the 20th a mass delegation, numbering about 200 citizens, appeared before the City Council, then in session, and demanded that some action be taken by the city government to remove the Japs and give their places to the unemployed. After the adjournment of the Council without any action being taken, the mass meeting resolved itself into a deliberative body and appointed a committee to confer with the cannerymen and one cannery owner was immediately interviewed during the midnight hour. No assurance was given the committee that anything could be done in the matter as the cannery-man stated that he was under contract with the Jap laborers for the season, and would suffer great loss if the contracts were broken. The following morning two of the leaders in the demonstration of the previous night were arrested by the sheriff for inciting a riot, it being the general belief that if the movement was left unchecked, dire consequences would ensue. These men were later released on their own recognizance and the trouble abated, although the result of an investigation of the matter at a later date by the Labor Commissioner developed the belief that intense feeling will permanently exist among the laboring and business men of the town, which is liable to result in spontaneous revulsion on a like occasion in the future.Another recent instance illustrating the tensity of the situation occurred at Blaine, Washington, on July 28th of the present year. Blaine is located on Puget Sound near the British Columbia boundary line, and like Anacortes is largely dependent upon fish canneries of which there are five. On the night of this eventful day the city water main was dynamited, leaving the city without any source of water supply for some time. The significance of the deed was reflected in a placard posted at the scene of the explosion, which read as follows:	“Put out the
Japs or there will be something worse than this happen.” Considerable concern was manifested by the cannerymen over the incident, and the population was extremely disturbed over the Jap question. About ten days later a large quantity of dynamite, with fuse attached, was accidently discovered under a large pier leading to the canneries. No clue to the perpetrators of these deeds could be found, although it was known that secret gatherings of unemployed workingmen had been held at various times preceding the explosion.
The above facts are related simply to illustrate the antagonism against the employment of Jap labor, and an investigation of the sentiment of the people in these communities resulted in finding a strong undercurrent of hatred towards the Orientals and in fact the cannerymen were almost universally criticised for not affording the opportunity of employment to white labor. The question of whether such criticism was justified is not a matter for comment at this time, and it is not the purpose of this report to condemn the cannery owners, but rather to point out conditions as they exist, and in justice to them it may be said that good or at least plausible reasons exist why Orientals are employed. These reasons will be explained and treated in an impartial manner in the balance of this report, based upon numerous interviews with cannerymen themselves as well as business men and workers in the respective localities.
To begin with, the salmon canning industry is inherent to peculiar conditions, many of which are not manifest in any other industry. While salmon may be caught.in the waters of Puget Sound the year around, they are of a variety that do not6
assemble in shoals and are therefore not available in commercial quantities. The commercial salmon consist mainly of three different varieties as follows:	Sockeye, Humpbacks and Silver.
The first and second named varieties begin to run in the month of July of each year and the latter variety later in the fall. But while they course the waters of the Sound each year it is impossible to forecast the size of the “run,” therefore the can-nerymen are at a tremendous disadvantage in preparing for a season’s pack.
The year 1913 witnessed what is reputed to be the largest “run” of Sockeye salmon on record, the product of that fishing season amounting to approximately fifteen million dollars. The Sockeye is considered the superior fish of the salmon species, and shoals of this variety course their way in large numbers once every four years, and in smaller numbers during intervening years, from the depths of the Pacific through Puget Sound into Fraser R iver in British Columbia, where their spawning grounds are located almost at the extreme source of the stream. It is during the course of this “run” from the ocean to their breeding ground that they are caught, either by nets or fish traps, and taken to the canneries. Scientists have for years endeavored in vain to discover the reason for the phenomenon of the four-year cycles in which this particular variety of salmon runs. When the parent fish have finished spawning they enter a state of decay and die and as soon as the young fish become large enough to safely venture forth, they wend their way southward through Puget Sound into the salty depths of the Pacific, where they remain until maturity when they return to their traditional spawning grounds by coursing the beaten trail of their ancestors, provided they are able to elude the snares of the fishermen.
The problem of why these denizens of the deep migrate from salt to fresh water in vaster numbers each fourth year has never been solved, but this condition is seemingly fixed by Nature to the disadvantage of the cannerymen, and although past experience has taught him that the Sockeye makes its appearance with precise regularity, yet he is never forwarned as to quantity, and no normal standard in that respect can be predicted. This7
is the reason the investment of capital in the salmon industry is usually termed a gamble. During the present year the catch was more than sixty per cent less than the next lowest catch known during the past eighteen years, which was in 1907, this, in spite of the fact that many cannerymen had prepared for an average run both years.
These conditions did not, however, exist in Alaska and British Columbia, where the salmon pack this year is reputed to be the largest in history. This is attributed by some authorities to be due to the fact that the unusual weather conditions caused the salmon that were coming from the sea, to change their course farther north in the waters of Puget Sound, thereby escaping the seines and traps stationed for them in their usual course. Much difference of opinion exists, however, in regard to the unusual conditions which obtained this year, and suffice it to say that this phase of the situation is extremely problematical.
Below are given figures showing the annual catch of salmon in Puget Sound for the last ten years. During that time approximately forty canneries have been in existence, and the total number of employees have ranged from 12,000 to 18,000.
No. of Cases
Year	Packed
1904	....................................................	291,488
1905	.................................................... 1,018,641
1906	....................................................	430,602
1907	....................................................	698,080
1908	....................................................	448,765
1909	.................................................... 1,632,949
1910	....................................................	567,883
1911	.................................................... 1,557,029
1912	....................................................	416,125
1913	.................................................... 2,583,463
1914	....................................................	792,860
Treating with the question of the supply of labor necessary for the operation of the salmon canning industry and the peculiar conditions thrust upon the canneryman which force him to meet an acute labor condition, it should be borne in mind that the average “run” of salmon seldom exceeds a period of sixty8
days’ duration and that when the fish are caught they must be canned almost immediately to prevent spoilage. This necessitates an adequate supply of labor constantly available on the premises, as well as all the requisite appurtenances and machinery in trim running order for immediate use, so that operations may be started at a moment’s notice when the first load of fish arrives.
CHINESE CONTRACT LABOR SYSTEM
The conditions related in the foregoing are perhaps responsible for the birth of the Chinese labor contract system which lias been so pronounced in years past in this industry. It is not difficult to see how the system fastened itself upon the industry, for it removes from the canneryman the risk of failure to put up the pack by placing it on the Chinese contractor, who in turn thrusts the responsibility on the individual workers by penalizing them heavily for the slightest failure to comply with the exacting conditions of the contract. Thus the canneryman is free to devote his entire time to other details of the business and at the same time he is free from labor troubles—the one thing he most desires to avoid.
The terms of the contract between the canneryman and the Chinese contractor are usually based on a fixed price per case and a guaranteed number of cases per day, the contractor submitting to a penalty for failure to furnish a sufficient supply of labor to pack the specified number of cases, which usually amount to from 1,000 to 1,200 cases daily per unit or "line" of machinery. Generally the contractor is independent of the canneryman ; sometimes he is the foreman of the crew, but al-ways the system is the same.
Under the system the contractor in employing his help who are almost exclusively Orientals, binds them to stipulations which compel them to stay throughout the entire season, which is usually six months, or they are penalized by a substantial reduction, or in some cases entire forfeiture, of the wages they have earned. They are required to be on hand all the time. Some days they may have not much or anything to do; on9
others they may be required to work as long as fifteen hours, and if they fail to respond to the call they are penalized from twenty-five to thirty cents for every hour that they are absent. Thus the contractor holds these men, the regular crew, in line for the conditions are so binding that one seldom quits.
GROUPING OF CANNERY LABOR.
The labor employed in the average cannery may be divided into three classes, as follows :
First Group. Employes who work throughout the year. These men are more or less skilled in the work, such as white men who repair and handle the machinery, and repair, reconstruct or build additions to the cannery; the balance are Orientals, almost invariably Chinese who have been there for years and are employed making, labeling or lacquering cans, or packing them in cases ready for shipment. The wages paid workmen in this group range from $45.00 to $125.00 per month and board. Cannerymen claim that many of the Chinese in this group are indispensable especially during the canning season, owing to their extensive knowledge of the business.
Second Group. The contract laborers who constitute the great bulk of workmen employed are almost exclusively Orientals, and work only during the regular fishing season which begins in May or June and ends in October or November as the case may be. The seasonal contract usually covers a period of six months. These workers are unskilled and receive a wage of from $40.00 to $45.00 per month, in addition to board, lodging and transportation to and from the cannery. Since the exclusion law has gradually reduced the supply of Chinese, in later years Japanese have greatly predominated in this group, and in some instances the latter are used exclusively. This labor is usually secured through Oriental employment agencies in Seattle or Portland.
Third Group. The extra labor required during the height of the canning season generally consists of the white resident population, both men and women, who work for a few weeks, usually at intervals when needed. This labor is paid a straight10
hourly wage of from twenty-five to thirty-five cents, not including board. The amount of extra help needed in a cannery is a speculative feature of the work. Oftentimes the catch of fish reaches such proportions for a day or two that every available person in the town or vicinity is needed.
In summing up the number of workers employed in the canning industry, season after season, it is found that each of the first two groups remain substantially the same in numbers, except each fourth successive year when the heavy run of Sockeye occurs, at which time every cannery in the State is running full blast. It is estimated that in ordinary years about 900 to 1,200 white men and 800 to 1,000 Orientals constitute the first group of workmen who are steadily employed. The second group or the contract laborers, number perhaps from 7,000 to 9,000 in ordinary years, and 12,000 to 15,000 in the extraordinary years. The third group of extra labor is so variable that any figures that might be submitted would be based on mere guesswork. Perhaps twenty-five per cent of the total number employed each year would be a fair estimate. This would give us a total of approximately 12,000 in ordinary years or 18,000 in extraordinary years. These figures of course exclude fishermen and all workers employed outside of the canneries.
One Chinese contractor who handled eight contracts in Puget Sound canneries this year paid his common labor from $40.00 to $50.00 a month, together with board, lodging and transportation to and from the cannery. Nearly all of these workmen were Japs, and the few Chinamen that he employed were paid higher wages, up to $70.00 per month, as he claimed they were better workers and more efficient. This contractor stated that white men were preferable to the Japanese for this work, but they would not be bound by the contract. A few negroes had been used and found to be satisfactory. Indians, largely used in some canneries located near reservations were less desirable than Japs, and Hindus, he said, were the poorest workers of all.11
ADVENT OF MACHINERY.
With the advent of machinery, which today to a great extent does the work formerly done by hand by Chinese, who were the pioneer workers in the canning industry, the situation has of late years materially changed.
The butchering and sliming of the fish—work repugnant to the white man—may now be done by machinery. The first machine, the “Iron Chink,” has displaced a considerable percentage of labor. The name of the machine is obvious and indicates the character of its work. It slits the fish, cuts off the fins and removes the entrails. Operated by four men it can butcher enough fish in one day of ten hours for 1,600 cases of forty-eight cans each, or an increase of fifty to seventy-five per cent for each man over the hand method, at the same time making the work much easier.
From the “Iron Chink” the fish are taken to the hand slim-ers. This work consists of scraping the blood away from the back bone and washing the fish. A machine recently invented may soon supplant the hand workers in this occupation, thereby making the work more agreeable. When the fish leave the slimers they are passed first to the cutting machine, then to the packer, also a machine, and finally to the sanitary canning machine which crimps the covers on instead of the old hand soldering method once done so efficiently by the Chinese. The last named machine has been in use for two or three years, which, with the packing machine, lias almost entirely displaced the women workers, who formerly packed by hand and made high wages at the work, often $6.00 to $9.00 per day. The contractor paid six cents per case for hand work, the machine does it for less than half that amount.
The story of the changes being wrought by machinery in the canneries is similar to that in other industries. In the canneries the chief result shown is that the Chinaman, once demanded, because peculiarly adapted to the work, is no longer needed, except perhaps for the reason that his natural bent is in that direction.12
CHANGED CONDITIONS OF LABOR.
The passing of the Chinaman and the coming of the Jap is looked upon with equal disfavor by the cannerymen and the
it may
be stated that labor conditions in the canneries have greatly improved in recent years and little of the old slaving characteristic of the contract system remains, though there still may be some conditions to which the white man would object. The cannery -man frankly asserts that the white common labor that he has tried in place of the Orientals has not been satisfactory, yet with like frankness, he states that he only employed them when compelled to have them on short notice and did not give them steady work. Naturally the consequence was the employment of “drifters”—that class of workers who would serve for a little while, earning a few dollars and then drift on, never coming back, while the Chinaman and the Jap were given long term jobs and came back year after year. Should the white man be given equal opportunity for long term employment at a monthly salary, perhaps he, too, would return year after year—provided he be the right kind—not the “drifter.”
WHITE LABOR AVAILABLE.
It would be futile to deny that there are many reliable workingmen in the State who would welcome the opportunity of such employment. For instance, there are hundreds of settlers on our logged-off lands whose limited means make it necessary for them to secure outside employment in order to maintain themselves and their families while clearing and developing their lands ready for crops. These are our most useful citizens. Their work on these lands, not being controlled by seasonal conditions, would enable them to avail themselves of employment in the canneries if they knew how to secure the jobs. Heretofore, no means have been at hand for securing these jobs. The Chinese contractor, of course, had ready access to the hordes of Chinese and Japs gathered in our large cities and had no necessity for considering our white local population of small home owners,
white residents of the cannery communities. Incidentally13
whose appeal to employment agencies when they needed work usually met with poor results. Many other reliable workers in various employments of a seasonal nature would be equally anxious and free to accept cannery employment if proper opportunity were afforded. Could this plan be brought about by the Federal and State governments it would be of immeasurable service to that element of our population which is struggling against great odds in their efforts to develop our country. Should not a National and State policy of this kind receive unqualified support from all directions?
For years the Chinese contractor had entire command of the labor situation, but with tlie advent of improved machinery in late years, a few of the canneries have dispensed with the “contractor” but not altogether with the “contract system,” for they still adhere to the methods used by the contractor in penalizing the workmen. Thus a new era has dawned, and at the same time another change has taken root, that of the Japanese contractor entering the field, and this past summer, for the first time, a contract to pack the output of one of the largest canneries was awarded to a Japanese contractor at thirty-five cents per case, which was seven cents per case lower than the bid of a Chinese contractor. This incident looms into importance when it is known that almost all of the canneries on Fraser River in British Columbia have been taken over and are now owned by Japanese. Their start was obtained under the contract labor system.
No white man has ever essayed the role of the Chinese labor contractor; possibly because of his natural repugnance to the system. The white man who wanted a job in the canneries always found the Oriental there ahead of him. Should the white man seek a contract with the canneryman it would necessitate the modification of the agreement with his labor, as neither he nor the white workmen would favor such drastic terms.
The operation of canneries by white labor exclusively hired under ordinary conditions, is by no means unknown, but there arc those cannerymen who claim it has been unsuccessful for various reasons. This, however, is not the case of the EverettPacking Company of Everett, Washington, which for three years has operated with a white crew, and a letter from the vice-presideent and general manager of that company, printed below, gives a pointed review of the situation from the cannery-man’s standpoint:
Everett, Washington, Nov. 19, 1915. State of Washington, Bureau of Labor, Olympia, Wash.
Gentlemen:	Referring	to	your	inquiry of November 18th, regard-
ing the employment of white labor in canneries.
The writer has been connected with canneries in various parts of the State for the past fourteen years where Japanese, Chinese and white labor have been employed, and we believe there are canneries in operation at points where it would be practically impossible to use other than Oriental labor, at least a big percentage of the labor would be of necessity, Chinese and Japanese help.
Canneries operate from three to five months in the year, and when not in operation canning salmon, there is no work about the plant wherein any labor can be employed. In Everett, we have a city with a population of 35,000 people to draw on for labor. A big percentage of the labor we use are boys and girls from high school, as a good part of the canning season comes at the vacation period in the schools. This, you will readily see works no hardship on the help that has to be dismissed at the close of the packing season.
It is easily seen, however, that canneries located where white help is not available would be placed under great difficulties in securing the necessary white labor to conduct the work, and particularly to take care of the work in the fish house where the butchering is done.
It is our belief that any and all canneries would doubtless employ white help without question if this white help could be had, as it is not a question of wages, for it has been the writer’s experience that Chinese and Japanese help as a rule is higher in price, taking the season through, than white help, owing to the fact that a good share of it has to be contracted for at the beginning of the season, and the packer takes his chances of putting up a sufficiently large pack to justify his contracting for the said help.
Until very recently, canneries were operated under what we call the old line or solder system, where it was absolutely impossible to get along without help that was accustomed to and trained in handling this solder. The writer knows from bitter experience that heavy loss would result in attempting to work white help in canneries at that time, as it was impossible to teach them in a season’s work, how to handle soldered cans without immense waste in the operation.
Many of the canneries on the Sound have changed from the solder system of packing to the sanitary cans now generally in use, and we think statistics will show a very heavy increase in the percentage of white help used in all canneries. We think this matter will take care15
of itself, and that very rapidly. In other words, any canner or packer of salmon that can use and obtain white help, will use it in preference to Japanese or Chinese labor.
We will be glad to give you any further information on the subject that we are able to, and we trust that you will appreciate the fact that the above is our unbiased opinion, as we are using white help entirely in our plant, and have been for the past three years, and are finding it very satisfactory indeed, but on the other hand, we appreciate the fact most fully that any cannery where so located and situated that of necessity they must have outside help, they can hardly do otherwise than contract for help that has worked under the conditions every season since the beginning of the canning of salmon.
Very truly yours,
Everett Packing Company,
By J. O. Morris, Mgr.
There is the situation that demands relief—and the problem that must be solved. Since the Japs have come on the scene in such large numbers the canneryman’s viewpoint has moderated, for they are not nearly as trustworthy and reliable as the stoical Chinaman, and recently many cannerymen who were interviewed on the subject expressed a preference for white labor, but so long as the present conditions continue, with the supply unreliable and the workmen not forthcoming when needed, they fear that their business would suffer, their “pack” will be lost, if they should attempt the change on a wholesale scale. These conditions removed, the problem will unravel itself.
THE OPPORTUNITY FOR A CHANGE.
The employment of white labor can be largely accelerated by the assistance of the Federal Labor Department through its employment agency system, which in connection with the postal service has access to laboring people living in rural districts. These people may be reached and their applications received for the work long before the canning season so that an adequate supply may be assured. Given the opportunity to get the work, many honest and reliable workers will take advantage of it. Heretofore no means for this purpose have been at their command. The manner in which the Federal Labor Department furnished workers in the berry fields and fruit districts of the16
Puyallup and Yakima valleys this year to the satisfaction of growers is an example worthy of notice.
But to accomplish the desired end, we must not lose sight of the fact that the canneryman must know, and without question, that his fish will be packed. How he can be assured of this, other than by the contract system, must be determined; how the right kind of white labor can be secured to do the work must also be determined. These questions must be settled before he can act freely in the matter.
The object of the Bureau of Labor in presenting this report is to open the way for a more general employment of our white home owners whose earnings will be expended in the development of the State. Heretofore they have not been given equal opportunity with the Asiatics in procuring employment in this particular industry. If the cannerymen will properly co-operate with the Bureau of Labor in this direction, and there is every reason to believe that they will, the conditions soon will be ameliorated. It is obvious that this will work greatly to the betterment of the state.