Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-01-01

United States for the past seven years as
an organizer for the electrical workers,
and has only recently returned to the
District after a two years trip through
California. Nevada, Arizona and Oregon
where he was sent as an organizer.
Mr.. Kennedy is very much interested IN
the forma ton of the new building trades
section of the. American Federation OF
Labor, this new department having ema-
mated from the recommendations of the
building trades committee of the Ameri-
can Federation of Labor, of which MI
Kennedy was secretary.
The railway brotherhoods come in for
great deal of praise for their con-
servatism, t,'e United Mine Workers for
thei- numerical strength and their wise
direction under John Mitchell. the cigar
makers or their thorough organization
and their being the father of the union
label movement. etc, but there is no or
ganization in America. or perhaps in the
entire world. more progressive, more con-
sentative or advantag ecus to it's mem
bership than the International Typo
graphical Union of America. says the
Clothing Trades Bulletin. 1t was or
ganized in 1852. under the title of the Ma
t:onal Typographical Union. which was
amended in 1852 to take in Canadian
unions and called the International Typo
graphical Union of America.
The organization has about four hun
dred subordinate unions. with an aggre-
gate membership of some fifty thousand
It's Printers Home at Colorado Springs
Is a credit to the I. T. L. and the labor
movement in general. The write visited
the home year or so ago and found
number of old comps of hand set days
taking their ease at the expense OF the
organization they and others helped to
build and enjoying the homes hospitality
without the feeling Of having charity"
meted out to them.
It was theirs; they helped pay for it.
While the home met a long-felt want
and was fulfilling function, yet the
something that would not mean isola-
tion to an old print simply because he
was ''all in in strength and vitality and
"all OUT in the worlds goods. Many
a man could and would like to remain
In his home town, near his old friends
AMI relatives, and yet be Independent of
| them, as far as support was concerned.
Fo- years a pension was discussed for
those who were entitled to cOmpensa ton,
and who did not want to go to thu home
at Colorado Springs; in some cities a
pension plan was in effect with success,
but at the last convention at Hot Springs,
Ark. the organization decided to submit
a referendum vote to the entire member
ship for the adoption of pension fund
By the general organization for members
Owe: sixty years of age, who have been
in continuous membership for twenty
years the amount payable to be 81 a
week. The returns are in and the propo-
Stion carried by a very large majority.
a trade union paying its veteran men,
berS ponsion equal to the amount paid
by the United States government to its
old soldiers and sailors is, to say the
least, novel move ment, considering that
philanthropy or charity Is not consid ered
part of trade union economy. though
1t IS an expression of the underlying
principles of trade unionism to strive for
justice to labor as far as possible and
to relieve human suffering.
The Compendium. a building trades pub
lcation. gives the following as the wages
In New York city:
Asbestos workers. general insulators.
$3.50; asbestos workers helpers. $3.50
bricklayers, $500; bricklayers' laborers.
So; bluestone cutters, f1aggers and settlers.
$50; boiler felters and pipe coverers,
$3.50; carpenters. IS; cabinetmakers. 81:
cement and concrete makers, So; cement,
concrete and asphalt laborers. So; der
rickMen. riggers and pointers, So IS; dec
orators and gilders, 81 30; electricians,
electrical machinists. S4.50; electr cal fix
ture workers. $3.50: engineers. stationary.
g. 30: engineers. portable. $3.50: trainers.
IS; gas6tters, So; house showers, movers,
sheath pliers. $3.50; house shorers' help
ers. $3.50; housesmiths bridgemel. iron
workers, st.S6; metallic fathers, $50;
marble cutters and settlers, s.; marble
carvers. $780, marble polishers. bed rub
ers. 81; marble mosaic workers 81 25 ma
chine stCneworkecs and helpers. So 70:
machinists. $50; plasterers. plain and
ornamental. $500: plasterers. laborers,
S321; plumbers. SIS; painters. 81; riggers
on machinery. dynamos. etc. $3.50: roof
ers on metal, $50; roofers and water
proof workers, So. Is; sheet metal workers
tinsmiths, $3.50; stone cutters. IS: stone
tube filters. S.; steamfitters helpers So;
tile layers. S.; tile layers helpers. So: wire
workers on screens, guards. grllls, etc,
$3.50: wood fathers. $50; portable en-
gineers. $3.50 per week.
Ex-senator w. NJ Stewart of Nevada
the '.silver bearded" who at eighty-two
has returned to Washington as risky as
most men Of half his years. has a pana-
cea for every Ill of the body polite. One
Stewart panacea is for the lawlesaness
and violence of labor organizations.
Thirty years ago." said he, Il went up
into mining town in the Serras
located at Bodie, Cal, 5000 feet or more
good. but the miners were fussing a lit
tie. and there were occasional threats of 4
strike from the labor leaders.
Il called the mine owners together and
friction with the labor organizations. 1t
was very simple, and they agreed
There would be few labor troubles if
the members kept run of union affairs
and did not leave the leaders to disburse
funds and shape policies. Well. up in
Bodie we brought all the miners together
and told them none but union men was to
be employed in the mines. Coupled with
it. however, was the condition that they
attend every meeting of their unions.
Failure to do SO would be cause for dis
charging She offending miner
1T worked to charm The Bodje
miners were an intelligent lot. and they
managed their unions thereafter to the
complete satisfaction of the mine owners
A special cablegram from London an
nounces that resolutions to be moved at
the eighth annual conference of the labor
party. which Is to be held in Hull January
20 and the two following days. have been
issued. Among them are various pro-
posals for the amendment of the constisu-
ton of the party. so as to make it clear
that its ultimate object is to obtain for