New-York tribune., 1910-05-23
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.

adoptfon of three shifts. instead of two.
such work could be ininimized and each
crew have two free Sundays out OF three.
A NoN-UNIoN STRIkE.-One of the
curious features of the Bethlehem strike
was that il was a non-Gnion affair. None
of the employees was a member of union
or labor organization. fact which. per-
haps rendered them less able intelligently
10 present the cause OF their grievances 70
their employers. But Commissioner Neill
found another cause of the strike in the
system of bonuses paid by the company for
fast work. The bonuses obviously stimulat-
ed speeding up" on the part of workmen
anxious to make the highest possible wage.
but such speeding up made the Sunday, or
seventh day. rest even more important, az
otherwise the banefu effect on the health
and temper of the men was most serious.
Nor was the compensation of the men who
put i'm these long hours anywhere near the
standard which Americans like to believe
obtains in the protected industries of this
country A large number of laborers work
ing twelve hours a day seven days in the
week received only 121s cents an hour.
More than IS per cent received less than IA
cent an hour, and more than 81 per cent
were paid less than IS cents an hour. Orig
inally the men made no demand for in
creased pay, although it is hardly likely
that the wage scale contributed to their
contentment or nlinimized their dissatisfac
tion with their long hours. Later on, dur
ing the strike, the men demanded time-and
a-half pay for overtime work and double
pay for Sunday work. although they de-
clare that this demand was made not to
gain increased remuneration, but to put a
check on overtime and Sunday work.
THE POLITICAL VIEW.-Some of the
leaders in Congress assert that had the
facts regarding labor conditions i'll the
Bethlehem works been brought to the at
tention of Congress when the tariff bill was
under consideration it would have been
much more difficult to secure the amount
of protection afforded the steel industry by
the Payne law The chief contention Of
those who came before the committees of
Congress and urged a continuance of the
high duties on steel and steel products was
that they were compelled to pay higher
wages than their foreign competitors. In
view of the showing at the Bethlehem
works. however, there is SONS skepticism
regarding that contention. If Congress
grants the appropriation President Taft has
asked for the use of the Tariff Board one
of the subjects which will be carefully in
vestigated will be the cost of steel produc
ton abroad, including the wages paid and
the relative producing capacity of the
American and the foreign. workman. An
drew Carnegie, it will be recalled, declared
that the day had passed when the steel in
dustry required any protection whatever,
and his declaration aroused no small degree
of suspicion regarding the necessity of the
measure of protection now afforded that in
dustry. With evidence resulting from the
recent investigation of labor commissions
tending to show that the Steel Corporation
doesn't make any attempt to share with its
workmen the increased profits insured to it
by the tariff there is increasing opposition
to the present duties and it is quite pos
sible that one OF the first concrete efforts
to lower the tariff will be directed at the
steel schedule
MAKE JUDGES WORk.-The judicial ex-
perience of President Taft has resulted in
the enactment of a law in the Philiupiues
which constitutes SO serious a Joke on the
Judiciary of the islands that few of them
can be found who can perceive the humor
Of the situation. At the instance of Mr.
Taft there has been adopted a statute
which requires that judges about to take
Iheh diinui vacations must ceftlfy that
all eases which have been before them for
ninety days or more have been disposed of
before they draw their pay This stat
ute has occasoned some vigorous protests
from the learned jurists the Philippine
bench who under the influence of a tropi-
cal sun and a general indispositon to hus-
tie, have found the time for their leave at
hand and the dockets still far from clear.
Such a protest recently arrived at the Bu-
reau of InsuIar Affairs and was brought to
the attention of the President by General
Edwards, chief of that bureau, but if Gen
eral Edwards flashed under the Pacific the
comment Of the Executive it is a safe as
sumption that the island jurist will not
protest again q. G. II