The wageworker. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1904-????, 1906-08-03
NEWS OF TRADE AND LABOR
General Information Concerning Those
the Work Of the World.

Notice has been sent out by the
American Tobacco company to its
great army of employees in every state
| in the union, that hereafter 1t will pay
death benefit to the beneficiary of
| any person in its service who draws
not more than $50 week in wages.
This notice affects about 10000 men
and women. The amount to be paid
! will equal the yearly wages of the dead
employe up to $500.
The British, consul at Cherbourg re-
ports that the project for forming a,
deep-water harbor in front of that
French city has been abandoned. On
the other hand, a decree authorizing
the building of a cement quay on the
south side of the commercial BASIN
will soon be issued report made in
April. By the beginning of 1907 the
outer commercial port and approaches
thereto are to be dredged and cleaned,
which will be great advantage to,
vessels, as it is much in need of deep
ening.
The scarcity of labor is becoming an
increasingly important factor in manu-
featuring centers. In the south, where
the supply had for some time been
fairly short of the demand, the number
OF laborers has been considerably re-
duced on account of migration to the
wheat fields. In the coke region many
laborers who were able to find employ
ment in places where the temperature
was not SO high as about the coke
ovens have done SO, and the output of
coke has been reduced on account Of
the inadequate number of laborers.
]. T. Lavery, of Salt Lake, Utah,
president and member of the execu-
tive committee of the State Fedora
ton of Labor, has received from the
| Silver Bow Trades and Labor assem-
bly,, Butte, Mont, copy of an ZAP
peal to every central labor body in
the United States to set apart Sum
day, August 5 next, for general,
united and direct demand" of Judge
Frank j. Smith of Caldwell, Idaho, to
either give Charles H. Meyer, Will
liam D. Haywood and George A. Pet
tibone an immediate trial or to ad-
nit them to bail pending their trial
for the murder of former Gov Frank
Steunenburg. Every labor body in
the country is urged to adopt resolu-
tons addressed to District Judge
J Smith.
In commenting upon trades unions
and intemperance, the author asserts
that, while 20 years ago practically
every labor union met back of or over
a saloon, such is rarely the case to-
day. Says he: 1.-THE best substitute
for the saloon is the home. Never will
there be better one proposed. To.
assist the workingman to make his
home more beautiful should then be-
our aim. In this the labor union is also
a help. A higher standard of living,
better sanitary conditions, the aboli-
ton of child labor as well as develop
ment along moral lines-in all these
the labor union has most important
part. Too often do we lose sight of the
social and the moral influences of the
labor union. The possibilities in this
direction are almost limitless, but al
ready the labor union has become a
| great factor in this matter. The aver
| age man outside Of the ranks of the
workingmen can hardly believe that
the trades uniOnist is a man of like
passions as he Isl that he has the
same longings, the same ambition for
himself and his family. And when he
| realizes just WudI lie uldy w " Ui1uS
comfort and joy to the wife and chill
dren whom God has given him, he will
| be the first to give them. So let us
help him in his struggles. Let us show
him that we are his brothers, putting
aside every feeling of patronage or of
superiority. He will quickly respond
to our sympathetic endeavor."
Announcement of an increase of
five per cent in the wages Of all en-
ployes of the Wolverine, Mohawk,
| Tamarack, North Kearsarge, Osceola,
South Kearsarge and Ahmeek mines
has been made at Calumet, Mich. The
increase is entirely voluntary on the
| part of the various mining companies
| coming without any solicitation on
the part of the men, and reflects the
extremely prosperous condition re-
sulting from strong copper market.
Nearly 5000 men benefit from in
creased wages.
Virtual settlement of the strike OF
| mineworkers in the Central Pennsy1-
| vania bituminous field, which began
last April, was made at conference
between representatives of the Unit
ed Mine Workers of America and the
| operators in that field. The principal
terms of the settlement are: A 5.55
per cent. increase in wages for all
mineworkers over the scale which
existed before the strike and appli-
cation of the check off system to
miners, but not to laborers. The
checkoff was really the only obsta-
Gle in the final discussion of the
terms of the settlement. Thirty
| thousand men were affected by the
strike in central Pennsylvania.
The st. Paul labor unions have
unanimously decided to take an indie
pendent part in politics, and at the
next election will have a ticket which
will represent the labor unions of
that city.
A Sheffield correspondent writes that