Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1908-07-22


: because he refused &c work. I could
send YOU plenty of printed evidence
published from time to time during
the last year, showing the actions OF
the unions. in nearly all lines OF
trades, discouraging any further i'm
migration of laborers coming here
seeking employment. Indications all
point TO the fact that the tide has
turned. and they are entering on a
period of time when the cry for work
will be heard on all sides, here as we'll
as in other countries. When Il does
come it will be worse here than in the
United States, owing 10 the peculiar
laws regulating labor. Take the fax
industry as a sample The census of
1906 gives the number of works as
240, employing 4,076 hands. and the
output 22,12S tons of fibre and 1878
F.. tons tow, of a total value of e557. SOS.
This is almost entirely disposed OF in
England and the price is absolutely
governed by the London sales. It is
used for manufacturing rope and cord
age. New Zealand fax is a fibre pro-
duced from the plant Phormium tenax
and was used by the natives ir max
ing clothing, lines nets, etc, when
the island was first discovered by Cap
tain Cook The leaves OF the plant
are perennial. hard. sword shaped,
from feet to feet in length, with
a fiower-stalk rising 4 feet or feet
above them, and bearing a profusion
of flowers, followed by triangular
seed vessels, filled with fiat and thin
black shining seeds. The plant grows
in punches. or groups of plants or
shoots; each shoot has 5 leaves Ten
of these shoots go to bunch on the
average. or, in all. so leaves. These
vary. according to the soil. in length,
and each consists of a double-bladed
leaf, which. when closed. is from
inches to 4 inches Vide For the
last few years it has been in great de-
mand and the prices realized were
such that the mills were in position
to make big money, but did not be-
cause the workers took the matter be-
fore the arbitration court and it was
given to the employees. In 1907 the
bottom fell out of the London market,
and the condition of the industry is
set forth in the following clipping:
In the case of the fax industry,
the wages were fixed by award on the
basis of the high market prices pre-
vailiDg, but since then the price has
fallen. The situation that has now
arisen shows that these awards of the
arbitration court may prove as disas-
trous as lock out TO wage earning
classes when hard times come The
fax operatives are willing to work
for lower wages, consistently with the
lower values prevailing, but the award
makes it punishable to employ then
at any less rate. Consequently, the
mills are being closed all over the
country, and the hands thrown out of
employment. The same thing may
happen with the dairying business,
the wool trade, and any number of
branches of industry. 1t is not in any
pessimistic spirit that we refer to the
fact that the indications point strong.
~ and eonclusively to the fact that
there are bad times ahead. It will be
interesting to see how these times,
when they break upon us, affect the
awards of the arbitration court. Our
own opinion is that they will put
sharp and decisive end to the whole
system If 1t becomes improbable to
employ men at the rate of wages fixed
by law, the, will be thrown out of
employment, and the result will be
state of misery and chaos such as has
never been contemplated. Then the
cry will be, for work, as it is in the
fax trade now, at whatever wages the
employer can afford to pay"
| quote from the PaImerston Stand
ard bearing out my contention that
they have gone far enough here in
forcing up wages; that they have
gone too far in ali industries depend
ent on a foreign market for their
product AS they have made no pro
vision for any backward movement,
when those foreign markets break,
they all win go to smash, like the fax
industry has. | contend they should
now bring about legislation to lower
tine excessive high cost of the neces-
saries of life and in that way virtu-
ally increase their wages. The pres
ent day worker wants a better house,
better food, better clothing, and more
recreation than his predecessor, and
there is nothing surprising In he fact
that he ands it more difficult to make
both enGs meet. The solution is not.
therefore, in higher wages at the ex-
pense of the employer, regardless of
industrial conditions, but in increased
and cheapened production.
AS to the last paragraph in Mr..
Brays article, he states because the
people are acquiring property through
their government, they will some lay
be more than reimbursed for the e1,-
cessive taxes they are paying I an
quite confident your correspondent is
very ignorant of the trte state of af-
fairs as they actually exist, because
/ if he was cognizant of only a few
conditions he would not make such
a statement All the public works
and they are very numerous and ex-
| tensive in every part Of the country
OF any importance. by the state, mu-