The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1900-05-19


any stress on the strike situation in the
city, yet events of the week compel US
to at this time speak out. The boss
| carpenters, since the first of May, have
been presenting their side ofathe pres
ent controversy to the public, through
the press, presumably for the purpose
Of gaining public sympathy.
! The Carpenters union remained very
quiet about the matter, not one of it's
large membership would allow himself
to be interviewed on the subject. They
do this for the purpose of evading pub
licity, knowing full we'll that too many
people dwell considerably upon the ar
gument that a demand for higher wag-
es would destroy bright prospects for
building during the coming season.
! The contractors and architects are
loud in their assertions that the unjust
and exhorbitant demands of the car
penters has completely darkened the
building skies.
One architect, in an interview last
week, said that some eastern capital
lists had intended to build a large hotel
| on Park Point, but on account of the
| unsettled condition of labor they be-
came frightened and have abandoned
! the idea. Now we have no desire to
question the veracity of the gentle
mems statements, but a careful inves-
| tigation during the week has made it
appear to us that it sounds very much
J like fish story. In the first place,
even if such a scheme were planned, we
! would advise our eastern friends to
think twice upon the subject before
! taking action. At this time Park Point
is no place for a. summer hotel. Tour
| lists have no desire to be inconVe-
nienced by the very poor transporta-
ton facilities now offered. It would be
a much better place along London road
where carriages may have easy access,
and where one searching for pleasure
may get about in a speedy and easy
manner. Park Point may become a
desirable place for a hotel when a
bridge is constructed across the canal.
| Now in regard to the so-called un-
reasonable demands of labor. The
carpenters ask for IS cents an hour and
an eight hour day, This would give
| them. a rate Of $3.50 per day. The
freight handlers on the docks receive
1n1eFs sssUFxI a intici GSfIr
IpareSthe demands of labor with the In
icreased price, (not COST Of material
tthat sSgoes into the construction of a
building. Lumber advanced from 100
to 400 per cent; nails from IS to 100 per
cent; hinges IS per cent; screws 1OS per
cent; pipe 1926 per cent, and so on all
along the line. Is not labor entitled to
a proportionate increase with other
comodities? Stop and think Of his
wants. Mark the advance in prices Of
| the things that he has to buy. Rent
advanced from 20 to IS per cent; ker-
osene oil from 13 to II cents a gallon, an
advance of almost 33 1-3 per cent; butter
Is per cent; meat from 20 to Is per cent;
potatoes 80 per cent; clothes, fuel, and
| other things have advanced in a like
manner. If labor cannot enjoy reas-
enable increase of wages with the ne
cessities of life, then our talk about
prosperity is farce. The workingman
finds himself with job but he is get
| ting deeper into debt every day because
! the cost of living is more than he can
earn. The contractors, SO they say,
have secured number of non-u union
men to do their work, This will event
ually bring matters to a complete
standstill. The timer, the plumber,
the stone mason and brick layer will
refuse to work along side of nonunion
men. The contractors say that the
other trades will not stand by the car
ipenters because they claim that the
carpenters are unreasonable in their
demands. But this is not true by any
means. Will the plumber securing Sc
lcents an hour for his labor envy the
carpenter who asks for IS cents? Du-
luth labor will stand together on the
carpenters' demands. Every achieve
ment of an eight hour day only adds
glory to the cause of labor, and they all
will join in aiding any craft to secure
it. The Duluth carpenter contractors
might just as well agree to the eigh,
hour day now as any time. If the car.
penters are not successful this yea,
they will try again next year, and il
they cannot secure it next year they
will try the year after, and so on unit
they do get it. So to prevent any fu.
ture struggles and costly strikes to botf
sides, now is the time to settle the mat.
ter once and for all time.