The San Francisco call., 1906-11-23
EDITED BY o. NJ. BOYLE


aoled members. Seventy-seven per
cent OF this does not include payments
10 members who have lost hand at
the wrist, foot at the ankle. or an
eye In speaking Of the duties of a
switchman Mr.. Newman said: "A
switchman must know more about the
railroad business than brakeman or
conductor. The makeup Of trains is an
art and requires experienced men. In
the mountain districts the switchmen
work hard all the time and should
receive more pay"
BY vote of the directors of the
American Express Company the wages
or all employees who are paid less than
$500 month have been increased. 10
date from November Is. This rule
affects only those who have been with
the company a year or more and whose
wages have not been raised within
twelve months The increase will af-
feet about 10000 men and will increase
the payroll about 100000 per annum-
The officials Of twenty-seven rail-
roads entering Chicago have decided
TO ask the Interstate Commerce Com
mission TO arbitrate the disputes be-
tween them and their locomotive en-
gineers. The engineers want raise
decided that the roads must deal COL
lectively with il and that one road will
not settle the trouble with its own en-
gineerS. as has been the custom. Offl-
cials Of the railways prefer TO have
both sides submitted to the Interstate
Commerce Commission.
Printers unions all over the State
OF Washington have united in an effort
10 secure the enactment of legislation
for the establishment of the State
ownership OF printing plant, for an
appropriation for the purchase of a
site and the erection and equipment Of
a separate building from the Capitol,
the placing of the State Printer on a
salary and the creation of a State
Printing Commission. The proposed
ney General, who viii pass upon its
constitutionality-
Eight of the sixteen blacksmith
shops in Bakersfield are now on the
unfair list 1t will be recalled that
some weeks ago an agreement pre-
pared by the union asked for a nine
hour day and a minimum wage of $3.50
for blacksmiths and S3 for helpers. A
closed shop was also insisted upon The
union men are prepared TO put up a
strong fight and will have the support
of organized labor throughout the
State.
Frank X Foster, one of the fra
ternal delegates Of the American Fed
Grafton OF Labor TO the recent Liver
pool convention OF the British Trades
Congress, read his report Of the pro-
ceedings Of the congress to the Mime
apolis convention. Among other things
Mr. Foster said that from what he
could gather while across the Atlantic
he was Of the opinion that outside
forces contributed to the election of
trades union candidates TO Parliament
at the late elections. and suggested
that the sweeping success of trades
unionism at the polls in Britain was
in excess Of the actual strength Of the
movement.
Progress is being made very slowly
by the arbitration board appointed to
settle the dispute between the Wash
ington. D. c. Master Plumbers Asso-
citation and the Journeymen Plumbers
Union. The board has had several ses-
sions, but very little has been accom-
plished. Now the open-shop question
is likely to create so much trouble that
il may force an abandonment of the
board This has been injected into the
case since the board has began hearing
testimony. The union claims that none
Of its contentious can be decided until
il is settled that closed shop shall
prevail. Il is claimed that no union
man will work in q shop where non
union men are employed. and that is
what the open shop contempiates.