THE FISHERIES PRODUCTS COMPANY

WILMINGTON, N.C.,
June 7, 1918.

Hon. Governor Bickett,
Raleigh,
North Carolina.

Dear Sir:-

We wish to call to your attention the labor conditions in this section.

This Company is engaged in the manufacture of fish scrap fertilizer and fish oil, which are derived from the catching of menhaden fish. It is the largest concern of its kind in the United States and employ, when able to get them, a total of 600 to 700 hands. Our property consists of ten menhaden steamers valued at upwards of a million dollars and a factory valued at about the same.

The Company is a North Carolina corporation with an authorized capitalization of $2,000,000.

Our fish scrap is used as a basis for fertilizer manufacturing by the largest fertilizer manufacturers in the country and is the chief and best basis they can obtain. Without it the farmer will be unable to do anything towards raising much needed crops.

Fish oil is used for tempering steel that goes into ships such as our Government is at present time constructing.

The industry is considered by everyone, including the authorities in Washington as one of the most important in the world as it really manufacturers a product which in turn produces food, which you know is necessary to keep our people on top in this terrible conflict we are engaged in at the present time.

We started operating here about the first of April. We succeeded in sending all our steamers to sea at that time but since then we have had to lay up our steamers on account of not being able to get crews to man them until we have the majority of them all idle at the present time, therefore, not being productive. We use to pay the members of our crews $35.00 a month and board, we now pay them $75.00 per month and board. The class of help we employ is negroes and after they have worked a week or two they get through and loaf until they have spent their money. We have offered to do everything in the world to get them to work as you can realize we cannot afford to have our property lay idle, but they just will not work only so long at a time.

It certainly is an outrage as this is the time when each and everyone of us should be giving the best that is in him in order to accomplish what we really must.

We, on last Saturday, had one of our steamers come into our dock at our factory and a dozen or fifteen men took their belongings and got ashore. The writer personally interviewed these men and asked them where they were going and if they had better positions. They replied no that they did not have any other position nor did they want one for a while; they complained of being tired. The same condition happened last night and again this morning to two of our steamers, the entire crews leaving this time. They have no other work to go to as no one is paying any more wages than we are, the job is not very laborious as there are times, day or two at a time, that they are not called upon to do anything and their salary is going on just the same.

The State of North Carolina has many advantages over other states, particularly in the line in which we are engaged, but you will realize as well as we that it is necessary to have labor to do something. The labor is here but they certainly will not work. We thought in putting the facts before you as we have herein that there might be some way you could overcome the conditions as we know it is your desire to have the State be as productive as possible. The farmer is certainly the man we must depend on a good deal in this conflict as he is the one that is producing or will produce if not discouraged, the real bullets that will count in the end.

We would be glad to go into this matter further with your goodself, providing you think it advisable. It is necessary that immediate action be taken or this Company will be obliged to tie up its whole plant as we cannot go on but a very few days longer under the terrible handicap we are subjected to at the present time. It just simply is a case of the men getting so much money that they must stop after they have worked a few days to spend it.

I may add all men in our employ receive their board with these wages free of charge.

Will you kindly let us hear from you promptly and tell us if there is any way you can help us. Thanking you in advance, we beg to remain

Yours very respectfully,

THE FISHERIES PRODUCTS COMPANY,
By Thos. H. Hayes
President.

thh/s