Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-03-15
CARPENTERS UNION.
Important Labor Meeting atLabor
Hall Monday Evening.
ORGANIZED AND ELECTED OFFICERS

Address by A. C. Cattermull of Chicago.
Member of Executive Board Of
Carpenters and JoincrS
of America
From Tuesdays Daily.
An important meeting was held at
labor hall in this city last evening, at
which time alocal carpenters union,
No. 767 was organized. The meeting,
which was largely attended by both
carpenters and contractors, wa ad--
dressed by A.C. Cattermull. of Chica-
go, a member of the executive board
of the Carpenters and Joiners of Amer
lea. Mr.. Cattermull has worked at the
carpenters trade all his life, and is
thoroly conversant with the needs of
his craft. a fact which made his talk
most interesting.
The work of organizing 4 local union
has been in progress for the past Few
weeks, and last evening was complet-
ed with the election of officers Tor the
ensuing year. The meeting OF the
union which was to have been held
this evening has been postponed until
next Monday evening.
The following officers were elected:
President-John 2. Wagner.
Vice PRESIDENT. II. Kindell. Y
Recording secretary-G. w. Fergu-
son.
Financial secretary-John w. Nor
rison.
Treasurer-J. FL. Baty.
Conductor-N. G. Morgan.
Warden-H. A. Young.
Trustees-Morris Nichols, j. j. Craw-
ford and I'll. j.. McCarrell.
MIR. Cattermull,s Address.
The meeting last evening was called
to order by J.P. Wagner. Without any
preliminary remarks he introduced
Mr.. Cattermull, who said in part, as
follows:
""As has been previously announced,
this meeting was called for the pur-
pose of organizing a carpenters union
and a short discussion of the aims and
objects of such a union will not be out
of place at this time. No doubt there
are people here just as l have found
theme elsewhere, prejudiced against a
union. They don't know why and
could not give you a good reason if
they We're asked to. Ignorance of the
objects of unionism is due to a greater
part of all this opposition. am a car
penter-have known nothing else ina
professional way all my life. / am
perfectly familiar with the needs of
the craft and organization is one Of
{ Tho p,aofar4 pF than A1p1nSf pvory.
thing else is Observation-Disclosures are
organized, all great business enterpris-
es are embraced in corporations and
why not labor? The need is greater
at present because we are living in an
age of progress and here the speaker
reviewed to a. very exhaustive degree
the effect improved machinery has had
in regard to cheapening labor and es-
pecially that pertaining to the craft
which he represented. In connection
with the effect which machines have
had in this direction. he also associat-
ed the influence of child labor and cit
ed as an example the condition of af-
fairs which viewed during a recent
visit to plants in Sheboygan and other
northern manufacturing cities where
he found children from the ages of 13
to16 years working for 35 cents per
day, to a maximum of rs cents re-
ceived by the women there employed.
Men there, he said, were getting $3.50
to So per week, and the low wage re-
ceived by them was compared with
the underpaid children, and the cause
for the entire evil summed up and at
tributed to the employment of those
who should be in school or in the
home, instead of occupying the place
of bread winners, or the heads of fam
lilies. 1t was an argument convincing
and one which was received with con-
sideration by all who heard it.
The speaker then took up the ques-
|tion of, competition and the effect
which it has had in regard to cheap
ening labor. He said: mo doubt
there are many men here who can re-
member when it twas customary for a
boss carpenter and his men, when they
did not have a building to work on, to
go TO the shop and there spend their
time in getting out material for work
that would afterwards be contracted
for. Work that is now done by ma
Chimes Another thing he said; sis
the fact that iron and steel have taken
the place of wood, to a great extent,
in the construction of the larger build
ings in cities, and that often the only
need there is for a carpenter in one of
the modern buildings is to lay the hard
wood floor, and very often the greater
part of the floor is constructed OF
tile"
He told how the American farmer
or laborer in other branches would
purchase a few tools and do his own
carpenter work, often becoming prof
Gent in the use of tools and later aban-
doning his former occupation to take
up that of a carpenter, thinking per-
haps he could earn his livelihood east
er. This, he said, brought a great deal
of cheap labor into competition with
the skilled mechanics who have no
protection against this intrusion. By
this method contractors he said We're
enabled to classify their labor thus
employed, and by engaging a few good
mechanics We're enabled to put them
ON the more important parts of the