The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1901-09-11
Annual Convention OF Railroad
Carmen at Kansas City.
One Hundred Delegates From
All Parts of Country.
ELECTION SATURDAY.
Headquarters May Be Moved
From X. G. to st. Louis.
Organization Has $4,000 Mem
bers in the United States

Kansas city, Sept. 1.-THE seventh
annual convention of the Brotherhood
of Railway Carmen Of America began
at labor headquarters in Kansas City
yesterday morning at 10 o'clock Seven
ty-fve delegates from all parts of the
United States and from Vancouver,
Toronto. Winnipeg and Montreal, in
Canada, are in attendance, and it is
expected that the number will be in
creased to more than 100. The conven-
ton Will last at least until Saturday:
and the executive board and grand Off
GERS will remain here after its adjourn
nent to transact considerable business
which Will come before them.
All of yesterdays sessions were pre-
sided over by w fl. Ronemus, of Cedar
Rapids, Ia, grand chief Of the order.
Mayor Reed made an address of vel
come, which was replied to by Grand
Chief Ronemus. ]. Il. Smith welcomed
the visitors on behalf of the industrial
council and Mrs. f. l.. Ronemus, OF
Kansas City, wife of the grand secre-
tary of the order. spoke as the repre-
sentative of the Royal Social club, the
women's auxiliary Of the brotherhood.
The convention then got down to bust
ness.
The brotherhood Of Carmen is com
posed of car inspectors. While il is CO..
extensive with the country, only a
small proportion of the inspectors and
repairers belong to it, There are about
200 600 of them i'm this country and
Canada, while the brotherhood has but
II. 900 members. There are several 9TH
er minor organizations Of men engaged
in the same lines of work. The prin-
Cipai object of this years convention
is to try to bring all these societies un-
der one head and make the Brother
hood of Carmen to carmen what the
Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers
is to engineers. To this end representa-
tiyes of all similar organizations have
been invited to attend and make such
suggestions as may occur to them
Each of the local lodges, of which there
are 1853 in the United States and Can
ada. is entitled to at least one delegate
None but inspectors and builders and
repairerS employed by steam railways
is eligible to membership. The duty of
inspectors is to see that every car
which leaves the yards of a railroad,
whether passenger coach or freight car,
is in q. safe condition to be in use. Ii
an inspector finds that a car has de-
fects he marks them and orders it to
the yard repair shops; and only build
ers and repairers employed in the lat
ter class Of shops are admitted to mem
bership in this organization Because
of the close connection between their
employments and the fact that prac-
tically all inspectors have been promot-
ed from the yard repair shops, the
workers in these two branches natural
" formed an organization together
F. l. ROnemus, of Kansas City. has
been grand secretary and treasurer of
the carmen for the last four years. and
during this time the Organizations
headquarters have been here A move
is on foot to have the next meeting
held in St. Louis, and to have the head
quarters at least temporarily located
there. Denver also is after the next
convention
The election of officers and selection
of a place for the next meeting will
occur Saturday. The present officers
are Grand chief, w. H. Ronemus. Of
Cedar Rapids, la; grand secretary and
treasurer, f. T.. Ronemus. OF Kansas
City. first vice grand chief N. G. Eaton,
of St Louis; second vice grand chief
J. #. Allen, of Roanoke. Va. third vice
grand chief, Ira Corbett, Of Fort Worth,
Tex: executive board, Mr. Louffman,
Of Dallas, Tex: u. f. McReynolds, of
Princeton. Ind; =. NJ. Hutchinson OF
Harrisburg, Pa