Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-06-05

pioneers In the promotion OF the union label
MS work has been especially beneficial.
Ihat his Philadelphia trip will bring good
results. 1t Is claimed. there can be no doubt.
Mr. Rodier will not return for a week or so
yer, ana ne may possibly remain in the field
indefinitely.
During the last session of the Central
Federated Union OF New York city grave
charges against members of the union
new fast when the union label clause Of
proposed new constitution was dis
cussed, The new constitution merges
Two sections of the c. +. L.. which were
formerly separated as the building trades
and the miscellaneous crafts Morris
brown of the cigarmakers union charged
!hat the delegates had never lived up to
e ehe union label clause. and urged the
ADOPTION OF clause Furnishing those who
pought non-unfon goods. He said If a
committee investigated the clothing on
me delegates in the room II would find
more IMAM one-half of them dressed in
apparel that was not union made Fear
ing an Investigation. several delegates
Quaiied before the accusations of Brown
John Canavan OF the musicians made an
even more serious charge against the
bakers. On one occasion he said. when
the bakers took part in a parade advo-
Satlns the use of union-made baked
goods the bakers marched up the street
headed by non-unIon band. The ac-
cusation brought several bakers to their
Ieet one OF them wanted to Investigate
'o'A . Cunning anu NaUdNan became
quiet.
Following the report OF government sta
tstlcS on the United States leadership in
the manufacture. sale and use of automo-
biies, the influence of the motor Industry
on skilled labor has been applauded hy Of
nclals OF the International Association OF
Machnists. who regard the automobile
business as the brightest spot on the indus-
trial horizon. Business Agent ID. W Rod
erick of the organization OF machinists.
IN a signed statement points out many
advantageous angles of the industry from
the workman standpoint, and the Wayne
of1cial In turn has communicated the in
formation to almost every large motor
manufacturer in the country. casual
study of Mr. Roderick's review of the in
dustry should be of interest to both en-
ployer and employe in the realm of skilled
labor.
The International Association OF Machin.
lists, says Mr. Roderck ''unhestatngly
declares that no industry. except It be tho
railroads-which, of course. are old and
firmly establshed-has made such a marked
impression upon the entire Industrial world
as the manufacture of automobiles. And
the end is not yet 1t is almost impossible
even for the gatherers of industrial statis-
tics accustomed to big totals TO attempt to
grasp the full import of the meaning of the
automobile industry. The machnists feel
that the automobile industry is much of a
blessing to them-much more SO than was
the bicycle Industry, which assumed stu
pendouS proportions a decade ago,
for the demands of automobile building af-
ford specific classifcations of worNmen
made almost futile. from the labor union
point of view. in the bicycle business on ac-
count of the large proportion OF unsn lied
male workers and women.
I'VE should say that the machinists
trade is vitality affected by this unprece-
denied development of the auto industry.
and that a reign of prosperity not likely
to be interrupted is the corollary.
But the machinists represent only about
One-tentn OF the interests greatly Dene-
flied by the growth of a business that an
nually takes so much money from the mod
erately well-to-do as well as the rich. and
puts it into general circulation. The up
holsterer, woodworker, steel worker, paint
er, farmer, waiter in country inns-in fact,
the workers In countless lines of human
endeavor are so greatly benefited that 1t
provides the economist and publicist with
unlimited material for scientific discourse.
Few, indeed, the conflicts between
employer and employe in the machinists
part of the automobile world--it looks as IL
the minimum of friction were assured by
the ma Xmum of prosperity. Unqualifedly
the conditions all point to not only the con-
tnuance of this prosperity, but to an over
whelming amount of 1t. for no industry has
had such a marked effect upon the eco
nomic and labor world as the automobile
A. NJ. Simons, editor of the International
Socialist Review, added that the automobile
industrys growth in the United States. re-
markable and Unprecedented, actually has
STAYED off hard times In this country by
putting hundreds of millions of dollars di-
rectly into the hands of the countrys
workers which otherwise might have been
boarded.
A statement published> in the Trades
There is trouble in store at the post
Office in Chicago unless the officials there
prove equal to the occasion of treating
with union of woman clerks organized
in the post office during the postmasters
absence in Washington. Despite the COM
monty accepted opinion that a woman cam
not keep a secret, the 100 girl employees in
the post office successfully kept dark the
fact that they had joined the ranks of
organized labor. The womens union, which
is the first Of its kind among the public
service employees in the country, has now
become full-fedged labor organization.
At meeting of the regular post office
clerks unon-composed heretofore eXclu-
sively of men-the girls were taken into
membership"
Organizer James P. Reynolds Of the Cera-
mic Tile Layers in report to the Ameli-
can Federation of Labor says:
Employment is plentiful and steady.
improvements have been secured all along
the line. Many Of our locals have secured
advanced wages during the past three
months without strike. Our members in
Portland, Ore, have reorganized union
with increased membership. 1t has been
decided to hold our ninth annual conven-
ton in Plttsburg, Pa. commencing June 10,
1907. At this convention it Is likely that
we will revive our death benefit feature, re-
wise our constitution somewhat, elect DILL
GERS and devise means whereby our Official
journal will become more potent as an eco
nomical agency and a technical benefit to
our members. No strikes or lockouts to
port. We recently formed new unions in
Memphis and Indianapolis"
A recent report Of the New York depart
ment of labor states that according to
the annual report of the secretary of Brick
layers and Masons' International Union
about 40 per cent of it's local branches still
work nine hours a day, while a majority
(492) of the. local bodies have shortened
working hours to eight day. or Al a week.
In New York. % of the so local unions re-
ported a nine-hour schedule, the average
rate of wages per hour being 501 cents.
Ten years ago the average rate was Al
cents an hour. Notwithstanding the in
crease the New York average is still below
that for the United States and Canada
(55 % cents), although the New York city
rate of 20 cents exceeds 1t. TeQ years ago
the average rate for the entire country
was 431a cents an hour, which would sig
Nifty an increase Of 2S per cent In the ten
years-1S97-1908.
MARLINToN ASSAULT CASE.