Prisoners of war freer workmen than Americans

              Mail Sheldon, Iowa

194'

Prisoners of War

Freer Workmen

Than Americans

A group of 165 German prisoners of war were put to work in a New Jersey packing plant. The prisoners were willing and anxious to work, and their labor was needed   to   help   our     own    manpower

; shortage.

But the business agent of a labor union appeared. He said that the union would not allow these prisoners of war to work unless each and every one of them paid 25c a week into the union treasury. The union simply would not allow anyone to work there unless the union got its rakeoff. The German prisoners were to get 80c a day, so the union's share based on

j what the men earned, would be 25c.

The army said IT wasn't going to pay the rakeoff to the union racketeers. The German prisoners could   be made   to   pay,   but   the

j army said  it  wouldn't   allow    the

' money to be hijacked from them, because that would be against international law. The employing packer said he'd be willing to pay the t