Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1906-03-01
Industrial Notes.

voluntary increase in wages, which
benefits between 700 and 800 track fore
men and track laborers. was put into
effect by the Reading Railway Company
recently.
The Iron holders Union, which has
its national headquarters in Cincinnati,
is one of the best conducted labor organ
iZations in the country and has a member
ship of about 10000.
Negotiations now going on for new
agreement between the Chicago painters
and their employers promise to result in
an amicable settlement. The employers
are ready to grant the increase from 40 to
80 cents an hour demanded by the men,
but in return they are seeking other con-
ditions which the journeymen are not like
ly to accept.
The membership of the brotherhood of
Railroad Trainmen on Dec. l was 49,
23S and its officers say the 100000 mark
will be reached by the close of this year.
The funds on hand Dec. 1 amounted to
81, 113,434.15. During the month of De-
cember the insurance claims paid amount
ed to $4,000, making a total of $11, S14,
059.S3 paid since the organization started
in 1881.
The Cigarmakers' International Union
is considering a plan of loaning the sur
plus funds of the organization to mem
bers on easy terms for the purpose of
building homes or starting in BUSINESS.
Some of the British trade union led
the experiment years ago and it worked
successfully. Many workingmen in Eng
land own homes which were built on
money borrowed from the union, of which
they were members.
According to circular issued by Pres
ident G. w. Perkins of the Cigarmakers'
International Union, the annual produc-
ton of cigars in the Philippines amounts
to S2O,0O0,000 and the wages paid in
Manila vary from % to 81 cents a day.
OF the 70 cigar factories in Manila, 4S
are owned by Cinnamon, who employ
Chinese coolie labor and with the ex-
ception of two, the other factories are
owned by Europeans.
The Reading (Pa.) Advocate says of
convict labor: The trades most affected
by contract prison labor are the shoe
workers, iron holders, garment workers
and broom workers. Institutions recent
ly visited employed a total of 1858 con-
victs in the manufacture of boots and
shoes. These 4,253 convict shoe work
ers are paid an average wage of 4S cents
a day and they are turning out 25,340
pairs of shoes every day, which are
dumped into the shoe market under vari-
Gus names and labels that are devised
to conceal from the public their true char
acter."
The election of 80 or more labor union
lists to the British Parliament at the re-
cent election is considered very signif-
can't The entrance of labor unionism
into politics in Great Britain is said to
be the result of the Taft Vale decision
a few years ago, which held that the
union was responsible in damages for
all the consequences of the acts of its
members acting for the union. The de-
cision is said to have convinced the union
leaders that the unions must enter politics
to secure the ends they desired. Within
the last three years the political activity
of the unions has been great, and the
surprising results in this years election is
the outcome. As members of Parliament
receive no salaries as such, each labor
member will receive $1,000 a year from
his uuiop