Omaha daily bee., 1900-12-30
LABOR AND INDUSTRY.

A needle machine turns out 100000
needles a week.
There were 2.O42 brotherhood carpenters
in 1881: there are nearly 5000 today.
Female compositors In Paris are not
legally permitted to set type at night
over 500 men, says the Salt Lake Tribune
will eventually be employed at the big
mechanical plant the Rio Grande Western
will establish In that city.
The Journeymen Brewers National union
according to recent report OF its auditing
committee, has over $4,000 in its treasury
$S7, 600 OF which is invested in gilt-edged
securities.
The average pay of the working classes in
England Is less than Ei ($5) per week
Only one man in eleven Is in receipt OF an
income OF more than fl5O 075O) year. At
the present time the London dockers re-
ceive an average of IL shllings per week,
1t has been demonstrated by actual test
that u single towboat can transport at one
| trip from Pittsburg to New Orleans 29,OU
| tons of coal loaded In barges The boat and
| its tow, worked by few men, thus carry
as much freight as 5000 cars and 100 loco
| motives.
| Labor organizations in Kansas are petit
| tioning the Kansas legislature to open up
| the salt veins around Hutchinson and start
the convicts to making salt in opposition to
| the salt trust and its high prices. The
manufacture of binding twine was started
in the penitentiary In much the same way
and the industry has been considered re-
| lief to the farmers.
| The American Federation of Labor has
now affiliated with 1t no less than 50
| national and International unions, with
94si subordinate local unions, having an
aggregate membership of soi050, In ad-
| dition to these before e-mentioned general
unions there are at present ,o5l independent
chartered local unions, having 1850 mem
bers making a total Of l05i5 unions, with O
membership of $500 These, figures are ex-
affiliated through the medium OF the centra
| labor unions OF 205 cities and sixteen state
| federations OF labor,
one of the great features of the CO.
operative movement which is doing so mucf
to promote the welfare of the Irish peopl,
is to be found in the agricultural banks oi
credit associations conducted on the system
first introduced in Germany by Herr Raif
fersen In lS49, Where money Is scarce
0 people on their on o
gagement to be responsible for its liabilite,
are able to obtain money enough for thei
lend at per cent. the difference going to
ward expenses and reserve. on deposits
from its members the bank allows pc
cent-considerably more than the post
office savings bank. There are now fifty
two of these banks at work in Ireland. will
a membership of 1900.
The Chicago & Northwestern rairoa.
company will put into effect on January
an old-age pension system for its 27,oo
employees, II will hereafter take into II
employ no man over 35 years old. and vii
retire on pension, graded according 4
salary and wages, all who have reaches
in the service OF the company, and all o
any age who have been disabled in tn
service of the company 1t Is anticipate
| that the scheme, when in fun operation
will cost the company about $2O0O n yeaI
Some measure of the business depressio
which has set In over Germany is forwarde
TO the state department by United State
| Consul Albert, stationed at Brunswick
| Compared with the summer of 1899 build
| ing enterprises have fallen away by
Z per cent, railroad projects 5S per cent an
i electrical and street railway enterprises
per cent; Protected electric lighting an
I gas plants are a third less while in sue
l spheres OF activity as mining, smelling
\ metal manufacture, stone work and tn
l production OF chemicals and textiles. tn
decline Is some 27 per cent.