The times., 1901-05-20
TO ACT FOR ALL NATIONS.
The Work of the Labor Bureau ut
BnsIe Switzerland.

| Basic. Switzerland.
NEW YORK, May i9.-The International
! Labor Bureau opened for business in Basle,
! Switzerland, May l. in the same country
! where the central office of the Red Cross
| Society. the International Telegraph Bu-
| reau, the Bureau for the Regulation OF
! International Freight Tariffs, the Latin
| Monetary Union, and the international
! Postal Union are in operation. Most of
| these institutions are the real organs or
| the associated Governments of the world.
the Red Cross Society and the Postal
! Union embracing all the civilized nations
of the four quarters of the globe.
| The director of the Labor Bureau is
! Prof. Stephen Bauer. of the University
| of Basle, once professor of political econ
omy in the University of Chicago, who
has just compiled an account of the orr
| gin and purpose of the bureau, from
which George Clifford. American Consul
at Basic, has made a report to this Gov
| ernment 1t is already recognized by sew
| eral Governments.
The scheme was first suggested in 1876
, by Col Emil Frey. Swiss statesman.
known in America as volunteer in the
| civil war. afterward as Swiss Minister in
| Washington, and finally as President of
! the Swiss Republic
/
tions establish uniform conditions of labor
in all Industrial communities. since the
| danger resulting from foreign competition
| is a great obstacle in the way of isolated
| social reform. But when, five years later,
| the Swiss National Council unanimously
voted to begin negotiations with other
| countries for this purpose the answers
We're all unfavorable.
The idea did not cease to make progress.
| however. 1t was a second time recon-
mended in 1888 and in 1890 the German
| Emperor called an international confer
ence at Berlin. Here all the propositions
in regard to regulating hours of labor,
the work of women and children, and
| Sunday labor were rejected by the dele
gates of the different countries
! In 1897 Switzerland again took up the
! question: and the answers, though not so
| distinctly adverse as on the first occa-
| sion, were again unfavOrable. Only four
States gave the scheme some platonic sup
| port.
The wcrkingmen however, did not
abandon the idea of an international un-
| derstanding. The Swiss Workingmen's
| Society called an international congress
at Zurich in September, 1897. to which
! they invited as guests Government labor
| officials, factory inspectors, and econom-
|
an international labor bureau of semi
! private character took definite form.
! A congress held soon alterward at Brus-
/ sells appointed a committee to make pro-
posals for carrying out the plan. To this
| committee and to the parallel action of
a meeting at Berlin, in 1899, is due the
! foundation of the International Union for
/ the Legal Protection of Workingmen-
! This association is designed to organize
| the efforts for social reform in every
/ country, as well as to serve as a financial
| basis for an international labor office.
| The committees which pursued this aim
met at the International Congress for the
! Protection of WorAngmen which was
held at Paris in July, 190O where the
statutes of the new organization were ap
proved.
The Swiss National Council, on motion
i of the Government council, has voted an
annual contribution Of S1,544 toward the
! foundation of the International Labor
Office and 1000 francs to the Swiss sec
! tion. The other Governments are disposed
TO assist the Office in a similar way.
1t will publish first a code of existing
| labor laws in the English. French, and
/ German languages; second, an interna-
! tional bulletin, and third, an International
| annual OF labor
| The international code will contain the
| texts as well as the motives and the in
| terpretation of the existing legislation.
! The International Labor Office hopes 70
enjoy cooperation of experts of every
| country for this scientific work. who will
| be appointed as correspondents. The work
| of translation will be done by the office
| itself.
The bulletin will contain current legisla-
| tive and administrative matter; extracts
| from parliamentary debates. and from re-
| ports of commissions of enquiry. concern
| ing social reform; survey of strikes and
| lockOuts; photography of official docu-
| ments concerning labor legislation.
| The annual Will contain the annual re-
| port Of the association, the proceedings
| of the Congress for Labor Protection and
| the current supplement OF the interna-
| tional code.
| Governments, Industrial. and labor or
| ganizations, as well as private members
/ OF the association, will receive informa-
tion concerning texts and motives of for
eign labor legislation. This branch of the
! International Labor Office is already in
| fun activity. The office. in order to full
fiji this mission, relies on the liberality Of
| Governments, which, by sending their
| labor laws anC furnishing information
| through official authorities, can do much
| to improve the service of information.
1t is not proposed to aim at a mechan-
ical uniformity of labor legislation, which
| must adapt itself to differences of ma
/ tional character and administration in
! the various industrial countries. Labor
| legislation Will be promoted by the In
| teFnational Labor Office, first, by finding
| the most adequate tecnNiCai 1OrnulatOn
| of the regulations concerning. certain pro-
| tective purposes (e. g., the formulation
| of the periods of resD; second, by en-
| quiring into Industrial efficiency as far
| as il is affected by labor laws (e. g.
| shortening the hours of labor; third, by
| establishing a statistical standard meas
| urc for the degree in which social poll
| tics makes itself felt in each country.
| The International Labor Office will be
| able, by means of its correspondents, 10
| form an opinion in regard to questions Of
| iuridical hygienic, and technical impor
| tance which arise in legislating about
| labor. Committees consisting of manu-
facturers workingmen- ana economic eX-
| perts will be convoked by each section
| and will report to the office on questions
of Industrial efficiency The director OF
! the office viii request the inspectors of
| factories and directors of labor depart
| ments to give information on these
| points II these documents should not
be considered sufficient. international sta
| tistical Investigations will be set on foot.
The whole material will be compiled for
the congress by the director of the office.
FALLEN SOLDIERS HoNoRED.
Monument to Massachusetts Men
| IuyaiIad NJ SnotfSyIyanfu