The daily morning journal and courier., 1906-01-09
THE STATES MEDIATORS.
THEIR RECORD FOR 1905 JUST
 ISSUED.
It Does Not Record Any Settlement by the Board-one Case of Interven- tiOn.

The State Board Of Mediation ana Arbitration, the members of which are Judge J. Hurlburt White of Hartford, Hiram H. Fox of New Haven and Jo- siah M. Hubbard of MiddletoWn, nave just submitted it's annual report for the year 1905 to Governor Henry Roberts. The report is a review in brief of the la bor troubles in the state during the past year. and of each case the board took cognizance, but in only one did 1t enter actively into plans looking to- ward settlement of the trouble. That was unsuccessful.
 The following differences in the labor field in Connecticut during the period covered by the report are recorded: December 1904 refusal of employees ot F. H. Whittlesey of Windsor Locks to work an additional thirteen hours each week, although extra pay was offered. February, 1905, threatened strike Of ire men in te employ of the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad company: March. 1905, strike of masons and bricklayers in New London; April, 1905, strike of journeymen plumbers in Danbury; July, 1905, strike of iron workers at New Haven against the American Bridge company; September, 1905, strike of job printers in various cities in the state for an eight-hour day; October, 1905, strike of journey men plumbers in Hartford for mil mum wage of $3.50 per day.
 The report also states that there has been trouble and contention in the bak- ers' trade at Bridgeport, New Haven and Meriden, principally over the ''closed shop" question; a difficulty over a steel contract in Westport, and short-lived strikes at the factory of the Ideal Manufacturing company in Port land the hoe factory of D. & H. Sco- vile at Higganum and at several brickyards in Berlin. In only one case were the workmen members of a labor organization. In three cases the only point of contention was in relation to wages-the other two being complica- ted by the introduction of the sympa- thetic element. Three were settled by agreement of the parties, and the out come of the other two was perma- nent rapture of relations.
 The board, at MT. Whittlesey's re- quest, endeavored to bring about a sat isfactory settlement of the Windsor Locks case, but to no effect. Concern ing the railroad firemen's difficulty the report says: "The contention was rather between the two labor organi- zations (engineers and firemen) than between either of them and the em- ploying company. This was the view of the matter taken by the officers of the company. They declared that any settlement upon which the engineers and firemen could agree would be ac- ceptable to them, but that they would not interfere to compel either party to yield the point at issue"
 A member of the board visited New Haven to inquire into the masons and bricklayers' strike; also Danbury, con- corning the difficulty with the plumb CTS. The board had some correspon- dence with both sides in relation to the differences between the iron workers and bridge company, but nothing came of 1t.
 In dealing with the printers strike the board quotes the agreement which Hartford Typographical union submit- ted to employers and gives the Typoth- etae view of the question, adding: At present neither party desires arbitra- tion or any settlement of the conten- tion other than upon it's own terms"
 The Hartford plumbers strike has
 
 to the printer.
 Says the report: Concerning such matters as obtaining detailed informa- tion of labor difficulties, making prof. fer of the services of the board in aid of settlement, and urging parties to confer and negotiate directly with each other each member has acted indepen- dently and such action has been re- ported to stated meetings of the board held monthly for purposes of conference or to special meetings called whenever necessary. For information of the eX- istenoe of labor troubles dependence must necessarily be had mainly upon the newspapers"
 Hooking over the field one can hard ly avoid the observation that labor diff faculties are not confined to contentious between employers and employees, but that they often break out between diff ferent groups of workingmen, whose interests are or are supposed to be, an- tagonistic. Sometimes also different groups of organized workingmen come into sharp conflict with each other. But whether the contention is between employer and employees, or between diff ferent groups of workmen, the general public is always 8 sufferer and may be the chief sufferer on account of it. All classes and all individuals who are usefully employed are in the service of the public. and there seems at present mo agency and no method existing through which and by which this great fact can be brought to bear with the weight of influence which belongs to it in the settlement of labor difficulties
 "The concentration of great power in the hands of the men who control mod ern industrial enterprises is conspic- nous feature of the life of to-day, Over against this stands the force wielded by the leaders of the working mems organizations. When used op- pressiveIy or even inconsiderately, eith- CT of these forces may be the cause of grave and serious injury to individual and public welfare. The body of legis- lation which sufficed for the needs of society before the large development of these forces is not adapted to their reg
 h.