Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1910-06-10

manded. In many cases q comprom
Use beneficial to the men have beef
reached, and in others the men hav,
returned to work under the old condi
tons.
Among the most, important Of tbs
strikes Of the year is that of the car.
pehters of Portland, which at one tim.
threatened to tie up the building trade.
of the whole city.
This however was averted and the las
reports | have from there showed that
the boss contractors were fast falling
in line signing the new wage seal,
asked for by the men
A strike which started In the paper
industry in New York and extended
into New Hampshire Vermont and al
one time threatened to cripple one OF
Names largest Industries has but re-
Gently ended. with practically every
demand of the men concealed by the
company.
The papermakers since the strike of
1908 have been working under cOndi-
lions that could not help breeding dis
content among them and when a strike
occurred in New York State it was as
a match applied to finder and soon
spread to twenty-fOur (24) out of the
thirty-twO mills Of the International
PAPER Co. Strike breakers We're i'm
po.ted and the company and its former
emplOyers settled down for what looked
to be q long bitter contest. The New
York Board of Mediation and Arhitra
ton, the Labor Commissioners Of New
York, and John Mitchell representing
the National Civic Federation made re-
heated attempts to bring the two par
ties together, but could get no en-
couragement from the company.
Commissioner Lyons or Maine after
a careful study of the situation sue
ceeded in opening correspondence
with the President of the Paper Co,
and in the end brought about q con-
ference through which the strike was
settled satisfactory to all concerned.
In bringing about this conference
your president through the request of
Mr.. Lyons took part, and it has
strengthened my belief in the argu-
rnent that have always made that in
troubles Of this kind the whole nues-
ton of settlement rests on getting
the two parties to the controversy into
one room, with no one in between to
throw mud.
Too much credit cannot be given Mr..
Lyons for the part he took in bringing
about this conference which led to the
settlement as it no doubt means in the
end working agreement, signed for
term of years. and also means new life
and added prosperity to the towns in
which these mills are situated.
There is one thing that every union
man should feel it his duty to work for
and when attained should hold most
sacred and that is the working agree
ment.
To my mind strikes and labor trOu-
bes will never cease until our national
enacts laws which will
prevent the over capitalization of in
dustries and prevents them from pay
of watered stock, and this money has
been turned back into the channels
where it rightfully belongs. either to
the laborer who produces or to lower
he price Of the product.
But until such time comes industrial
peace may ne advanced by the use OF
the working agreement between the
employer and his employee. which will
insure the employer against strikes
and the employees against lockonts.
The public in general has large in
terest in this direction as strike or
lockout in any town or city is not only
felt by the employer and employees,
but by the whole community.
There is no merchant who wants to
stock his store with merchandise in a
city where the employers and employed
are ever at losgerh. ads and trouble is
looked for any day. New enterprises
do not want to locate in such cities.
and landlords do not want to own prop
cry in cities where his houses may be
vacated and the city practically de-
populated in case Of a strike or lock-
out
On the other hand 4 merchant orders
goods with the confidence that he will
be able to dispose of them. New en-
terprises will enter n city feeling that
The class of help they are to procure
are Industrious and contented And
The landlord feels that when he secures
a tenant, that he will be permanent
one, il they know that in the off1ces OF
the industrial establishments there are
contracts or working agreements whlch
say that in case of any diffenence or
disagreement between the concern and
It's help there shall be arranged n con-
ference between the two and in case
they cannot come to any satisfactory
conclusion the point at issue shall be
left to a board Of arbitration and that
both parties shall stand by the verdict
rendered by such board.
| believe ii is the duty OF business
men in every city and town to 90 al!
they can to bring about such agree
ments. employers as a rule are prone
10 say that when they hire man nio
pay him for his work that that is as
far as his interest in their business
goca. But when they make such state
ments they lose the right to say tha'
ii is hard 20 find men who will work
for the best interests of their employ
ers thing that an employer shonld
feel that his employees occupy differ
ent position in the success of his en-
terprise than the raw material that lie
buys for so much q ton or otherwise.
believe that these employees
should be led to think that they are
more than machine and that the
employers interests are their inter-
ectc ou.3 that their interests are at