The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-11-03

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 piled to the newspaper though It res ceiyes less than formerly for the ar ticle itself ConsiderinE the care and attention and energy and ability be- stowed upon it. the newspapeT per-
 centags of profits E less tAan mai or Speaking generally. the newspapers have encountered large increases in cost of production. The competition between thamselves and the increases ! in output have been maintained to the adyantage of the empleye-not of the employer This vast rnannfa9tnring tn- of establishments than any other one
 industry, thus finds itself the only one that is refused the protection of the ! Government. More than that. it is 1 loaded with the burdens arising from
 the protection of avery interest with which it deals Every machine that | 210Q, 00e.0eo invested In machipery=-has q tariff on 1t whereby the manpfactur- CT taxes them unduly. Every ounce | of paper they buy has a protective tar | if behind it to maintain prices. In | New York city and elsewhere the
 morning papers sell practically all of
 their pFaaSes sS 2 s0ssnasaoa eameany knSSs Tas Il <FtAAAr%@AAAF newspapsrs obtain all their telsgraphic news, from combination. They buy 1 their typeaetting machinery from the MerRenthaler Linotype Company. They buy their advertising type from com-
 pany formed by a combination of type
 foundries. substantially every me.
 by s seif-constitSted % taiia in the form of a labor union, and to that species of combination they are. paying the largest amount of tribute
 It should be understood that the American Newspaper Publishers Assq- citation is voluntary. organization of S7S newspapers located in 1A1 cities. 1t has no power to. compel any member to act outside of his own volition. Its na- tional agreements with labor Qrganiza- tions are not labor contracts They simply provide way by which each
 individual publisher may secure arPt-
 tration without Interruption to his bus
 tness. the national lapor organizations
 guaranteeing the perfoTmApce of all
 She contracts made by the local unions
 under their Jurisdiction; in other words
 the national organizations underwrite
 local agreements.
 Under that arrangement. both sides
 were bound to make an effort toward
 cancellation. If that failed then they agreed to try, local arbitration, and fin-
 ally national arbitration. It is true that
 under the plan of arbitration neither
 side has obtained what 1t thought 1t
 was entitled to receive, but friendly re-
 lations were maintained. The employ
 CTS had the opportunity of work upin-
 terrupted by strike or lockout. Neither
 side has been subjected to the wasting effects of warfare. Beth sides have
 been gathers. The principal gain or aa %Af "a ia frnuhlQa
 they have settled. but in those they
 have prevented. know of no other
 group of employers which has succeed
 ed in perfecting 8 great pact with the labor u1Bons and in maintaining entire
 ly satiSfactory relations.
 In'1sO1 the newspaper publishers had accepted the idea of the closed shop aRd of the eight-hour day. They had ] decided to deal with labor representa- tives rather than with individuals. and thereby they increased the responsible ity of the unions. They recognized the l fact that the labor question was full of complications and that the leaders of 1 the unions must exercise great patience and tact in controlling the men who elected them to office. During six years, ending May I, 1907, arbitration contracts had prevailed whereby the employers and employees arbitrated all differences arising over wages and hours in new scales. A new agreement which went into operation on May l. 1907, included working conditions
 within the scope of the arbitration
 and also outlined radical departure in the abandonment of the third man, or umpire, in the boards of arbitration
 Each side has an equal number o1 votes.
 With the expiration of the old ar,
 engagement and the inauguration of the
 new plan the newspapers received an unusual number and variety of de-
 mands. Sufficient time has not elapsed
 to test thoEoughly the merits of the l later methods. Only partial returns of
 the present arbitration program have
 been made to the association. Thus | far, this year, the publishers and the unions have discussed seventy-six new
 scales in flfty-ive cities with the fol- lowing results;
 Settled by coneiiiation (which means
 concessions to the unions) ........55 By arbitration. .....
 Under negotiation. .. .. .. ......12
 Regardless of these details, we And
 that the adoption Of arbitration for the
 adjustment of labor disputes has tend | cd to increase the stability of invest l " | afforded means for the settlement of ! minor contentious which formerly caus- | ed infinite trouble often leading to de-
 struction of property, enormous losses | of wageA and the engendering of pas- sion. The payments, they made for the maintenance of this arbitration ar
 rangement and for the carrying out of | the policies of eopciliation were re-
 garded by publishers as payments for | industrial insurance, just as they paid for fire and accident insurance. It has
 been calculated that in New York city
 alone the newspapers pay $i,500, 900 per annum as their tribute to the closed shop and to organized labor, With each new concession to the unions or each new award of arbitrators the pub fishers ask how far this payment may
 he carried. There age limits beyond which they cannot @. even though they
 are we'll wishers of organized labor.
 They are approaching that limit wh
 their necessities may force them to stop further concessions and allowances,
 They wish to emphasize the fact that
 they have no objections to unions. They believe that the unions. notwith-