The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1906-12-13

chnists was held the other day in
washington, D. c., for the purpose of
giving consideration to the present and
prospective wage scale for machinists
at the Washington navy yard The
sentiment of the meeting was for a
marked increase in the wages. 1t was
pointed out that the Commissioner of
Labor has shown that there has been
Tor several years constant increase in
the cost of living and an increase of
wages generally elsewhere.
The wage board of the navy yard will
meet in few days for the purpose of
fixing the scale for the next year, and
1t is expected by the machinists an
increase will be made. The minimum
rate of pay per diem for machinists at
the Washington navy yard is $2.4S.
while that of machinists in Washington
city is SO. The machinists at this
navy yard have received but one slight
increase in wages in the past ten years.
The cost of living is much more now
than decade ago.
An opinion recently rendered by a
court in the anthracite regions of Penn
sylvania is Of much interest to organ
lied labor The case in question was
that of Patterson VS.. Wyoming Valley
District Council. 1t was held that
where the decree of a court enjoining
a labor organization and its members
from maintaining a boycott has been
disobeyed the officials of the union may
be compelled to produce the books and
records in contempt proceedings, and
that such proceedings are civil in
their nature and not criminal within
the meaning of the Federal and State
constitutions.
The Judge also decided that the in
dividual members of an unincorporated
labor organization are in about the
same position as the members of a CO.
partnership, and may be punished for
contempt committed, by the organiza-
ton.
Mrs. Frederick Nathan of the Con-
sumers League recently addressed the
first winter session of the Peoples
Forum in the New Rochelle Theater,
New York. She said. in speaking of
the employment of children in fac
tories: THE capital of our country is
literally devouring little children.
When one of the negro slaves of the
South died he had to be replaced, but
these child slaves work where the
dust chokes them and gives them tuber-
culosiS and nobody cares. Many of
them die. but there are always others.
At time when these little children
should be nesting in their beds they
are aroused by the shrill sound of the
factory whistle and are compelled to
go to work that lasts sometimes far
into the night. Others are employed
all night and when morning comes
they are found lying round the factory
on benches because they are too worn
out to go home for breakfast
William Jennings Bryan made an ad-
dress at the recent opening of the
Union Labor Fair in Lincoln, Neb., in
which he said in part: There is +, a
great gulf existing between the toiling
classes and those who live without
toi1ing, but at the present time brain
and muscle are working in closer har-
mony than they have been for many
years. Today the world does not care
for the non-producer, and the laborer
ranks higher than the idle man who
lives ON the income left him. The
dignity of labor has been so proclaimed
over the land and impressed upon the
minds of the people that 1t will not be
long until the world will point the
fiuger of disgrace at the man who lives
in idleness.
1.-The moral question is also involved
in this. A man who refuses to work
cannot attain a high moral standard.
The real pauper is not the man living
in poverty, but the one who does not
produce anything. The pauper may be
found among the rich classes, where
idleness takes the place of work. If all
laboring men should quit work now
the world would starve in six months,
because the country is only that far
ahead in supplies. No man can be bet
ter trusted than the laboring man. and
no one is more interested in good gov
eminent than he who tolls
John ]. Curry, for thirty-seven years
a member of Typographical Union No.
81 and one of the best known printers
In California, has recently been adj
mitted to the Union Printers Home at
Colorado Springs. Curry is a man of
high intellectual attachments and a
gentleman of.the old school He speaks
in glowing terms of the home and any
of his friends who wish to read his i'm
pressions of that place can do so by
asking Secretary White for a letter re-
Gently received
Best trademark west of the East
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