The wageworker. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1904-????, 1906-09-07

The Mcguire memorial fund for the
benefit Of the family of the late P. J.
McGuire, which is being raised by vol
untary subscriptions among the mem
bers of the United Brotherhood OF Car
penters and Joiners has reached So
1891. The fund for the relief of Cali
fornia sufferers by this organization
aggregates s15,S4375.
The grand lodge of the Brotherhood
of Railroad Trainmen has issued
statement showing the increase in
mem bershiD in the past ten years. On
January 1, 1896, the organization had
| a mem bership of 20 331 and on July
L of this year the paid-up membership
was S3,2S1. The increase during the
first six months of 1906 was nearly
5000, and the officers expect to have
membership of 10000 by the end of
this year. The organization is carry
ing more than $4,000, 600 of insurance
on its members, and is the strongest
numerically and financially of all the
/ railroad bTotherhoods.
The Electric Workers union of
Pittsburg is demanding that inspection
be made Of the wire laden poles of the
city by the municipality They claim
that the death rate from falling and
charged wires averages one a week
throughout the country The union
proposes to introduce an ordinance
into the next session Of the city coun-
Gil looking to the abatement of the
evil.
The International Paper company
will soon begin an eight-hour day in
its mills. The new schedule will go
into effect gradually. The mills in
New York receive the time reduction
first, September l. Later the Maine
mills of the company, which employ
about 1000 hands, will have the short
er day. 1t is said that the change
means an increase of SO per cent. in
the number of employees.
At the recent session of the Interna-
tional Miners congress in Europe the
report of the credential committee
was to the effect that there are 1885,
200 miners in Great Britain, of whom
100000 are organized, and have elect
ed IA members of the house of COM
mons. In France there are about
100000 miners, and $1,000 are organ
lied; they have two members in the
French parliament. In Belgium there
are $4,000 miners, $4,000 of whom are
organized, and they have two mem
bers in the Belgian parliament. In
Germany there are 100000 miners, of
whom 10000 belong to the German
Miners federation and 10000 belong
to the German Christian Miners fed
Grafton. Austria has $4,000 miners,
of whom 10000 are organized into
unions. The United States has 1000
miners, 365 900 Of whom belong to
unions. 1t was therefore claimed that
out of something like 2,25O,000 miners
1882, 900 were organized in trade
unions, and had sent 116 delegates to
the congress.
1t has been stated by Mr.. Johnson,
president of the upper Indian cham
Der of commerce, that under the pres
ent conditions an Indian weaver, work
ing q hours week, turns out at the
very best only 10 pounds of cloth,
while the European, working "a hours,
can turn out 46S pounds.
Judge J. Fitzpatrick, in the district
court at Leayenworth, Kan, confirmed
officers of local Carpenters and Join
ers' Union No. 494 from filming and ex-
polling certain members of the union.
The offense of these men was that
they refused to quit the employ of a
Leavenworth contractor who had
bought lumber from firm boycotted
by the union. The Judge held in ef-
feet that the proposed punishment OF
these men was coercion and therefore
unlawful.
Val Fitzpatrick, second grand vice
president, has ordered the switch
mems strike in the east to end at
once, declaring that it was illegal and
unwarranted The Brotherhood will
aid the New York, New Haven &
Hartford road in filling vacancies.
The joint convention of coal miners
and operators of district No. 10
(Tenn.), United Mine Workers of
America, agreed upon a wage scale
effective September l next and to
continue for one year. The new scale
is in effect a restoration of the sched-
ule of wages of 1908. The scale for
yardage will remain unchanged, a
tors yielded their demands for the
scale to terminate June l, 1907. in
stead of September 1, 1907, as desired
by the miners A board of arbitra-
ton will hear and adjust all COM
plants not disposed of by the joint
convention.
The locomotive engineers employed
on the hundreds of work trains oper-
ated by the United States in dirt haul
ing in the canal zone, Selling an occa'
sion when Chairman Shonts, of the
canal commission, was in the isthmus,
have made the following demands:
Increase of pay from $3.50 to 1925 a
month; time and half pay for all work
done in excess of eight hours; double
time for Sundays and holidays and
free transportation to and from the