Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1905-04-14


and Grain Reporter.
The Lothian Miners Association
wages board has held a special meet
ing at Dalkeith to discuss the critical
position of affairs at fremont col
lieries. A reduction o. wages was
recently made upon section of the
miners. These men struck work as a
protest, and the Miners Federation
has taken up the question. The col
liery company has refused certain
terms of arbitration proposed on be-
half of the Miners Federation. 1t was
resolved that the miners employed at
the three collleries belonging to the
same owners 1T Tranent be brought
cut on strike in sympathy with their
comrades.
William Barslay, land promoter
has a plan to do away with surplus
labor and therefore make it impossi-
Bile to lose strikes. He feld confer
eIce with officials of the South Side
Street Car Mems unions and endeav-
ored to show that his plan would work
successfully. He has $4,000 acres of
Western land, which he proposes to
sell to labor organizations. The lat.
ter, he said, could send ali the surplus
workmen in their respective trades to
this land, where they could support
themselves, and thereby limit the
supply of labor during strikes.-Chi
cago American.
Hundreds of miners and their fami-
lies in the central Pennsylvania dis
it is reported, as result of the ina
bility of the soft coal operators to
meet competition, which has COM
PEELED them to sell much of their stock
below the cost of production. The
counties affected are Clearfield, Cam
bria, Bedford and part of Indiana.
Merchants throughout the district
have strained their credit to the ut
most and a number are said to be on
the verge of bankruptcy. The opera
tors declare the situation is due to
unfair discrimination By the railroads
between central Pennsylvania and
other soft coal regions.
Homesteads for railroad employees,
patterned after the system that has
been tried successfully by several rail
roads in France. are being considered
by number of leading railroad men
of the country. Those who favor the
scheme declare such a plan would pre-
vent strikes, would affiliate employees
more closely with the railroads, and
would do away with many controver-
sizes that now arise. According to the
plan the road owning lands along and
tributary to it's lines Will sell to its
employees five or ten acres of ground,
as they may desire, supplied with
water. In the event of the death of
an employe in good standing while in
the service of the company the land
is to be transferred to his wife or
family.
The long standing feud between the
American Federation of Labor and its
Western rival, the American Labor
union, has been renewed by the for
ner organization. Active warfare
CT the guerrilla stamp has been de-
creed by the federation's executive
board. Hostilities are expected to
center in Chicago. Instructions receiv-
cd there by organizers and local union
officials from President Samuel Com
pers of the American Federation re-
yealed the new attitude taken by the
executives. President Gompers in his
communications to local leaders now
insists upon war to the knife" with
the rival union. He directs that the
contest be shifted from the defensive
to the offensive. He wishes energetic
methods to be taken to check and
teat back the advances which the
labor union Is seeking to make, especi-
{; lily in Chicago. Efforts of the labor
Union to organize rival union CT
tcamsters in Chicago will furnish one
OF the first opportunities, it is expect
Ell, for the guerilla warfare. President
Shea of the International Brotherhood
# Transfers has decided to divide the
most of his time hereafter between
Chicago and Milwaukee, where at
tempts at inroads upon his organza-
ton are feared.-Chicago Inter Ocean.
Richardson, Westgarth & Co., Linn
tied. of the Middleton engine works |
Hartlepool. England, have method
of encouraging deserving apprentices
which has been on trial with much |
success for the past two years. 1t |
provides for an increase in the week |
~ wages as each apprentice reaches
certain standard for punctualty, per-
severance, ability and good conduct in
the shops and for passing examina-
tions at the evening educational |
classes. The scheme has given great |
and during 1904 the in
crease in the boys attaining the mini |
mum standard was 81 per cent for |
81 per cent for persever-
ance and good conduct and as per
cent for passing examinations. 1t is |
found that the foremen are also |
brought into closer association with |
the boys, as every chief of department |
has to report on each of his boys |