The labor world., 1900-01-06

that might not be amiss in our midst.
By reason Of compulsory arbitration
ladopted, employers are bound not to
: pay below an established minimum
wage rate. Bootmakers, for instance.
are to receive not less than SLIGO a
day, and graded up to $500; overtime,
)time-and-a d-a-half. The eight hour day
prevails. Butchers are paid $500 to
$3.50. Curriers', $1.6O to $500. The pay
of apprentices, and the number is stip-
| ulated in each trade, as well as the
! sanitary conditions under which men
may be permitted to work, and the re-
port is given where numbers of en-
ployers have been fined for violating
these laws; in one instance the en-
ployer was not molly fined $100, but had
i to pay into the union treasury $4,000
for violating the agreement made with
the union.
City council of Brussels, Belgium,
voted $1,000 to defray the expenses of
tworkmen to be sent to the Paris expo
sition. Socialist physicians recently
met in Brussels and organized So
4 ciety for the propagation of socialism
among the medical fraternity. The
miners of the country also held a con-
|vention and resolved to reorganize up
en- an improved basis. The greatest
lactivity is displayed among the work
ers in anticipation of securing larger
representation in Parliament at the
coming election. #
The printers strike in Pittsburgh
has revealed at last one thing, and that
is the utter hypocrisy of the would-be
ltrust-sinashing organs. The Post and
six other daily papers, which have
loudly demanded the disruption Of capt.
talistic combinations, have all Joined
hands and put up $4,000 each, to be
forfeited if either Of them withdraw.
The owner of the Post, the chief anti
trust organ, is the president of the
newspaper trust and the man who was
instrumental in forming it.
The fight against the New York Sun
is still being waged with great bitter
ness by organized labor despite the
court Injunction. 1t is hinted that
powerful capitalistic interests are back
ling the Sun, and also that some of the
other daily papers are secretly sup
porting the Sun in order to break the
power of the typographical union.
The strike and boycott of the printers
lin Kansas City also contiues, and the
machinery of the courts is being en-
ployed to keep the people guessing.
A $5O,0O0,0O0 combine has been incor-
pcrated in New Jersey for the purpose
of buying retail stores in cities of
100000 inha abitants or more. The COM
pany expects to control from 500 to
1000 retail lsstores.. The store trust will
lprObably manufacture some OF It's goods
and purchase train load lots, thus cut
ting deep into profits, with the result
l.that small competitors will be swept
out OF existence ana INTO the laoot
i army.
There is said to he q. string attach
steG "a fhe raise w., .,es secured, nv
the textile workers of New England
The average raise ner employe is II
rents week, but it is claimed the liv-
ing rates in the industrial centers have
been advanced SO arbitrarily that the
little II cents disappears before the
workers can get a good grip on it..
Old song! Now you see it,, and now
you don't.
IN the ono hand tha Illinois sunreme
oo,,r+ hoe ronnod tho +r,,sts with =
lhosti,o decision and on the other the
lanti-denartment store law. enacted bv
the last legislature to prevent the little
merchants from being crushed, was
declared to be unconstitutional.
M. .,,,, .o,o, 49,, p;o.
,:os,4:sses ~. ~ 49,,
80 n... =. 49, a,1 -.
ware raised on that line and that the
laffect will he the disrnntion of the fed
Iera tion that existed among the yarious
Ihrotherhoods W.ft
Tboro is Como foar IN Nav vorl, +ha +
tho rich contractors ara5 accun,1lating
IL hie fund TO he used in smashing the
lhuilding trades unions The latter are
quite strong in the metropolis, and if
fight starts it will be battle royal.
Z. The Socialist marty of Oklahoma wa 8
nnrn,,non+,v oroan;znd at a confaronne
fof delegates from all factions at Okla
homa City Sthis week. Every county
will be thoroughly organized prepara-
tory to next years campaign.
The hard and soft coal miners of