The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-07-17
MAKING CRUSADE
 FOR VENTILATION improper Sanitation Causes
 Spread of Disease
  GARMENT WORKERS TRIALS Big Case Comes Up In Supreme Court Next Winter Which Will VitalIy Affect Boycott Laws Through
 out the Land.
GARMENT WORKERS TRIALS

Washington. July 1s.-(special)-Ac- cording to reports received here the local boards of health of New York, Brooklyn, Boston, Chicago, St. Louis, Baltimore, Cincinnati, Cleveland and several other cities have taken up the matter of se- curing the proper ventilation of street cars, churches, halls and places of amuse- ment where the public congregate in large numbers, the ventilation and sani- tation of which come within their pur-- view as guardians of the municipal health and which can be regulated by local or dinances. Ventilation and sanitation are so closely allied that these investigations, following the general and highly success full crusade against indiscriminate ex- pectoration which was conducted under the same auspices, have attracted much attention from the United States medical officers and health specialists as well as from the general public.
 In dealing with various epidernics and stamping out the major contagious dis eastes such as yellow fever, bubonic plague, etca the officers of the Marine hospital service found that continued residence in vilely ventilated holes such as existed in the underground passages in chinatown" San Francisco, low cred the vitality of the inhabitants and rendered them an easy prey to the dis ease.
 The breathing Of vitiated air is also held directly responsible for ship fever'' and in view of the possibility of an in- crease in immigration under the stimula- tion of the steamship rate war and the unusually crowded conditions of the steerage resulting therefrom, additional information on the subject of ventilation will be welcomed by the United States medical authorities. When the expert ments are concluded reports will probably be made to the United States Marine hos pital service which fills the place of national board of health receiving week ly reports from the local boards of all the large cities and compiling the infor- nation contained therein.
 Responsible for Growth of Disease.
 The widespread movement against con sumption has forcibly drawn public at tention to the fact that the exclusion of l light and air. or their admission in in- sufficient quantities, is primarily respon- l sible for the growth of the disease, and the success attending the open-air treat ment is undoubtedly responsible for the investigations now being made by the city boards of health for the purpose of securing the proper ventilation of pub lie places not only with a view of pro-. tecting healthy persons from breathing a germ-laden atmosphere but to obviate the necessity of their inhaling vitiated air from which the life-giving qualities have been exhausted with the attendant evil results.
 Much good has already been accom- plished in this direction by the municipal authorities in the tenement districts and in the public schools. but little has been attempted until now with other places l of public character. Consequently, the result of these experiments, especially in Brooklyn, New York and Boston, will l be awaited with much interest by the public in the hope of an amelioration of the physical dscomforts resultant from improper ventilation of cars, places of amusement churches, schools. etc., and 1 by scientitits because of the additional l light which may be thrown on the gen eral subject and on it's relation to the public health.
 Surgeon General Wyman of the United l States Marine hospital service, is presid- ing officer of the organization of state and territorial health officers which meets annually under act of congress and in view of the general interest in this sub ject and it's importance it is possible he may appoint a special committee on ven tilation from these officials.
 Troubles of Garment Workers.
 Widespread attention has been at- tracted to the recent reverses of the United Garment Workers of America be- cause the issues involved in their present troubles bear upon the general labor problem in it's broadest md most inter- esting aspect. Brihy stated they are; l and, above all, the "union label" For some years the Garment Workers union has been foremost in championing these three principles which the structure | of factory unionism is founded, and it's | campaign has been skllfully conducted l with unfiagging energy and zeal. Should l the revolt of the manufacturers prove successful and the union be unable to en- force it's decrees it means return to the nine hour day, the open shop and l the relegation of the union label to the rear in that trade. The last of the large manufacturers of ready-made clothing in Rochester, N. Y, the greatest center of this industry, recently declined to renew l their agreement with the Garment Work CTS. The employees of this firm unanimous | 1y voted to stand by 1t and work nine l hours per diem instead of eight, resisting | all pressure from the officials of the union and unterrified by the threat of ex- | pulsion from it. The union now has no | factory of importance in Rochester,; af- ter a trial of the eight hour day a re- turn has been made to nine hours. The demoralizing moral effect of such a con dition of affairs upon the labor world in general makes the question of the ma terial welfare of this particular union one of comparative insignifcance.
 Under conditions prevailing some years ago a boycott would have promptly been declared against the offending manufac- | turers and union men throughout the | country would have been warned against purchasing their goods at their peril. But times are rapidly changing and the em- 1 ployment of the boycott is fast becom- ing dangerous proceeding; the unions l have found 1t loaded at both ends and l quite as likely to injure the boycotter as l the boycotted.
 Decline in Power of Boycott.
 The decline of the power of the boy