Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-06-08

system would be getting second or third
class pay. This movement is a twin sister
to the piece system, and, OF course, we
cannot stand for It. Our organization
stands for the advancement of machinists
and the education of apprenticeship make
thorough. all-round Northumberland We can
not have our men do specialists work or
handimen's work and call themselves ma
chinists. The real outcome of 1t all would
De that when you get man specialized on
one class of work he would be no good for
anything else. and would necessarily have
TO follow just that one particular grade of
work. and. should he lose his job or desire
to 60 on any other road seeking employ
ment. he would only be a specialist or
nandiman. and not competent to do all
round work, and our organization would
be held in ridicule for educating men in
this Hne Machinists on the Santa Fe sys-
tenn are not going to stand for this, and
nave come out of the shops in a manly
way and are standing by the order of the
President Henry Mcmahon of Boston Ty-
pographical Union No. ID, is in the city.
He came here by boat and will remain a
week or ten days.
The Brfcklayers and Stonemasons Inter-
natlonal Union, with a membership of TO-
wv, is again taking a vote on the question
whether or not to affiliate with the Amerf-
can Federation of Labor
The, forty-fourth annual report of the
Amalgamated Society of Carpenters and
Joiners has reached the branches of the So
ciety In this country, and contains an in
teresting account of the financial transac-
tons of the organization for the past year.
The headquarters of the organization are
located in Manchester. England. but it has
branches all over the English-speaking
world. The total membership is a little
over 120OO and on account of the trade de-
preston in England the cash balance was
reduced last year 100000. In resisting
wage reductions In the shipyards in the
north of England the sum of 100000 was
spent in strike pay.
Among the larger sums expended in the
payment of benefits during the year are:
Unemployed benefit, $260,3S5; sick benefit,
Sl95 TO: old age pensions, $141, 740; strike
Thirty-nine branches were opeEed during
the year and six were closed, leaving a to-
tai of 1871 branches at the close Of last year
The cash balance on hand at the end of the
year was S7S3, 135, the smallest amount in a
number of years. The constitution of the
organization requires that fund equal to
$40 per member be maintained at all times,
so that the present balance is only little
In excess of that amount. In speaking of
the recent court decisions against labor
unions in Great Britain General Secretary
Chandler says:
I'm addition to this need for greater ac-
tivity In the direction of Strengthening our
organization for defensive purposes, we
have also to arouse our members to a
sense of their duty as trade unionists to
work INCREASINGLY for the removal of the
great injustice inflicted upon us through
what have been correctly described as
judge-made laws, by which our funds, sub
scribed for the benefit of members gener-
ally, are now rendered liable to be absorb
ed in the payment of damages for the acts
of individuals. instead of the responsibility
which for thirty years was regarded as the
law which governed our unions