The San Francisco call., 1906-09-07
EDITED BY o. M. BOYLE.

e nave the IlcneSl, greatest country
the world has ever seen, yet competent
authority asserts tnat 10000 chill
dren under the age Of Is years are
toiiing In fields. factories, mines and
sweatshops.
bill to reduce the hours of labor
In coal mines to eight per day by the
year 1903 recently passed its second
reading in the British House of Com
mons, on the understanding that the
Government will appoint commieee
to Inquire into the economic effects
of the proposal.
A report of more than usual inter-
est was submitted by Ralph NJ. Eas-
ley. chairman of the executive cem-
mittee of the National Civic Fedora
ton, at the annual meeting of the
committee recently held in New York
City. Copies OF the report have been
received by labor organizations of this
city. In referring to the industrial
economics department OF the fedora
tion the gentleman said:
This department has mapped out
promising programme for the en-
suing year The non-union versus the
union, or what is commonly CALLED the
open and closed shop controversy. the
injunction. the boycott and the hours
Of labor are among the subjects that
viii be studied. Some new problems
confront us in the open and closed
shop controversy, which has become
acute in nearly every industry where
employees are organized. 1t was rare
for a union to strike a few years ago
to secure what 1t termed the union
shop" Today the demand for the
union shop is the cause of numerous
strikes. II is claimed that the reason
for this change in policy is that while
several years ago the open shop meant
non discriminating one-that is to
say one in which the union
IDENTICAL treatment-now the open
shop is practically non-union
shop. The unions present much testi-
rnony TO show that there are numer
Gus employers organizations whose
members, while publicly declaring
they will treat union and non union
men alike, are practically forcing
every union man out of their employ.
If this be true. then in lighting for
what il calls the union shop the union
/ is only endeavoring to preserve its
existence. 1t will be the duty of the
/ Industrial economics department to in
vestigate this subject and present all
/ the facts TO the public.
-On the question of the injunction
organized labor claims that the courts
| are lending themselves to the employ
ers by issuing temporary injunctions
| at crucial moments during strikes, and
/ that although upon later hearing the
\ injunctions are dismissed they have,
meantime served the purpose OF the
employers to break strikes. II labor
has the right TO strike, and no one will
deny that proposition, and If the courts
are thus made allies of the cause of
I the employers. II is certainly serious
matter. If it be found true that the
/ Injunction is thus abused the COM
mittee Investigating this subject will
be expected TO recommend how the
abuse may be corrected without de-
stroying the general principle of the
/ injunction.
Other questions that will naturally
come before this department are: the
union label. restriction OF output. the
] limitation OF apprentices. the minimum
wage, piece work, trade agreements
\ and compulsory arbitration"
Judge Lawton of Boston has granted
a temporary injunction on bill in
/ equity brought against the members
Of the Metal Polishers, Buffers. Plat
ers and Brass Molders' International
/ Union of North America restraining
them from interfering with Walter F.
Buffers business, his employees or his
| customers. A strike is IN progress and
this move is made to prevent inter
ference.
William Jennings Bryan believes in
thinks about the shorter workday:
Just another word in regard to the
laboring man. The struggle 10 secure
an eight-hour day is an international
struggle and is sure to be settled in
favor Of the wage worker. The bene-
/ fits Of labor-saving machines have not
been distributed with equality The
] Rrn6NCAr has
his capacity, but so far the owner
l Of the machine has received too much
/ Of the increase and the laborer too
little Those who oppose the eight
hour day do fl, I am convinced, more
] because Of ignorance of conditions
than because Of lack of sympathy with
those who toll. The removal of work
from the house to the factory has
/ separated the husband from his wife
/ and the father from his children,
while the growth of our cities has put
an increasing distance between the
home and the workshop. Then, too,
/ more is demanded of the laboring man
now than formerly, and he must have
time for the study of public questions
if he is to be an intelligent sovereign.
To drive him from his bed to his task
and from his task pack to his bed
is TO deprive the family Of his COM
pany, society of his service and politics
of his influence"
A general strike of union bricklayers
has been ordered by the Greater New
York executive committee of the brick
layers unions on all work of the New
York Central Railroad now going or
in Manhattan, the Bronx and as far
north as the unions control because OF
the employment OF non-union men or
contracts in the upper part of the
Bronx. In order to be prepared for the
electrification Of the local divisions the
railroad has been rushing work on the
new stations and has a large force OF
men IN different trades employed. The
bricklayers say that II the non-unior
men are not discharged they viii trS
TO get the other trades to strike ir
sympathy
SUPERVISOR COFFEY RETURNS
Supervisor NJ. w. Coffey returned
yesterday from a six weeks eastern
trips Coffey went East in connection
with business of the Hackmen's Union