Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-02-10
Secretary Straus Outlines
Scope of Conference.
TOPICS FOR CONSIDERATION
Gompers, Mitchell, Morrison and
Other Leaders Answer Call.
PROBLEM OF THE UNEMPLOYED
immigration Question-Inspection
of Locomotive Boilers-Use of
Nobel Peace Prize.

The leaders of the great national and
International labor organizations of the
country to the number Of twenty, gath
cred at the Department of Commerce and
Labor this morning in response to the
invitation of Commissioner General keefe
of the immigration service by direction
of Secretary Straus for conference upon
subjects of mutual interest to them and
the department.
The meeting was held in the Office Of
Secretary Straus, and was presided over
by Commissioner General keefe. There
were present. in addition to the repre-
sentatives of the labor organizations, AS
sistant Secretary Wheeler. Commissioner
Nell of the bureau of labor. and T. ".
Powderly chief of the division of in
formation in the immigration service.
Subjects for Consideration.
Mr.. keefe welcomed the labor leaders,
and outlined to them the purposes of the
conference and topics for consideration,
as follows:
The advisability of recommending legis-
lation so as to extend the steamboat in
spection service to include the inspection
of locomotive boilers on interstate roads.
10 CONSIDER the WOrk OF tne OlNlSlOu VI
information under the bureau OF lmmlSra-
ton and naturalization and how the re-
vision may be administered for the best
interests of the wageworkers generally.
To discuss the problem of the unemploy-
ed and how and to what extent the de-
partment through its division of informa-
ton or otherwise, could be most helpful,
especially in periods of depression.
The statistics of emigration In connec-
ton with immigration, which were for the
q L. IL fDp f1,n n CT
cal year, indicate that much of the immi-
grafton that comes to this country is In
duced to do SO under misleading informa-
ton as to labor conditions in the United
States.
TO consider how the Nobel peace prize.
which President Roosevelt devoted to the
foundation for the promotion of industrial
peace can be made most effective.
Other subjects of mutual interest are to
be considered.
and agreed to as follows: Oscar S. Straus.
secretary of Commerce and Labor; War
rem S. Stone. railroad organizations: VIII
liam F. Yates, marine engineers; Samuei
Gompers. American Federation or Labor
and Terence V. Powderly, division of in
formation.
Secretary straus' Address.
Secretary StrauS made an address In
which he referred to the uniqueness of the
gathering. the first of it's kind ever held.
he said, and to his objects in trying to
bring about a relation between the agen-
cies of the government with the labor or
CARNATIONS. as has been done in Ger
many through the advisory council; In
Austria through the labor council. and In
France. through the French supreme
council of labor. as well as elsewhere, for
mutual cooperation along certain lines.
He read extracts from paper prepared
from Investigations made by II. G. Fried
man of the bureau of labor and Mr.. ia
cobson of the bureau Of statistics. He
said the present conference, preliminary
in character. was entirely deliberatlve and
informal. He had not consulted the
President with reference to it, but felt
assured of his sympathy with its aims.
He referred specifically to the draft OF
a bill to broaden the scope of the work
of the bureau of information under Mr..
Powderly He said he wanted the advice
and suggestions of labor leaders upon the
subject.
At the conclusion of Secretary Straus'
address the conference took a recess I'M
til o'clock this afternoon. in order &c
afford the visiting leaders an opportu-
nifty to call upon the President. The dele
CATION was accompanied to the White
House by Secretary Straus and the de-
partment officers engaged in the confer
ence.
Labor Leaders Present.
Samuel Gompers, john Mitchell and
Frank Morrison. with Joseph F. Valen-
tine. represented the executive council
of the American Federation. and were
warmly welcomed by the other leaders
as well as by Secretary Straus and AS
sistant Secretary Wheeler. They accom-
panied the party to the White House.
Among others In attendance upon the
conference were: w. G. Lee. grand mas
ter. Brotherhood of Railroad Trainme n.
Cleveland, Ohio; Warren S. Stone grand
chief. Brotherhood of Locomotive En-
gineers. Cleveland Ohio; w. S. Carter,
Firemen and Enginemen. Peoria, ILL.,: a.
B. GarretsOn, grand chief. Order of Rail-
way Conductors, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Frank 7. Hawley. president. Switchmen S
Union of North America. Buffalo, n. Y;
William F. Yates, president. Marine En-
n. Y; T. ]. Dolan, general secretary. In
ternational Association of Steam Shovel
and Dredge Men. Chicago. ILL.,; George w.
Perkins. president. Cigar Makers Interna-
tional Union. Chicago, ILL.,; James NJ.
Lynch. president International Typo
graphical Union, Indianapolis. Ind; Will
liam d. Mahan. president Amalgamated
Association of Street Railway Employees.
Detroit. Mich; w. G. Gilthorp, general
secretary, Boilermakers and Iron Ship
builders Union of North America. Kan
sas City. Kan; Timothy Healy, president
International Brotherhood of Stationary
Firemen. New York N. Y; J. D. S. Baird
president and ]. r. r. Austin, grand sec
rotary editor. Order of Railroad Teleg-
raphers, Dispatchers, Agents and Signal
men.
James Kirby of the building trades de-
partment Of the American Federation OF
Labor sent regrets, as did also T. v
O'Connor of the International Longshore-
| mems Association. The Boilermakers' AS
| sociation and the Cigarmakers' were rep
resented by Mr.. Nolan and Mr.. Tracy
! respectively.
1t was announced that during the con-
| ference Assistant Secretary Wheeler
would make an address touching upon
| Japanese and Chinese immigration from
| the Pacific coast standpoint Commits
sioner Neill will also deliver an address