The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-10-15
FRON OTHER PENS
METHOD IN LABOR
DISPUTES

While New Zealand is striving to
make her compulsory system of arbi-
tration workable, England CO., has been
proceeding along different lines and
with perhaps even better success. Win
ston Churchill president of the board
of trade in the Asquith cabinet, has re :
Gently caused to be sent out to cham
bers of commerce and employers and
workingmen's associations a memoran-
dunn setting forth the practical work
ings of the Cancellation act of 1893
Under this act, the board of trade, at
the request of DO h parties to a labor
dispute. has power to appoint a con-
ciliator and arbitrator. The law is en-
tirely permissive in its character, and
it is probably due to the fact that those
who have had recourse to 1T have done
SO of their own choice that it owes the
large measure of success it has
achieved and the increasing number of
cases in which it has been invoked.
From the memorandum, it appears
that in 1906 the board interviewed in 20
cases and settled 16; in 1907 it inter-
vened in 80 cases and settled 30. In the
first eight months of the present year
it was called upon in Al cases, of which
it has settled 35. while some of the re-
naming cases are now being dealt
with-New York World.
THE TURKISH FEZ.
That the Turkish fez, which is the
insignia of every true subject of the
Ottoman empire, is not a Turkish pro-
duct, but comes from the hated
Giaours, is the interesting and some
what surprising information which
comes in a report made by the Ameri-
can consul general at Smyrna. OF the
entire supply of fezes, 80 per cent OF
those worn in Smyrna are turned out
by a Vienna syndicate and the remain
der are imported from other towns In
Austria and Germany. ConStantinople,
which is the main distributing center,
is said to depend upon the same
sources for its supply. The value OF
the fez trade may be estimated from
the fact that the price of a fez aver
ages so cents and that the consumption
is at about 11z every year to every male
Ottoman subject. Roughly estimated,
there are 25,000.000 Turks of fez-wear-
ing age. The annual expenditure for
fezes should, therefore, exceed $1S,000,-
O0O which is a very comfortable har-
vest for the Austro-German monopoly.
That others have not been tempted
into so inviting a field is something of
a marvel Where are the hatters of
Sheffield and of Danbury while their
rivals On Teutonic soil are drawing
thus heavily on the pockets of the serv-
ants of the Prophet ?-Pittsburg Chron-
icle- Telegraph.
DECIDEDLY PROMISING.
There are indications at last that
the lamentable loss of life in the min
ing industry is to be checked. The
dead black headlines of the newspa-
pers have so often announced explo-
sions, cave-ins and floods in the work
ings with appalling loss of life, that
readers will grasp in an instant the
wide possibility of improved condi-
lions which is contained in the dis
patch from Wilkes-Barre that the an
thracite mining companies will estab-
fish system of educating labor
against the carelessness which has
caused SO many disasters.
Naturally, observance of the COM
pany regulations will be insisted on as
a safety measure. These would prob
ably be enough If the employees would
heed them carefully. They will be the
more likely to heed them when they
learn. in the rough, the scientific reas-
ons for their enforcement. Many and
many an accident has been attributed
to the carelessness or ignorance OF
work nnan--Ruffa1o EsxnreSs-