The San Francisco call., 1903-12-19
LABOR STATISTICS.

meeting of the American Federation of very
great interest During the year $4,000 was spent in
organization by 68 organizers, who organized I747
unions, adding 442Ioo members. and bringing the
total strength OF the Federation up I74527o indivd
uals The receipts from all $247,8o2 o.
and the expenditures were $Io6oI5 81, leaving $780,
zSz 80 cash hand The strikes during the year
1920 costing the unions $2,7683I o8 These statistics
make an imposing exhibit of the power and
organization.
The socialists proved to be very strong in the FEEDER
aon and when the issue was made very significant in
crease that element divulged President Gompers
stated that year would be banner year for
ization account of the Presidential campaign fear
felt that the socialists avaing themselves of
the opportunity to control organizations by join
ing and massng their vote The convention voted TO give
the executive committee unlimited authority and money
to in fighting niunctons and defeating all legal pro-
ceedings against unions. The law department of the
Federation strengthened for this purpose, and
programme marked out which implies much work
for the courts and much employment for lawyers
OF coutse the general sentiment for the closed
shop and the control of all labor by the organization
with such limitation of apprenticeship to give the
Federation very firm control of the whole labor situa-
ton 1t apparent that non-union labor has strenuous
future before in the face of this widespread and pow
erfu Federation determined that shall work only
under its license and conditions Much less attention
than expected given the principles laid down
by the arbraors of the hard coal strike and the Fedora
ton evidently feels strong enough proceed ndepen-
IDENTIFY of those principles.
This is the formidable organization of labor ever
known, though its membership is still minority of the
total labor of the country During the past year great
progress made in unonzing farm labor, especially
the upper Mississippi valley, where the principles
and methods applied have become familiar in
manufacturing and mercantile lines Farmers gem
orally found easy CONTROL when they discovered that
I ilxe1v
to their hands because of the mpossbility of
breaking through the several and powerful distractions
placed between and the market The power of organi-
zaton found increase with the perishabilty of
the crop and the growers of fruit and crops and
truck vegetables easily subjected than the
grain and livestock
The sentiment of the convention against any re-
ducton of wages to meet possible Tightening of the
times. This followed Mr. Gompers counsel that wages
should remain the and it implies trouble in
mediate future, since the high price of
the falling off in demand in the metal trade are already
causing reduction wages 1t is grave question
whether labor will be benefited by keeping the
number of work. though reduced wage,
than by compelling the employers to meet the
cia situation by giving employment to far less number
at the existing high wage. There is power that can
compel to continue in business t-at a loss
in order to give employment to labor. Is it better
to tide tight times by keeping all labor employed
and earning, at reduced wage than disenploy
large part of it in order to pay high wages the rest?
The ingenuity of has devised better system
keep the capital of the country moving than by paying
wages labor. The wage roll of the United States
quires pay the of the entire stock of money
the country many times over every year. When en-
poyment the volume of money the same but it
circulated by the payment of wages and the result
is the stagnaton of business and harder times panic
may be averted by keeping all labor employed at living
but is made and harder by the cessation of
wages.
In the best days of English labor unions very pho-
sophcal attention given the household economies
of the laborng people By cooperation in the purchase
of domestic supplies of the necessares of life the pur-
chasing power of wages enlarged equal the differ
between wholesale and retail prices, and it became
the buy wholesale. The power of labor or
ganizaton in this country may be used some time to
direct attention to such economies which will leave labor
in less dependent condition in the presence of hard
times.