Workmen's advocate., 1890-05-24
STRIKES.
(Contin'.ed from first pdge),

workers for four years (no strike report being made in this trade for lSSO sums | up at Sl04,lo4 the appreciation having been continuous.
 THE BUILDING TRADES. It is pretty generally admitted that the building trades are most important part in all industrial communities. From very early time the masons and builders possessed all the practical science of the ages. In modern days though their knowledge is net so exclusive they neces sarily occupy high position among artisans, while in the most recent period their compact organization and their unity in the assertion of common rights give them an assured position. Add that they are almost all hand workers and that as yet the machine has not been able to displace inc man. Wages are, as a rule, better in the building trades than in any of the isolated trades, and, as a rule, they maintain an unbroken front against all innovation of old time principle that seems likely to affect their interests.
 The sum of all strikes investigated dur ing five years, by this bureau, shows a total of 67,S04 operatives engaged in successful strikes where wages were in- volved the result being an estimated total for the whole number for the whole five years of SIS, ,623, ,060.77.
 The gain per capita during five years would be about dollar per week; the number of employees being presumed as constantly at work
 Beside the advance in money receipts thus accruing to the workers it is well known that in many instances a proposed reduction has been defeated and loss prevented, which is almost equivalent to gain. Nor must the very general reduction of hours be forgotten. A wage earner s leisure rightly used is almost equivalent to money gain.
 HOURS BEFORE AND AFTER STRIKES.
 "Hours of Labor" at this present time of writing are literally tho question of the hour. Shall it be an eight hour day for all, or day with difference to be settled by local usage or by each particular trade after it's own fashion and idea2
 Total reporting under this head is 7,936; of these ninety eight report in. creVse; 1,255 report decrease; 6,57S re- port no change.
 WOMEN AND GIRLS.
 The female employees were not, as a rule, given to strikes as a remedy; they follow the shop lead Loyalty, but when they originate movement 1t is as often as not done in a huff and quickly aban- doned. The number of women and girls engaged in strikes during the past five years was AS, 346.
 SYMPATHETIC STRIKES.
 The accord between workers in mat ters of common interest is the founda- tion of the sympathetic strike" An injury to one Is the concern of all. Dur ing the past five years l3 05S men have turned out in G64 sympathetic strikes. Of these 305 were successful, thirteen were compromised, 3a6 were unsuccess ful.
 THREATENED STRIKES.
 When the employees threaten strike for supposed grievance and the em ployer succumbs to the expected pres sure, it is better for both parties. It is but fair to the workers to admit that the threat of strikes is generally honest and not meant for mere talk. In four years, 1SS6-S9, strikes were threatened in 599 establishments by 5,S63 employees or their committees. Five hundred and twenty of these announcements had the desired effect; twenty seven brought about a compromise and fifty two had no result.
 ARRESTS AND DISPOSITION OF CASES.
 A natural consequence of labor dis sensions is the occasional interference of the police. For the most part, however, 1t is to the credit of labor in this State that it's demonstrations are usually got through with few breaches of the peace. The number of strikes is elsewhere re. ported at 9,3S4. the number of strikers at 33S, ,0l9, and yet the number of police arrests Is only 529-of these 2S3 charged with actual violence; 30 with boycotting and 6S with disorderly conduct, the rest only amounting to Instructions or other technical Otfenses. One hundred anC fourteen offenders were imprisoned fol short terms; So were put to small fines and the balance were misCellaneousl) adjudicated, including 60 discharged.
 ANSWER RELATIVE TO BoYCoTTS.
 The returns for four years Ss6-lSS show that of the 1,764 establishment investigated s95 report that they wer, boycotted; 3,406 answer no, and 3,46 made no return.