The San Francisco call., 1906-08-17

candidates were initiated and four ap-
plicattous for membership are in the
hands of the secretary. The new wage
scale has been adopted by every shop
in the city and all members are work
ing. A committee was appointed to
look for a suitable site for headquar-
ters.
San Francisco Printing Pressmen's s
Union No. "a will meet next Sunday at
Brewers Hall, $50 Noe street, when the
second installment will be paid to men,
bers in need by the committee on relief.
More than 200 machinists at the
Missouri Pacific shops at Sedalia. Mo-.
have quit work. The walkout was a
protest by the machinists against the
violation Of an alleged agreement be-
tween the shopment and the officials
of the operating department. The men
were willing to work nine hours and
would only work ten hours If paid time
and a half for the extra hour. 1t is
said that the strike may spread to the
boiler makers and other employees of
the shops.
The weavers of North Adams, Mass,
have gone on strike because of the
discharge of some OF their number.
1t seems that the English speak
ing operatives are more determin ed
than the others. Agents of other con-
Germs from Utica, n. Y. and Phila-
delphia were at work among the strik-
ers, offering them good wages and free
transportation. This is another evil
dence that skilled labor In this branch
OF industry is scarce in the country.
Work has been suspended on several
big building operations in Pittsburg
because of a sympathetic strike begun
about two weeks ago by the Structural
Trades Alliance to aid the carpenters
against the employment of non-union
men. The strike compact embraces all
the building trades but bricklayers and
plasterers. Efforts are being made to
bring about some adjustment of the
existing conditions, which threaten to
cause a general tieup of building opera
tions.
An attempt to adjust the differences
between six railroad companies having
terminals in New York City and the
crews Of the railroad tugboats operat-
ing in New York Harbor has ended in
failure. The representatives of the Cen
trail Railroad of New Jersey, the Della
ware, Lackawanna and Western, the
Erie, the Baltimore and Ohio. the New
York Central and the Lehigh Valley
railroads, which were most seriously
affected by the strike, decline to ac-
cede to the demands of the striking
crews for an increase in wages of from
50 TO SO a month and declared that
they would fill the places OF the strik-
ers with new men. The movement of
freight at the terminals of the roads
named has been greatly crippled and If
IL continues long there will be heavy
loss TO shippers of fruit, vegetables
and other perishable freight. The Penn
sylvania and the New York, New Haven
and Hartford railroads are not affected.
Chairman T. P. Shonts Of the Panama
Canal Commission says the eight hour
law does not apply to unskilled labor
on the isthmus.
The union BARRIERS official journal
prints the following article on the
sick benefits paid by the parent body
from the pen of General President F.
X Noschang and General Secretary
Jacob Fisher:
"A matter of vast Importance to the
success Of our organization has been
brought to light, and I shall endeavor
to explain the matter in as few words
as possible. At our last convention
in Louisville recommendations were
made to increase the amount of sick
and death benefits to be paid to our
distressed members. These recon-
mendations were adopted and in addi-
ton thereto the convention changed
our laws to pay benefits from the first
day of legal sickness, and the expert
ence Of the last twenty months has
taught us that it is impossible to pay
that amount Of benefits on the amount
paid into the benefit fund. On assum-
ing the office of general secretary
treasurer, November 1, 1904, there was
remainder in the benefit fund of
s13,2l0.96, and after twenty months or
eighteen months under our new laws
we find that instead OF having a re-
mainder we had a deficiency in that
fund of s312.59 on July /, 1906 To
on this basis means at the
end OF the present term we will have
B deficiency of twenty or twenty Eve
thousand dollars, which would natu-
rally mean the delay of paying many
claims, or the levying of an assess
ment on the entire membership once
each year, or the raising Of dues and
per capita tax, either of which we do
not believe advisable at this time The
executive board recommends that sec
ton 26 be amended as follows: BY
striking out the word twenty in line 1 2
and inserting the word sixteen, and
by striking out the word first in line
Is and inserting the word eighth, and
in order TO make our present laws
palmer and to avoid conflict In court
that the following be added to the Sec
ton after the word months, in line
23; and no member shall be entitled
to sick benefits for a sickness begin
ming during month in which his dues
are not paid in accordance with sec
ton ll2, nor shall he be entitled to
any death benefits for death resulting
from such sickness" These changes
are an absolute necessity for the fu-
ture welfare of our organization and
are recommended to the general mem
5ership for a referendum vote for
adoption, the same to go into effect
if adopted by such vote.
The general executive board appeals
10 the members to give due and favor
able consideration 20 this matter. as
we believe this to be the best remedy
and with the least inconvenience to the
and it is an absolute
necessity to get our laws back to a
business basis, as il is impossible to
pay out more than is taken in, and TO
delay payment of benefits to members
who are sick would bring about dis
and discomfort and may
mean the disruption OF our organiza-
ton. and as the organization has al
ways met its obligations promptly and
hopes to continue to do so, it is there