Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-10-01
IN LABOR CIRCLES
tfS--J
81 rrnNe
c.

The marine machfnists' strike In New
York city and vicinity continues in force.
President OConneil Of the International AS
| ISOLATION Of Machinists recently held a
conference with a, committee of the Nation
al Civic Federation. as mediator, and the
| officials of the Marine Association of New
York. in an effort to bring about settle
, ment. The meeting however was produc-
| tive of no results and another conference
will be held in the near future.
| According to President George w. Per-
kins of the Cigarmakers' International
| Union, in the official organ of that craft,
/ the conditions of the laboring people have
| improved in the last four years. Referring
| to his particular craft, he says:
THE growth of the cigar industry within
| the last four years has been phenomenal.
| The continuous expansion has parallel
| in the history of the trade. From a produc-
ton of 4.53O,0Oo,0Q0 for the fiscal year end
| ed July l, 1899 1t swelled to the enormous
number of 6,7s6, $50 ,535 cigars, an increase
| in round number of fifty per cent in the
short space of four years.
| This increase in the trade is chiefly due
| to an Increase in consumption by the labor
| ing classes of the country, and to the higher
! wages earned by organized labor, which en-
| abled many people to discard the pipe for
I the cigar"
| Organized labor affairs in Austria are re-
viewed at length by Mr.. Hans Fehlinger,
| under Vienna date in the October issue of
the official organ of the American Fedora
| ton of Labor. The article contains many
| interesting facts on the labor movement
| in Austria, and treated with the better
ment of the conditions of the working peo-
pie of that domain.
| "Organized labor in this country" says
| the writer, lis progressing. Unorganized
trades work longer hours for less pay than
| the union men. The unorganiZed are slowly
but steadily coming into line
| The condition of the labor market during
! the recent months was rather unfavorable.
| The statistics of the employment offices
| show that on the average in June of this
| year It's applications were made for every
| 100 situations offered, as compared with III
| in May.
| "A number of remarkable strikes occurred
| in the last months. The glass workers in
| the Iser mountains. in northern Bohemia,
| to the number of 1000 have fought out
| strike of about two months duration, and
| have been successful in increasing their
| wages and lettering the general conditions
| of employment
| "In Trieste 700 cabinetmakers struck and
| succeeded in reducing the hours of labor
| from ten to nine. and in some cases nine
| and a half per day: an increase in wages
was not obtained, only some improvements
| in overtime rates.
| AT the fourth Austrian trade union con-
| gress a resolution was adopted recommend
ing the system of joint trade agreements as
satisfactory method of securing industrial
peace. The resolution was not based merely
| on theoretical grounds, but came as the re-
| suit of experience in various industries
| through a period long enough to convince
those who have participated in the work
| that by industrial Cancellation many trou-
| bles can be avered, and both sides, en-
ployers and workmen, may profit.
collective bargaining is favored in Aus
| tria by those trades having relatively strong
organizations of workmen as we'll as of en-
| ployers. In the twelve years of the joint
| agreement in the printing trade there has
not been strike or lockout, except occa-
| sionally in a single office: such minor diff
| culties have soon been settled by the Off
| GERS of the unions The first of this sort of
trade agreements was entered upon only
after a prolonged strike. but there are in
| dications that the experience in the printing
| trade is observed with profit by other in
| dustries
In recent years. and also in the first half
| of the current year. number of Joint
agreements were reached in this country
and thus industrial peace secured in GER
| tain crafts.
There may be expected an increasing
number of collective trade agreements as
| trade unionism progresses.
The Austrian labor council institu-
ton composed of representatives of work
men. employers sOciOlogists. and delegates
of different executive departments of the
government recently appointed a commits
sion to Investigate the problem of the I'M
employed. Statistics will be collected by
the commission to ascertain the extent of
unemployment The workmen are repre-
scented on the commission by Mr. ]. Smitka
OF the Federation of Trade Unions in vi
emma
"Of the mere remarkable events in the
Austrian trade union world there is to be
noted the formation of general union Of
mine workers, where formerly some six
seven different local unions existed. having
an aggregate membership of 3.163 on De-
cember 81. 1902 The number Of members
of the newly formed consolidated union has
- M
wiring
workers and other trades held their annual
conventions in Vienna.
"The Austrian Central Statistical Com
mission recently published some interesting
facts concerning the number of working
children in Austria. There Were regis
tered by the school authorities 3 207 6T4 chill
dren between the ages of six and fourteen
for compulsory school attendance. Of these
children 51,1S1 were employed in manufac-
lures and commerce, against 10000 that
were employed in agriculture, domestic
service. and miscellaneous employment. As
far agricultural employment is con-
cerned. only those children receiving wages
for their services are included in the above
figures OF the whole number of working
children S4,419 were boys and 7O,572 were
girls"
At the last convention of the American
Federation of Labor it was ordered that
the settlement Of all disputes between the
plumbers and steamfitters should be re-
ferred to representatives of two from each
of the contendng organizations and
Samuel Gompers, president of the American
Fedora ton of Labor. The referees met in
Cleveland. Ohio. last January, the plumb
ers being represented by W. J. Spencer and
Jas. f. Malley; steamttters, Jas Comming
and Charles M. Ran, the American FEEDER
alton of Labor being represented by Frank
Rist.
In Mr. Rists report which was indorsed
by President Gompers. he states:
From the start it was noticeable no
tual agreement would be reached The u
A. was willing to amicably settle all ques-
lions of dispute and again offered for
basis of settlement an agreement offered at
a previous conference held in Chicago last
September.
THE N. A. would listen to no proposition
unless it was given absolute control of all
steamfitters. and this too, in spite of the
fact that by far the greater number of
organized steam filters and helpers are af-