The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1906-12-02

ant meeting ever held by the trades
unionists of this country The de-
cision to take a hand in politics, which
was almost unanimous, was distinct
departure from the beaten path. Hence
forth organized labor will assert its
part in shaping legislation, and it is
fair to presume that So-called labor
laws viii receive more attention from
now on. President Gompers' position
in this matter was fully Endorsed.
The convention did not come up to
the expectations of many of its friends
in the settlement of the many disturb
ing jurisdictional questions which have
sprung up the past few years. Posi-
bly, more backbone was displayed in
these matters than on former occasions,
but the fact remains that the conven-
ton sidestepped many of these annoy
ing matters.
The decision in the carpenters and
woodworkers' dispute will probably end
a bitter controversy. The warning
factions are ordered to get together in
one organization. The time limit is
two years, but 1t is hoped that the
union will be brought about in less
time. The woodworkers have only
about $1,000 members, while the car
penters number something over 10, 900.
Under these conditions the former or
ganization would in time have been alb
sorbed by its giant opponent, notwith-
standing the action of the convention.
An armistice has been declared, and
until merger is effected hostilities must
cease. Should factional fights break
out the executive council of the Ameri-
can Federation of Labor is instructed
to revoke the charter of the offending
body.
It was the earnest wish that the fight
between the plumbers and steamftters
should be settled. The convention was
not equal to its opportunity, however.
The effort to unite these bodies has
proved a dismal failure. The steam
filters charter was revoked in 1903 and
they were instructed to merge with the
plumbers The convention might as
well have tried to mix water and OIL
For three years the steamf1tters have
fiocked by themselves, growing and
gaining strength in every way. The
warning factions have drifted farther
apart.
Under these conditions the Pittsburg
convention decided to restore the char
ter to the steamftters, and so in
structed the executive council After
several months this was done. Still the
plumbers retained the name "steamf1t-
tiers" in their charter, and the work
went to them. It was expected that
the recent convention would effectually
stamp out the discord.
It seems that all that was done in
the matter was to .reaffirm the decision
of the Pittsburg convention. The
plumbers had a powerful lobby at Min
neapolis endeayoring to revoke the
work of the Pittsburg convention, but
the delegates would not be swayed.
Until the plumbers are ordered to re-
move the word "steamfitters" from their
charter it looks as If the fight must
continue between these two organi-
ations. If that be so it is plain that
the Minneapolis convention failed to do
its whole duty.
Otherwise the convention is to be
congratulated on its-work. The eight
hour day, the Asiatic exclusion and
many other subjects vital to the wage
Garner were handled intelligently. The
conventions work was generally well
done. and organized labor will be great
ly benefited by its legislation.
The effort now being made to estab-
lish an apprentice department in the
Typographical Journal, initiated by
the Kansas City union. has been in
dorsed by San Francisco Typographical
Union No. 81" writes George A Tracy
president of the Allied Printing Trades
Council. Its tendency can only be
for good, and while it may accomplish
only a very little, it is a step in the
right direction. Later on the Typo
graphical Union will undoubtedly take
more advanced position on the ap-
prentice question, probably along the
lines requiring a more diversified en-
ployment and also the maintenance of
postgraduate schools similar to the
school Of instruction now conducted by
the Inland Printer of Chicago.
The apprentice system of years ago,
which required a boy to be indentured
to his employer for period of years,
often with little or no pay for his
labor, and always with very small
financial remuneration, may have had
it's drawbacks, and it did, as many of
US today can bear witness, but it also
usually afforded its recompense-a
thorough, competent all-around work
man in the end. The present system,
or rather lack of system, however, is
UNNECESSARILY worse than the old way
even granting that boys of today, as
rule. receive as much for days work
as the boy of a few generations ago
for q week
THE tendency to specialize and to
develop talent along narrow and con-
fined lines in all trades in order to OBJ
tain high speed in producing certain
parts of completed product, so that
the operator is in reality only part of
team OF workmen employed to manu-
facture finished product, is undoubt-
eQly temporarily pronldDle lot the en-
ployer, but It is bound eventually to
prove disastrous to both employee and
employer alike.
illustrations are brought to notice
constantly of young men who, for one
reason or another, are separated from
their first employer and who so out
into the open market of labor seeking
employment at a trade, the only
knowledge OF which they possess at
the time being an ability to do a GER
tain kind of work connected with the
trade and this particular grade of
work may be the least important of
any of the various branches of the
craft they seek to become a part Of
And this condition faces them after
working a sufficient length of time to
have become proficient at various
branches of their calling and their
work been of a diversified character
during apprenticeship.
Many Of these boys, by sheer force
of character, after a period of per-
sistent transforming become efficient
workmen. while many others become
discouraged and fail And the en-
p1oyer shortsighted as to his future