The Fargo forum and daily republican., 1909-08-21
DIETRICH TELLS
OF CONVENTION
NOTABLE HENEFIcIENT CRAFT
LEGISLATION CHARACTERIZED
INTERNATIONAL MEETING OF
PRINTERs-A REVIEW OF THE
WORK DONE.

WORK DONE.
OF the International convention OF
union printers, w H. Dietrich, sec
retary of the local union and delegate
to the meeting gives the following
account:
The fifty-fifth annual convention of
the International Typographical union.
held at st. Joseph, Mo-, Aug. 9 to IA,
Twill go down in history as one of the
most remarkable ever held in the mat
ter of .beneficient craft legislation. Two
years ago the convention at Hot
Springs, Ark, took the preliminary
steps in the matter of pensioning it's
Eaged members. Being the first inter-
national union in this country to adopt
such system. the plan attracted
world wide attention, and the reports
presented at this years session show
that the plan has more than met the
hopes of its most ardent advocates.
Elated with the success of the pen
sion system, the convention this year
decided to place before the member
ship for their approval a mortuary
benefit proposition which is unique
insofar as organized labor is concern
ed, and 1t is confidently expected that
the proposition will be almost unani-
mously endorsed by the referendum.
and that the plan will prove even more
i beneficial than the pension system and
fully as practicable The proposition
might be termed as compromise be-
tween the present burial benefit and an
Insurance plan which was advocated
by some of the members.
i The present mortuary benefit Cor
burial benefit as it is termed) is SIS
for all members, regardless of the
length Of membership. To sustain this
fund a tax of 716 cents per month is
Elevied upon. every member. The prop
Iosition passed by the ST. Joseph con-
ivention provides for a graduated NOR
tuary benefit based upon the length of
continuous membership. as follows:
One year or less .......s.... 5 $500
lover one year and not more
than five years ...... 125.00
lOver five years and not more
than ten years ............. 1880
Over ten years and not more
than fifteen years ........ 275.00
Over fifteen years ....s. 10000
To sustain this fund, an assessment
Of one-half of one per cent on the
earnings of all members is to be levied !:
| the collection of the assessment to be-
gin March /, 1910, and the payment OF
benefits from the fund to begin June 1,
l191O.
The committee having the PROPOSE
/ tion in charge based the responsibility
for the above payments upon the facts
that the deaths In the organization for
the past six years show an average of
544 per year, and that the one half of
one per cent assessment for the PEN
sion fund has yielded an income of
something over 100000 the past year.
Taking these figures as a basis, 1t was
found that the proposed assessment
would permit the payment of 1867 to
1.-THE benef1ciaries of each deceased
member. While no statistics were avail
able to indicate how the deaths of the
past six years would be classified as to
length OF membership In the organi-
lzation, yet it is believed that a suf1ici-
Tent number of deaths will occur which
fall in the first four classes, all of
which are under the average ($367), to
allow the payment of the maximum
lbenefit ($400) In the cases of those
whose term Of membership exceeds
If1fteen years.
Another important act of legislation
enacted at this convention was the
matter of establishing membership
Irecord at the headquarters of the i'm
lternational union, containing the name
1 and age of each member, date and place
OF initiation, date and cause of sus-
i pension or expulsion, date Of reinstate-
ment or reinitiation date of death, etc.
The object of this system of registra-
tion Is to eliminate the time and labor
Inow involved in establishing mem
ber's eligibility to the various benefits
OF the international union.
Among other legislation enacted was
the increasing Of the international ini-
tfation fee from 81 to $5 The number
lof members necessary to procure and
and hold charter was changed from
seven to ten. The term of membership
required to establish eligibility for ad-
mission to the home at Colorado
i Springs was increased from five years
to ten years except In cases where the
members are afflicted with tubercul-
losis. when Ave years membership is
Isufacient for admission
L NuAhShou5 pAOpvSttA0up WS7ic phSSCtk-
ed to the convention, having for their
lobject the regulation OF wage scales
and working conditions on uniform
basis by the International union; but
all such proposition were defeated, the
delegates believing that such matters
are better adjusted when left ID the
local unions. In fact, the arguments
advanced BY the supporters Of such
propositions disclosed such d variety OF
circumstances that II would be impoe-
sible for the International union 70