Omaha daily bee., 1885-05-14
LABOR AND
Matters of Interest to Employers and
Employed.
PHILADELPHIA Record.

Philadelphia Record.
The condition of the wage workers Is
improving, through the outlet afforded.
west and south, and because Of the mar
kets growing there for manufacturing
products. Fewer idle men are to be met
with each succeeding week, taking labor
In the aggregate. More small industries
are spring up In the west than in the
east, In order to save freight charges and
to take advantage of the %chespness and
nearness of feul, which is being found in
large supply In Illinois. Iowa and Mis-.
souri,.
Typographical union No. G., of New
York, Is making grand preparations for
the international typographical conven-
ton next month. The female printers are
being organized.
For some reason trade.unionism -four
ishes more In New York than here. The
painters have q live org snization. So
have the butchers, bakers, walters, franz
ers, hod-hoisting engineers, gss-6tters,
watchmskers, sewing girls, and a score
of smaller industries. The New York
union carpenters are reporting all cases
of slack workmanship in building to the
building inspector, In order to force the
employment of organized labor. The
plasterers fine a man $50 for working
under Objectionable bosses, and expel
him for Its nor-payment.
Numerous assemblies are being organ.
lad In this city, and the membership Is
greater than 1t has been for ten years.
Every effort TO establish o central union
has failed, because of the a~ntsgoniatlc
methods and ideas of the workmen.
When laborers conduct their affairs as
corporations do they will win. One mis-
take made Is that labor representatives
meet to talk and make speeches.
The New York br!cklayers made o
fight for nine hours per day and won,
aud have suffered a reduction from 81
psr day to So rs which Is an advance Of
two cents per hour. The demand for
labor Is great, and some builders are bid
ding 40 cents. The workmen and their
employers have a Joint arbitration COM
mittee. The builders are pleased because
future disturbances can be avoided.
There are In that city $500 thoroughly
organized bricklayers, divided into five
unIons. Each sends three delegates to
the executive committee. A rule pre-
vents bosses from employing outside
bricklayers. Wages are 81 In several
northern cities; So 30 here and at Buffalo
and So in Memphis, Galveston and two
or three other southern states.
The building up of industrial villages
In Great Britain Is the latest attempt to
prevent the ~depopulat!on OF country dis
tricts. There is always a rush Of people
from the country to city throughout
England. Samuel Morley, M. p, has
started the movement. 1t Is proposed to
establish Villages and village industries,
and at the same time discover markets
for the products of these industries. A
society has been organized to carry this
project out, and it will endeavor to make
rural life mora attractive.
Frank A. Fowler, the chief of the Wis
consin labor bureau, has just submitted
his first report, which is divided into ten
parts, and goes over the questions of ap.
prentices, industrial education, trade and
labor unions strikes and other like ques-
tions. According to the report hundreds
of manufacturers in that state are losing
money. The object Of the labor unions
of Wisconsin, according to tho report, Is
the establishment of uniform minimum
wages for skilled labor in given trades,
and mutual support In case of need. Very
few trades appear to be organized. Agri.
cultural, dairying, stock raising. wool
and tobacco growing are the principal &C.
equations of the people.
The Knights OF Labor are giving a
good deal of enthusiastic attention to CO.
operation. Unless the improvement Is
ably managed 1t will be disappointing.
AS business Is now done there Is not
much profit In it. The fortunes made
n nowadays, whether in business or man
ufacturing. are generally made by strik-
Ing something new and strange. Co.
operators do not propose to do this; but
they follow In with the rank and file Of
producers where competition Is most act
I've and where margins of profit are ex
tremely light. If they expect to make
much more out of cooperation than by
working for wages they will be diaap,
pointed. If these new co-operators pur-
chased at wholesale they could save
something.
The western trades- u~nionists are ask
Ing the president to make some change In
the head of the labor bureau, and that h,
appoint John w. McGrsth, of Detroit
Mich. One of the foremost men In tn,
labor bureau Is John Delvin, who thre'
0 or four years ago was q K~ensingtoI
weaver. The labor men hold the balanc,
of power in the Michigan house of repre-
, sentatiyes, and already a ten.hour bill
,, q child-labor bill and a convict contract
labor bill have been passed. In severa
other states labor legislation has bsel
. hanging fire and will not pass.
The workingmen of the country are be
ginning to suspt ct that the labor bureai
Q bill was thrown at them in the way G
I sop. The labor orgaus are saying SCUM
the alarm lest the victory become q mel
ancholy farce.
Destruction OF a Brewery,