Canal Jobs for Seattle Men Only, Outsiders Warned

The news that the south canal is to be built, and that hosts of men are to be employed upon the work, has caused many workingmen in the Eastern cities to turn their faces toward Seattle, and some companies of employment have taken advantage of this to advertise for men. To counteract the movement, the commissioner sent circular copies to leading daily papers of the coast and in the East, giving the plain warning that no work awaits outsiders.

A resolution was adopted instructing the labor commissioner to give public notice throughout the Northwest of the disappointment that would be incurred by men who come to this city in the hope of finding employment on the proposed Lake Washington canal. In pursuance of this a conference was held with Hon. Judge Hale, attorney for the Lake Washington Waterway Company. Mr. Hale made the following statement:

'The enterprise is emphatically a Seattle affair, and it is our purpose to distribute its benefits first and foremost among the people of Seattle. For the present we propose to employ the resident citizens of Seattle on the work, and especially men with families and homes in the city. We will do this not merely as a matter of justice, but as a matter of sound business policy as well. The only exception to this rule will be in those cases in which specially trained men would be needed. It would be sheer folly for men to come here in the hope of obtaining work on the canal as long as there are residents of the city able and willing to do the work. Outsiders coming here for employment will simply encounter disappointment and expense, if not actual suffering. There are plenty of men here now to do all the work required.'

'The secretary of your organization is respectfully requested to have this notice printed in the local papers, and otherwise given the widest circulation possible, so as to prevent thousands of men from taking a trip that can bring nothing but injury to this community, and disaster to themselves.'