Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1904-12-30
NEWS OF THE LABOR WORLD.
items of Interest Gathered from Many
Sources.

Sources.
Rochester. n. Y, labor unions are
endeavoring to raise funds to erect a
labor temple in that city.
The Switchmen's Union of North
America will hold its convention in
Indianapolis May Ii, 1906.
Firemen of Chicago have organized
themselves into body for the pur-
pose of renewing their fight to secure
shorter hours.
The Carnegie Steel Company and
the American Tin Plate and Sheet
Steel Company have ordered every
furnace and plant put in operation,
which will require almost 5000 addi-
tional men.
The realization that the men of Or
ganized labor have a defense fund
which can be concentrated upon any
given point to protect the rights and
interests of our fellow-workers has
had papable and beneficient effect.
BY Samuel Gorlpers
A proclamation has been issued by
Gov. Toole of Montana declaring the
adoption of the amendments to the
state constitution relating to child
labor and the eight-hour law voted on
at the recent election, and these are
now in full force and effect.
A call is out to hold conference
of governments for the protection OF
the workers against accidents in May,
1905. at Switzerland. The British and
continental governments will be repre-
sented, and the United States and
Russia will also fall into line.
Settlements have been made with
the Jewish bakers union by nine of
the thirteen Chicago employers at
whose shops strikes have been on.
In consequence of the settlement the
employers failed to prosecute five
union men, arrested charged with acts
of violence.
The General Confederation of Labor
of France at its recent congress in
J Bourges considered the question of the
union label. By large majority it
was decided that, instead of a label
for each trade, there should be a sim
gle label for products of all sorts
made by members of affiliated unions.
Those who join an organization
with the expectation of having their
wages Immediately increased, or their.
wrongs righted at once, or that they
will at once receive large dividends
on the amount invested, are not the
desirable members, nor the ones rinon
whom the order can depend for its
ultimate success.-Raiway Clerk.
At meeting of the New York Cen
trail Federated union delegates, repre-
senting more than 10000 workers in
the miscellaneous trades, they have
appointed a committee of ten to fight
employers who insist on the open
SHOP" in compliance with the senti-
ments expressed at the recent Citi-
zens' Industrial alliance convention.
The strike of the miners at the
Century Coal Company's plant at
Tower Hill, H., involving 800 men,
has been settled by a committee con-
sisting of state officials, the United
Mineworkers of America and the coal
company. The settlement is consid-
cred a victory for the miners, the
operators agreeing to pay the Pana
scale.
The Bulletin of the National Metal
Trades association is to be rechristen-
ed and will appear Jan. l as the Open
Shop. The policy, however, will re-
main the same, which will be an at
tack on labor unions for what they
have done, and also for what they
have failed to do. In other words, it
will continue to give it to them go
ing and coming"
The child labor law of Illinois is
now enforced in all the coal mines Of.
the state. Under the Interpretation
of the law made by Factory Inspector
Edgar r. Davies and sustained by the
courts no boys under 16 years of age
will be permitted to work in the
mines. 1t Is estimated the enforce
ment of the statute will take $500
boys away from employment under
ground
e. A. Rysdon, a Chicago contractor,
who has fought the Sheet Metal Work
ers' union in courts and outside of
them for the. past two years. owned
up a few days ago that he had enough
Of it, and signed the union scale. He
is now employing union men exclu-
sively. Sometimes it costs an employ
er a lot of money to find out where
his best interests lie, but he usually
gets there in time.
Waldo w. Valentine, clerk in the
money order department of the New
York postoffice, has been suspended
for INSTRUMENTATION. In consequence
the postmaster general, it is under
stood, will have test case before him
shortly, as the claim is made that Val
entine'q refusal to work more than
eipht fnours q day was the basis for