The wageworker. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1904-????, 1909-01-02
Matters of Especial Interest To and Com
Work of the World

L,
and the event was the signal for gen.
eral rejoicing among the workmen and
| residents of the city Mary Louise
Gleason, the 14-year-old daughter of
| Superintendent w. P. Gleason, had the
honor of lighting the first fire. She
was surrounded by a group Of officials
and was cheered by the hundreds of
workmen who witnessed the cere-
mony. 1t was announced that other
furnaces would be in operation within
few days and as rapidly as possible
the working force in the mills will be
| increased
| Berlin, Germany.-With 10000 per
sons in Berlin unemployed and the
number constantly increasing, the
executives of the city and officials of
the Prussian government are trying to
devise ways of dealing with the prob
lem. Six weeks ago an official count
was made, the idlers numbering 100000
lsUnfavorable business conditions have
increased this number by one-half
| since then. With the coming of win
ter great suffering is being endured
| by these people. All public works
either begun or projected probably will
be pushed to completion with a full
force of workmen.
Washington.-Over 1000, 900 human
beings in Great Britain are enduring
hardships and want through unem-
ployment and the General Federation
of Trades unions has advised all union
men to refuse to work overtime, re-
ports Consul General Wynne of Lon
don. The federation points out that
l 20 .,lxi
ployment two unskilled men are work
less. 1t urges the employment Of sur
plus labor by national and municipal
work and recommends the establish
ment of a national department Of Ia
Dor, whose head shall hold cabinet
portfolio.
Cleveland, O-At the close of the
first day of the strike of the National
Window Glass Workers, enacted to en-
force the adoption of the new wage
scale, with a rs per cent. increase,
president Faulkner announced that six
plants had signed. These factories
include the American Window Glass
Company offPittsburg, the Patterson
Window Glass Company of Cameron.
w. Va, and plants at Fredonia, Kan;
Kane, Pa; Shinglehouse, Pa, and Ed
redge, Pa.
London, Eng.-The British home
, secretary has appointed depart
mental committee to inquire into the
causes and circumstances of the in
crease in the number Of reported acct
dents in certain classes of factories
and workshops and other premises I'M
der the factories acts, and to report
what additional precautionary meas
ures are, in their opinion, necessary
or desirable
Boston.-Chelsea city mems union
committee last week requested the
board of control to establish the 1925
| a day wage in that city, and Somer-
vile city mems union asked the OFF,
Gals of THAT city to pay the men for
legal holidays, custom generally fol-
, lowed by all cities but Somerville, 1t is
claimed.
London, Eng.-The Canterbury con-
, Citation board of New Zealand has rec
; commended that the hours of farm Ia
) borers and farm hands should not ex-
: coed eight, except at harvest time.
, when ten may be worked. In America
the farm hand works an average of IA
hours.
2 Observation-Disclosures to their
3 agreement with the Pressmen's union,
v made two years ago, all printing es-
> Establishments here, members of the
: United Typotheta, granted to their
t | employees, beginning on January l, an
q eight-hour-aday working schedule.
/ About 70 per cent. of the other print
e ing shops not in the united body, 1t is
t thought, will follow in the giving OF
/ the new schedule. This will bring the
working hours of pressmen down from
!. "a hours week to 4S.
r London, Eng.-"It is not competent
: for a trade union to provide for the
8 maintenance of parliamentary repre-
! sentation by means of compulsory
J. levy" In these momentous words the
}. master of the rolls, sitting in the court
8 of appeal, allowed an appeal from 9
J. judgment of Mr.. Justice Neville, who
). held, in the case of Osborne VS.. The
n Amalgamated Society of Railway Serv
}. ants, that trade union funds could be
2 legally used to finance labor members
d. New York-The movement to estab
r fish a retreat for aged. sick and infirn
s members of the Painters, Decorators
Il and Papernangers of America is re
e ceiving the hearty Endorsement of the
craft.
p Washington-The A. F. of L. reports
n show the following benefits paid te
n members during the last year: Deatt
D. benefits, $1,257,244.29; death benefits
d to members wives, S31, 800; sick bene
d fits, $500, 541.34; travelling benefits
e. $51, 093. SO; total insurance, $5,871.63i
,r unemployed benefits. $205, 254.31; total
$2,144,375.43.
N Pittsburg. Pat. L. Lewis. interna
a. tional president Of the United Mine
ID Workers, has issued the official call To-
O. the twentieth annual convention OF thu
..r 1 -.xx.-,.. ,,1lioh xri1l he held in T0rlin