The Forrest City times., 1906-09-28


 dred years ago men, women and chill dren toiled from IS to S4 hours week -13 to 14 hours day. This was the average, but many employers ground 16 hours day out of their jaded wage slaves. In 1900 every laboring man and mechanic was at work at a. m. At 10 they had an hour for lunch, at 3 an hour for dinner. and then on till dark As late as 1886 men and women began work in some factories at 4 90 a. n and in New England it was the custom to light the lamps and work an hour before dawn as we'll as an hour after thus stealing two hours a day from rest. The average laborer 100 years ago had fewer comforts and less consideration than the horse or dog has today. There was no society for the prevention of cruelty to wage | workers. The laborer lived in house of unpainted boards. He had sand on the floor instead of carpet, and his dishes were made of pewter instead of china If he had fresh meat once | a week he thought himself lucky. A good share of his wages was paid in rum and gin. Then when he got drunk | his employer had him arrested. lief i ferson tells us that the topic of conver- sation at large dinner party given by l President John Adams was the 'enor. nous price of labor President Adams declared that he had hired men ten l years before for $50 year and board, while now he was obliged to pay the ! enormcas sum of s150 a year. The l city C. Washington was built by work CTS who got not more than 50 cents a | day The diggers, choppers, hodcar riers, etc, got S70 year, and worked. as all laborers did, from sunrise to sunset. When this century began wages in New York were 40 cents a day and in Baltimore 36 cents The 1 average rate all over the country was s65 a year, with board and perhaps i lodging. AS late as 1885 the Balti- more weavers were working F hours a day for 65 cents. At Great Falls. l N H, in lS44, the factory girls labored from a. m. until | ?. m, with only 15 minutes for breakfast and 30 min utes for dinner What thsy earned we do not know, but all they received was s1.25 to g a week"
 For the last three or four years the manufacturers in the metal industry have teen waging fight on the unions and in some districts they have been successful in establishing the open shop. The National Metal Trades association two years ago ceased to make agreements with the unions and this year the National Founders asso- citation has adopted the same policy. Whether the latter is to be successful depends on the final outcome of the strike of iron holders which has been in progress in a number of cities since May l.
 The strike of the Freight Handlers union at Duluth and Superior has been settled by President D. J Keefe of the International Longshoremen. Marine, and Transport Workers association in negotiation with the Northern Pacific railway. All of the old employees are to be reinstat0d without discrimin& tion regardless of what part they had taken in the recent strike. The wages are to be 35 cents per hour for the entire navigation season of 1906.
 An endeayor is to be made to anal. samate the various unions in the West Australian timber industry. so that they will better be able to resist any attempt to reduce wages when the present agreement expires
 The first family strike recorded in Chicago was ordered recently when 2e0 female ianitors voted to go to the aid of their husbands to win an in crease in wages demanded by window washers in large buildings down town.
 The labor agitations in recent years Tn France are said to have had an i'm. portant effect in leading to a "concen. tratlon of industries" In 1896 there Were 2,334,411 independent establish. ments In France; in 1901 the total number of such establishments was Z,245,356, diminution in five years of nearly 100, 900 establishments. The number now is said to be very much smaller The small establishments are reported to have been the ones which have largely gone out of busi. ness. During Che period of 1896 to 1901 no less than 1923 small firms disappeared, while establishments em. ploying from 21 to 100 workmen in creased by 2.535. and the number of large firms. employing more than 100 i Workmen each, increased from 3s18 in 1896 to 4,623 in 1901 The present agitation. with demand for shorter hours and increased wages, is said to nave added greatly to this concentra. ton Of business in certain lines to the large firms.
 The exact date of the origin of trade unions in America is unknown. There have been no mediaeval conditions. and It is believed that there were no labor unions in the colonies. but a strike of journeymen bakers. it is said occurred in New York city as early as ] 1741.
 The International Association of