St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-05-11
The WORLD OF WORK.
st. Paul Interested Ones Still
Working for the Shorter
Day.
The Stoneeutters Explain Just
How It All Hap
pened.
Note and Comment Drawn
From Twin City Labor
Sources.
Industrial News and Gossip
From Labor'S Stand
point.

The commissioner of labor statistics
has been defied in the exercise of his
vested authority, and seeks justice. One
OF the deputies is investigating child
labor in st. Paul. He called at a plan
ing mill which employs from sixty to
seventy children. The proprietor re-
fused to let him interview the CHI dren;
first, because it was dangerous for a
stranger to go near the machinery, and
second, because the children's time in
the factory belonged to the employer,
and was too valuable to be wasted in
talking to outsiders. The deputy was
graciOusly allowed to call at the noon
hour or after p. m. any day and col
leet the necessary statistics. AS the
children all go home at those hours, the
privilege seems to be one of those that
doesn't permit. This is the first factory
with which the commissioner has had
any trouble. Judge Egan and the firm s
attorney are carrying on correspond
ence, and suit will be instituted by the
bureau if the firm still refuses to CON-
ply with the requirements of the state
law.
The carpenters union of st. Paul
wishes to warn all carpenters not to
heed the advertisement for carpeterS by
the boss builders of Portland, Or. They
have locked out the union carpenters of
Portland, and are endeavoring to flood
the Pacific coast with men SO that the
union will be obliged to surrender.
They, of course. have no union men,
but as they neglect to state that in their
lads" a number of union men have
gone there. only to find no employment.
One of the tailors, in speaking of the
present strike, says that the struggle is
among the medium class of wOrkmen,
who are never able to earn more than
S1.50 per day if working only ten hours.
There are two dull seasons IN the year.
lasting about three months each, when
tailors hardly make expenses. Ii this
be true it is hardly wonderful that the
tailors are dissatisfied and would like to
be paid living wages.
That the early closing movement is
gaining in public faver is proved by the
fact that the hardware dealers are tax
ing up the movement without waiting
for their clerks to initiate it. The mer-
chant who spoke before the trade and
labor assembly Friday evening stated
that the employers were as anxious for
shorter hours as the clerks. but the III
dOrsemeat of the labor assembly would
be necessary to prove To some dealers
that the working people didn't desire to
| buy hardware after z p. m, During the
| discussion that followed the delegate
from the carpenters union stated that
union carpenters influence to great
extent some branches of the hardware
trade. They will recognize only those
dealers closing early.
The trade and labor assembly, by its
| recognition of the report of the Munich.
| pal Reform association, shows that the
| Intelligent and respectable portion OF
| organized labor understands fully the
effort that was made to break up the
cl,ib Just before election. The Munich
| pal Reform club continued its meetings
and carried out its original plan of WOfk
regardless of the assertions of few
| printers and members Of one K. of l..
assembly, who would have felt more al
ease if the reform association had met a
sudden and unprovided death. The re-
| form association accomplished its OBJ
| ject in putting the sentiments of organ
| lied labor fairly before the public. and
did succeed in creating greater agita
ton in regard to those issues than was
ever known before in local politics. The
| justice of the eight-hOur day on city
work and the introd uction of day work
wherever possible is now conceded by
public opinion, where five months age
such notions would have been ridiculed
The tin and cornIce workers are vel
satisfied with their effort to reduce the
hours of labor. The st. Paul Roofing
and Cornice company conceded the nine
hour day last Monday. and that removed
the only real obstacle IN their way.