The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-11-29
MILLER SUSPENDED.
The Assistant Superintendent Of the
Government Printing Office at
+ ~ Outs With His Union. e.
An Investigation of the Case by Con-
{. gress Among the Possibilities !
-, of the Imbroglio.
E'ro,n The ro"rngt B'srea"' it"""' SO <'oH

. rrs g"s Hs ,ssr.ss s'''e""' loom
Washington. Nov. ( PAW. A. Mil.
Ter, assistant superintendent Of the
bindery IN the government print
ing office. has been suspended by the
binders union, and there is an outlook foI
conSidcra bic discussion OF the case during
the .inle congress is in session this win
ter. Mr.. Miller. who is q Minneapolis
man. went home to vote, and while there
gave out an interview for r II e J o u +
nal. 81. ing his side Of the dispute be-
tween HIM and the union regarding the
amount of work which should be per-
formed per Gay by its members. That in
terview was forwarded to Washington.
where it fell into the hands of the union
officials, who used 1t as an excuse for
proceeding against Miller rough han ded.
Charges against him We're already pend
ing. and were to come up after election,
but the interview precipitated matters.
Hints have been made by Miller s
friends Of al investigation by congress,
and Whe Their il comes to pass not the
whole trouble will be laid before the COM
mittees on printing of the two houses
witt. the request that they look into it
carefully and recommend such action as
in their Judgment may seem wise. Rep
resentative Heatwole of Minnesota is the
chairman of the house printing commit
tee. and Senator Platt of New York Of the
senate committee: ',-,
Pending some sort Of an adjustment of
the difficulty Miller is not working.
Neither side will discuss the case but
it begins to look as if an investiga ton.
if one should come. would be sweeping in
character. and perhaps upset all of the
government printing office traditions and
convert that institution into a model and
up-to date affair. At present it has per-
sistently chung to the old-time methods
of type setting. etc. owing to the influence
eSerted by the Washington labor unions
through their many connections over the
country. and it is VIGOROUSLY true, has
been asserted by Secretary Moody and
other high government officials. that the
government pays for sits printing and
binding a great deal more than the same
work would cost if done by union labor
in the open market. Such a view of the
case makes the government printing office
expensive luxury. and will focus public
attention on the Miller case. especially
since Miller has become involved because
Of his desire to improve conditions and
get more work per day from his men.
For many months the printing office
and bindery have been behind With their
work In October. Miller. in the interest
of catching up with the orders on file.
urged that each binder per day bind four
books in addition to the number agreed
on in the work schedule. The binders re-
fused and preferred charges against Mil
Ter of violating the principles of the union.
These charges, a 1 have said. were pressed
homo with a will following II h e j o u + =
n interview. in which Miller attempted
to justify his position. .'. -s.'.~
Years ago the binders in the govern
mant printing Office decided that a Ger
tain number Of pieces should constitute
a days labor. This number, as is neces-
sarlly the case in all similar arrangements
was based what could be performed
per day by the weakest member of tn"
union AM not by the strongest. The re
suit has been that for years the majority
of the members of the Binders union in
government employ here nave only worked
about two thirds as long per day as the
printers. Drassmen and the other print
ing -Office employees Many of them fin
tsh their quot, in from five to six hours.
It was Miller's idea that the BINDERS
especially in view of the fact that the work
WAS sadly behind. ought to work app oNi~
matcly light hours per day. the same as
the other employees, and it was upon this
point that conflict arose.
The public printer in the present emer-
gency seems absolutely powerless. The
question seems to be whether he the
binders union is the stronger and is
going to run things. incidentally. the
public printer is understood to indorse
MiIler's action, but. obviously. he has no
way of making that Endorsement good.
For a. good many years the question
Of establishing typesetting machines
and other modern appliances in the gov
eminent printing office has been dis
cussed, but always the unions have OBJ
jected. and though their association with
the other unions of the country have been
able to prevent congress from acting,
The investigation which may easily grow
out of the Miller affair. will, no doubt.
embrace all these questions as well as
the question Of how much work the
binders shall perform per day. The Miller
case thus becomes considerably more than
a local case, and will attract attention
In all parts Of the country.
- w