The evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1907-1908, 1907-08-19
LABOR MEN IN
SESSION AT
TRENTON
Hot Fight Over Seating Of
Brewers Union Delegates.
Against Prison Labor.
IspecIal to the Evening star.l

49, ~ az NNAAAi DfaA*1
TRENTON, Aug. 19.-Whether or not
the thirty delegates from brewers
unions throughout the State are to be
given seats in the annual convention
of the State Federation of Labor, which
opened this morning at the State
House, promises to cause a heated
struggle before the matter is decided.
Because of a dispute between the
brewers unions and the American Fed
Grafton of Labor relative to the juris-
diction of the brewers and the station
ary engineers and firemen, h latter
two organizations are protesting
against the brewers being seated at
this convention. The case was given to
the credentials committee shortly after
the convention opened this morning,
and at noon that committee had decid-
ed in favor of the brewers.
However. when this favorable report
was presented to the delegates a
cyclone of protest followed, which re-
suited in a halt being called until after
the noon adjournment.
w. j. Brennan, of Newark, was the
leader of those who were opposed to
accepting the favorable report of the
credentials committee, but there were
q dozen others equally vehement.
Aside from the brewers delegates the
committee on credentials reported
favorably on 142 delegates. Two were
rejected because of the non-payment of
the per capita tax. In all there are
about IT'S delegates to this convention.
President Ford and Chairman H. j.
Gottlob, of the legislative committee,
this morning submitted reports that
were received with cheers by the dole
gates. In both Of these reports the
most important matter touched upon
was prison labor and the sale of the
product of prison labor.
In the report of the legislative COM
mittee, Chairman Gottlob stated that
the attorney for that committee had
drafted a bill to be presented to the
last session of the State Legislature.
This bill had been approved by the leg
isIative committee and by the executive
committee, but later it a been
deemed best not to have it presented to
the Legislature before it had on 1t the
seal of approval from a convention OF
the State Federation of Labor.
This bill includes a number Of 1.-THE
suggestions made by members of the
State Federation, as well as persons
not affiliated with the federation who
are Known to nave the best interests Of
the matter at heart. Chairman Gott-
lob said that 1t was h wish Of the
committee that this bill be read to
the delegates at this convention, and
for them to express an opinion on
what the legislative committee will ask
the State Legislature to make a State
law.
The report of the legislative COM
mittee was unanimously adopted,
which means tha prison labor will be
one of the most important matters to be
discussed at this session. Another mat
ter taken up by the Legislative com
mittee was that of preventing children
under 16 years of age from working
nigh A bill setting forth this de-
mand was presented to the last Assem-
bly and passed that body in spite OF
considerable opposition from Millville
and other South Jersey glass-blowers.
II was then sent to the Senate, but never
got further than the committee on labor
because of the South Jersey opposition.
The legislative committee asked that this
convention take up the matter and that
the South Jersey glass blowers who OPP
posed the law last year be censured for
their action.
President Ford, in his report, expressed
qualification over the present prosperous
condition of the State Federation of Labor,
witch, he says. was never in better all
around shape than now.
There has been greater interest mani
tested in the work of the State Federation
during the past year than ever before and
there is more money in the treasury now
than at any previous time.
The election of officers is scheduled for
tomorrow afternoon. but because of the
excellent manner in which the affairs of
the federation have been conducted dur
ing the past year it is almost certain that
with the exception of the secretary, all of
the present officers will be reelected. The
secretaryship is On open fight.