Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1906-10-18
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as State LABOR commissioner OF ONO. he
is a former president of the Ohio United
Mine Workers.
The managers of the Methodist Book
Concern have announced their concession
of the principle of the eight-hour day for
employees in all departments.
The American Federation of Labor is
attempting to reorganize the motormen,
conductors and other employees of the
street railways Of New York City.
The brewery workers recently passed a
resolution condemning the employment of
children under IS years old in bottling
works in st. Louis and Milwaukee.
In 1886 carpenters in New York City
made $3.50 a day and worked ffty-three
hours a week. They now receive $3.50
day and work but forty-four hours
week.
1t begins to look as if the farmers, at
least those in the South, were going to
join hands with the other workingmen in
the effort to improve conditions for the
producers.
Steps are being taken in Chicago for
the formation of an arbitration board of
teamsters and team owners, which will
adjust all differences which may arise in
the future.
Columbia Lodge of Machinists of Wash
ington, d. c., expects to have the entire
force of 1000 machinists employed at the
Washington navy yard enrolled as mem
bers within a short time.
The Standard Oil Company has rein
stated the officers of the National Broth
erRood of Stationary Firemen and has
agreed to take up the question of increase
in wages as soon as possible.
A proposition that all laboring people
be entitled to State aid or pensions, I'M
der certain conditions as to age and
health, will be presented to King Oscar
of Sweden in the near future.
The annual convention of the Carriage
and Wagon Workers International Union
will be held in Buffalo, n. Y, October
10. The special object of the convention
is the framing of new constitution.
An international exposition portraying
the life of the laborer for the last 1000
years, showing conditions surrounding
him from the time of feudal slavery to
French parliament.
The International Building Trades
Council has placed itself on record as
favoring arbitration as a better method of
adjusting differences between employees
and employers than the usual plan of
strikes and lockouts.
Theatrical employees of Chicago, as well
Of -, I,o l.,
of the East, are formulating plans to OPP
pose the transportation of foreign skilled
and unskilled labor for American theaters
and will ask all theatrical organizations
to oppose the importation of foreign
chorus girls by sympathetic strikes.
In Chicago the weekly half-holiday fight
started by the Shoe Workers District
Council has attracted attention. There
are 5000 shoe workers in the Chicago fac
tories, of whom nearly two-thirds are
girls. They hope to make the Saturday
half-holiday a benefit secured by agree
ments with the employers after Feb. 1.
To enforce their demands of 81 per
day and the Saturday half-holiday, 500
members of the New York and New Jer-
sey branch of the New York Metal Trades
Association went on strike, and the en-
plOyers promptly decided they would en-
plOy ship carpenters on the open-shop
basis. Steps were taken to employ strike
breakers.
A number of Pennsylvania cigar manu-
facturers were arrested last month at the
instance of the officers of the Cigarmak-
ers' International Union, charged with
issuing and using bogus labels. As these
labels are well protected by law, the
union will have no difficulty in obtaining
conviction in case the guilt of the persons
is established.
The Columbia Typographical Union of
Washington, D. c.. has voted to expel
sevent! members who refused to pay long
err the assessment levied for the strike
benefit on account of the strike of the job
printers in the District of Columbia
which has been on since last January. The
dismissed members are all employed in
the government printing office, but Public
Printer Stillings made it known that no
man should be molested because he did
not belong to the union. The unions ac-
ton makes the government printing office
an open shop in fact as we'll as in name.
In the Southern States there are six,
teen carpenters unions of colored men
The brotherhood claims jurisdiction over
journeymen carpenters or joiners, stair
builders, ship joiners, millwrights, planning
mill bench hands, cabinetmakers or men
running woodworking machinery. But thei1
claims to this extensive jurisdiction has
not been undisputed. The Amalgamated
Society of Carpenters, an English organi-
cation, and the Amalgamated Woodwork,
ers have both contested it before conran-
tions of the American Federation of La
Dor. The enmity of the Brotherhood and
the Amalgamated Society was one of the
main causes of the New York building
trades strike in 1908. The American
Federation has not yet decided the juris.
diction dispute, but both sides are now
working amicaI'Y under a compromise.
The Amalgamated Woodworkers dispute
the authority of the Brotherhood over men
running woodworking machinery.
The Boot and Shoe Workers Interna-
tional Union recently, from January,
1904, to March, 1906, paid out 100000
in sick and death benefits and $4,000 in
aid of strikes. There was at time of re-
port a balance of 100000 in the treas
ury.
There is at the present time a distinct
movement all over the continent of Eu-
rope in favor of one days rest in seven.
and the proposal usually is to make the
day of rest the first day in the week in
stead of the seventh, which is still observ-
ed by the Jews in all countries in which
they reside and labor.
Says Cancer Is Incurable
Sir Thomas Barlow, physician to the
British royal family. who sailed from
New York recently. after a weeks visit
in this country. during which he attended
the dedication of the Harvard medical
buildings, said that the medical profession
was no nearer to the cause or the cure of
cancer than it was 100 years ago. I'VE
still are delving, and hoping" he said.
1--WE are making progress slowly, but we
are not yet in sight of the goal AsSer-
bav-a haar, raoda that ~ rr.,..,