Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1906-08-16
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and Saturday half-hoiday.
The United Brotherhood of Carpenters
and Joiners of America has increased its
membership by 10000 in the last two
years.
The annual report of the Piano and Or
gan Workers Union shows that during
1905 benefits aggregating $50, 2s2 90 were
paid
1t is reported that every city in Canada
is preparing to place labor candidates in
the field at the next general and provincial
elections.
new law has been passed in Iowa
which prohibits the employment of chill
dren under IS in any gainful occupation
which would injure health.
Carpenters are on strike IN Boise, Ida,
against the Master Builders Association.
They are demanding an eight-hour day,
40 cents per hour and the closed shop.
The latest addition to labor's ranks is
the United Brotherhood of Rural, Horti-
cultural and Agricultural Wage Farmers
of America. The headquarters is in Dali
las. Texas.
Several thousand miners at Spadra,
Hartman, Coal Hill and Russellville,
Ark, have been ordered back to work,
the scale prevailing in 1908 having been
agreed upon.
The Labor News of ST Louis has start
ed a crusade against the leasing of convict
labor by the State of Missouri TO be used
in competition with manufacturers who
employ free labor.
The Irish laborers' cottage bill passed
its second reading in the British House
of Commons recently. The bill authorizes
loan of 22,5O0,OOO to provide Irish
laborers with cottages.
Streator, ILL.,, elected eight new Alder.
men at the recent election. Two of them
were union bottle blowers, two union min
ers, one union carpenter and one union
printer-six out of eight.
Butchers at the Chicago stock yards
report the dullest season for years, Cat
tie butchers are working only % hours a
week, and most of the other departments
only work two or three days a week.
The Brotherhood of Railway Trainmen
has been in existence twenty-three years,
has 72S local branches, with 1880 mem
bers, S1,560,000 in its treasury and pays
out $4,000 every thirty days in claims.
There are 800 shoe factories in this
country using the union stamp, according
to a report recently issued These fac
tories give employment to 10000 union
shoemakers. Most of the best and largest
shops are organized.
The advancement of wages in the tex
tile centers is becoming general, and the
employees in every city are benefting. AL
ready wage increases benefting more than
100000 textile workers have been granted
in New England centers.
The death rate from accidents at coal
mines in the principal coal-producing
countries in 1904 were: Austria, 90 !;
Belgium, .93; France, 1.07 Great Brit
ain, 1.24; Germany. 100, and United
States, 3.35 per 1000 employees.
Returns relating to the state of EN-
ployment in Germany during the first
quarter of 1906 were supplied to the i'm
perial statistical Office by trade unions
with an aggregate membership of 1,221,-
760. OF these, 1885, or IL per cent,
were described in the returns as unem-
ployed.
For the first time since May 1 the "a
affiliated unions of the Boston Carpen-
ters' District Council have not a single
man on strike. The wharf and bridge
builders strike for the eight-hour day is
not yet settled, but all the men who struck
have been placed at work under union
conditions.
Of 1854 children under 16 years of
age employed in the Belgian textile indus
tries, 1922 earned 1 franc (19 cents) !,
1859 earn q franc (141h cents), but less
than l franc, and 2,454 earn IN francs
or more daily. The most general length
of the working day, exclusive of intervals,
was eleven and one-half hours.
The child labor law of Illinois will be
enforced in all of the coal mines in the
State. Under the Interpretation of the
law made by Factory Inspector Edgar T.
Davies and sustained by the courts no
boys under 16 years of age will be permit
ted to work in the mines. It is estimated
the enforcement of the statute will take
$500 boys away from employment under
ground.
Colorado Springs, at which the home
for union printers is located, has offered
inducements to the Brotherhood of Rail-
road Trainmen to locate its proposed in
stitution for incapacitated and INDECENT
members there. The brotherhood has now
been in existence % years and has 72S
lodges, with a total membership of $4,000
and a treasury of $1,560,000. 1t pays
out about $4,000 a month in claims, has
4
has paid out since its foundation SILL
100000 in benefits.
After fighting labor organizations for
years, r. T. Ford of Rochester, N Y,
who conducts a plumbing establishment,
has come to terms with the Plumbers
Union and, in order that the men who
have been in his employ may become mem
bers of the union, has given The union a
check for $500 to pay fines imposed upon
the men by the union. The union asked
$500, but finally compromised and accept
ed $4O0. Eight men from the Ford shop
are to join the union and the shop is to
be put on the fair list.
William Abrahams, NJ. P, otherwise
known as "Mahon," who was a delegate
to the American Federation of Labor con-
vention Of 1900 from the British Trade
and Labor Council, has been appointed by
King Edward upon the royal CON 1ission
on mining. The object of the body is to
inquire into and report On certain ques-
tons relating to the health and safety of
miners and the administration of the
mines acts. Mr.. Abraham is president of
the South Wales Federation of Mining.
uo apfarf aipad Holm Mitchell IN, +ba o.ooa
sion of the latter's visit to Great Britain
two years ago.
Some of the Chicago unions have start
ed the Salvation army method of organ
izing. With drums and flags and a pa
rade, they held meetings on street cor
ners, preached the gospel of unionism,
sang industrial songs in ragtime and col
lected applications for membership in all
tic unions.
The Federation of Musicians of Chicago
is considering scheme which is describ-
ed by its sponsors as plan for carry