St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-02-15
IN MINNEAPOLIS.
Items of Information.

The trade and labor assembly held
special meeting Friday evening at which
the principal business was the griev-
ance of the bakers union against the
Minneapolis Baking company. This
matter has been investigated by the as
sembly for some time, but no conclusion
being arrived at, it will now be taken
up by the bakers union. The assembly
also took up the bill before the legisla-
ture providing for the abolition of con-
Wet labor in granite cutting where it
enters into competition with free labor.
A delegation of workingmen from st.
Cloud was in attendance and asked the
Endorsement of this measure. After
long discussion the matter was referred
to the legislative com mittee.
In being asked to go Oh record as
favoring the position of the st. Cloud
granitecutterS, the trades assembly
finds itself III a somewhat peculiar posi-
ton. Last summer, during a visit to
Minneapolis, the superintendent of the
st. Cloud reformatory delivered an adj
dress before the assembly upon his
novel solution of the prison labor qnes-
t1On. The address was well received
by the delegates. and the assembly
ing of the stone cut at the reformatory
i'll such way as not to compete with
the members of the granitecutters'
union. But now the union and the
trade assembly of st. Cloud have been
making very emphatic denial of some
Of the statements that were made last
summer. They ask for legislation to
relieve them from this competition, and
claim the present system is the cause of
considerable hardship in their trade.
To discredit these claims the resolu-
lions of the trades assembly are brought
forward, and an attempt IS made to
show that the labor organizations of
Minneapolis favor the present method
of disposing of the stone cut by con-
yicts.
The attitude of the city council on the
ordinance now before it is a topic of
much interest among the organized
Workingmen. Records of various alder
men are being looked up to see what
position they took regarding eight hours
before election. Many claim that it was
generally understood last fall that the
proposed reform would be adopted by
the new council. circumstances for the
change are deemed specially favorable,
since several large cities have adopted
the eight-hour law on all municipal
work. Some surprise is expressed by
the labor organizations at the state
ments made in the council that the
eight-hour law has not yet been adopted
in any of the large cities, and an inveS-
tigation has been made by the legis-
lative committee of the trade assembly
shows that the eight-hour day is in
force in Chicago since July 1, 1889; Mil
waukee has adopted the eight-h0ur day,
and st. Paul also has an ordinance to
that effect. The city of Brainerd en-
ploys its employees on the eight-hour
DaSis.
The painters and decorators will hold
their first anniversary at the Labor
Temple Friday evening. The union
has been quite prosperous during the
first year of its existence, and. includes
large membership. Many invitations
have been issued, and the following
pleasant programme has been arranged:
Mandolin and Guitar
A. F. Watson and Ed Marshall
Song-"Hunting Chorus
Wersergieber Family
Recitation-"Lost Ship. Mrs. F. A. Willard
Piano duet .... Miss and Master Messon
Song Mrs. E. Milward
Song .................Or pheus Singing Society
Plano SOLO. ....'-........ MISS biakesley
Recltatlon. .............. MISS Eva Mcdonald
Song Orpheus Singing Society
Song. ............C Charles Gray, st. Paul
Address" Organization j. p. McGaughey
Song-"White Squalr' .........A: S. Edwards
Plano SOLO northumberland Miss Blakesley
Address. 49,. ...................H b. Martin
A. f. Watson and Ed Marshall
PiaDo solo Miss Blakesley