The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1909-09-16

The first national labor congress was
held at Baltimore. August 20, 1866.
James Farley, the noted strike
breaker, intends to retire and to devote
himself to his race horses.
Bakers International Union. with a
membership of 2,1O0 in 1898, now
shows total of 1920 members.
The New Jersey Federation of La
Dor has endorsed woman's suffrage and
will send memorial to Congress,
signed by 100000 workmen.
At conference in Melbourne of rep
resentatives of the Iron Workers AS
sistants' Association of Sydney. Mel
bourne, Brisbane and South Australia,
II was resolved to form a federation.
During the last three years the Car
penters' Union has had the greatest in
crease in membership. the Topographic
cal Union the greatest reduction of
working hours. and the Machinists'
Union had the greatest number of
strikes. and. it is claimed, won a larger
percentage of their contests than any
ottar craft
The wave of prosperity that Is
sweeping over the country is best re-
Elected in New York City by the great
number of workingmen who are in en-
ployment to-day. as against the adj
verse conditions twelve months ago.
Labor leaders for several weeks past
have been compiling figures The ia
bles thus prepared show 1000 idle gar
ment workers out of $4,000, against 25.-
900 idle last year; of 100000 building
workers $4,000 are idle, against 10000
last year; 1000 cigarmakers were out
last year, against 500 to-day-there are
$4,000 at work; there were 10000 gar
mentmakers out in 1908, and but 5000
are idle this year. The metal trades,
however, still seem to suffer, about
one third of their number-15. 000-be-
ing out of work.
A movement has been started In
Canada to cause Canadian trade un-
ionists to withdraw from the Ameri-
can Federation of Labor. 1t is feared
that such step may lead to a labor
war between trade unionists of the two
countries in future strikes.
After months of work the Illinois
commission (three labor men on the
commission) drafted a bill of thirty
three sections. thirty-one of which
were unqualifiedly favorable to labor.
The bill is now law. and gives Illinois
the best labor code in the country, If
not in the world.
The labor law of the District of CO.
lumbia, passed by Congress as an ex-
pertinent a year ago. is reported to be
working successfully. 1t has resulted
in reduction of the number of estab-
lishments employing children and in
general betterment of labor conditions
If the country can escape for anoth-
err year from any serious labor troubles
in all probability new era of pros
perity will begin, says the Washington
Post. The evidence comes from all
sections that revival has begun, but
still the ranks of the unemployed num-
Der many thousands, and real. genuine
prosperity cannot come until work is
found for these unemployed.
The trades in the building industry
of Jamaica, West Indies, are organiz-
ing into unions affiliated with the
American Federation of Labor. At
Kingston the printers. pressmen and
bookbinders have also organized.
Vagabondage is in the nature of a
disease, and it should be treated as
such. The whole country is stirred up
over the movement for good roads, and
in many parts one of the difficulties in
the way is the securing of laborers to
construct the proposed improved high
ways. In one State it has been slg-
gested that tramps be corralled and
forced to become producers instead of
consumers by working on the roads.