The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1901-08-01

y 1870 NOlOnel Emil Frey, a SWISS
statesman known in this country
Il as volunteer in our civil war,
afterwards as Swiss minister at
Washington and later as president of
the Swiss republic suggested that in
ternational conventions establish uni
form conditions of labor in all indus
trial communities, since the danger re-
sulting from foreign competition is a
great obstacle in the way of isolated
social reform.
The idea was pretty but impraCtic-
able. When, in 1850, Switzerland tried
to carry it into effect not another gov
ernment in the world offered the slight
est encouragement. Seventeen years
later Switzerland again hroaChed the
subject and this time received four re-
plies Indicative of some measure of
favor for the scheme. In 1899 an inter-
national conference to consider the sub
ject was convened in Berlin by order
of the German emperor, but all the
propositions in regard to regulating
hours of labor, the work of women and
children and Sunday labor We're re-
jected by the delegates of the different
countries. who could discover no work.
able common basis.
Nevertheless the Swiss advocates of
International regulation of labor con-
ditionS persevered. Abandoning the
| idea OF a concert of government action
among the powers. the Swiss Work
ingmcns society took up the idea of
enlisting labor organizations in an In
ternational Union for the Legal Pro-
lection of Workingmen and as result
of efforts along that line covering two
or three International congresses and
much agitation outside of official chan
ncls, there has recently been opened>in
Basel the International Labor Office
which, according to report by United
States Consul Clifford, is to perform the
following duties:
! 1t will publish, first, a code of exist
| ing labor laws in the English, French
and German languages; second, an in
! ternational bulletin; and third, an in
teinational annual of labor. The inter
national code will contain the texts as
we'll as the motives and the interpre-
tation, of the existing legislation. The
bulletin will contain current legislative
and administrative matter; extracts
! from parliamentary debates and from
reports of commissions of inquiry con-
cerning social reform; survey OF
strikes and lockOuts; photography OF
official documents concerning labor leg.
islaton. The annual will contain the
annual report of the association, the
proceedings Of the congress for labor
protection, and the current supplement
of the international code, Governments
industrial and labor organizations and
individuals will receive information
concerning texts and motives of foreign
labor legislation; and effort will b'
made by educational means to hyinl
about substantial uniformity of labol
legislative conditions in the variou!
countries,
The project is an ambitious one bu
far more likely TO result in benefits tc
workingmen than the American methoC
of boycotts and strikes.
The presence of King Rex and hi
court at the Saratoga Floral fete mex
month will be most novel feature
Many northern pleasure seekers jour
ney to New orleans yearly to witness
the wonders of the Mardi Gras. Tn,
king of the carnival and his cour
have accepted an invitation to TAX
part in the festivities of the floral fet
and have already left New Orleans ei
route for the famous northern water
ing place, where it is expected the!
will he the chief objects of interest 4
the thousands who flock to Saratogi
during the three days of autumna
merry-making,
Rudyard Kiplng threatens TO qui
poetry for politics. If this announce
ment does not cause the Beers to throN
| 4.