Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-01-20
IN LABOR CIRCLES

President Roosevelt and members of the
Central Labor Union of this city have re-
ceived copies of resolution unanimously
adopted by the Central Labor Union OF
Terre Haute, Ind, denouncing the decision
of Judge Wright in the Gompers- Mitchell
Morrison contempt case. The resolution
also declared that whereas trade unionists
in England were confronted by the same
crisis several years ago, and have since
that time entered the political arena as a
class with the object in view of abolishlng
class rule, and have secured legislation
multiplying the decision of the courts, that
we enter an emphatic protest against
judge-made law, and that we urge upon
the executive council of the American
Federation of Labor the necessity of po-
litical action along class lines in order to
clip the claws of the courts"
A communication from Chicago states
that 10000 employees of the packing firm
of Morris & Co. in Chicago and other
cities where the company has interests
have begun to reap the benefits Of a PEN
sion system established by the company
The company has decided to establish a
cooperative sharing scheme for employees
The pension disbursements to be allowed
by the company will aggregate about
100000 year Among the employees who
will share in the mutual investment
scheme are those who will contribute ;
per cent of their salaries until the fund
reaches 100000. Employees who have
completed twenty years of service with
the company are to be the chief bene-
ficiarieS.
The annual report of John Williams
commissioner of labor of New York, just
made public. contains some matters of in
terest to the labor unionists of Washing
ton. Under the heading of child labor 1t
is stated that upon order of the labor de-
partment 1853 children found illegally
employed were discharged. In Al cases
employers were prosecuted for such illegal
employment. The falling off in child labor
generally from the figures of 1907 was Il
per cent while illegal child labor fell off
"a per cent This says Commissioner
Williams leads to the conclusion that
wilful violations of the child labor law
can and will eventually be eradicated.'
The report devotes considerable space
to the results of the first years work of
the medical inspector of factories, New
York having been the first American
state to provide such an officer. The
field being new considerable time had to
be devoted to plans and preparations for
work. Aside from this, the medical in
spector's efforts this year were mainly
devoted to determining conditions as to
ventilation in various factories by meas
urement of the proportion of carbonic
acid gas in the air In all 40 tests of
air in 1856 different workrooms were made.
Twelve parts of carbonic acid gas in
100GO volumes of air is regarded the
maximum if air is to be wholesome for
breathing. But a tabulation of the medi-
cal inspectors tests shows proportions
frequently two or three times greater
than this. and in some cases five or six
times greater. The rather startling condi-
tons revealed by these tests, the COM
missioner affirms, fully justify the pro-
vision made for medical inspector whose
work gives the department a truly scien-
tific basis on which to proceed in the mat
ter of requiring sufficient ventilation in
factories. The commissioner urges the
need. however, of a ventilating engineer
to supplement the work of the medical
inspector.
AS to strikes and lockouts the prelimi-
nary report of the bureau of mediation
and arbitration notes a large reduction
in labor disputes in 1908 as compared
with 1907. In 1908 only 1888 strikes and
lockouts were reported, in which 1898
employees were directly involved, as COM
pared with 2S2 disputes and 1881 work
ers directly CONCERNED in 1907. The pre-
vailing industrial depression and the de-
VelOpment of trade agreements are cited
in explanation of the lessened number
of disputes. Interventions of the bureau
number -.
An American workingman who struck
wndfall. and is making tour of the
old countries, writes from Prague, Bohe-
mia:
Women employed as ordinary day
la borerS in the construction of buildings.
mixing the mortar. sitting and carrying
bricks. and for unloading coal the
unusual conditions described as existing
in this city and elsewhere in Bohemia.
The women are paid from 30 to 40 cents
day. The working day for these women
is from am. to pm, with an hour
for dinner
In an editorial in the Trades Unionist
Sam De Nedrey says:
1.-The proposition that the government
erect a memorial monument to the mem
DRY of the late Senator Allison of Iowa
should receive the encouragement of ALL
He was an honest legislator"
A former member of the Alligator
Catchers' Union of Florida recently
passed through this city on his way
south. He visited the officers of the
Lobster Fishermens Union in Maine and
secured certain information. He says he
will apply il in an effort 10 bring about
the reorganization of the Floridians who
catch the wary cato for his hide the
union having been disbanded about one
year ago.