The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1911-09-18

hrst eslapilsheG III Australia. In 1875
the state of Victoria enacted stat.
ute providing for special wage boards,
composed Of an equal number of EN-.
pioyers and employees, and a chairman
appointed by the government. Each
represents different industry and
fixes schedules Of pay, which are the
lowest that any employer in the trade
Is permitted to give. Slow workers
may, however, be hired at lower rates.
While not entirely abolishing, the
law has diminished sweating, has
maintained wages above amounts paid
In unregulated trades, promoted or
ganization among the workers, brought
employers and employees closer to-
gether and elevated the plane OF COM
petition. The great majority of the
people of Victoria, including most Of
the employers In the regulated trades,
seem to be satisfied Between 1907
and 1909 New South Wales, Queens
land and South Australia adopted the
wage board system
San Francisco. The San Francisco
Labor council adopted a resolution in
reference to proposed constitutional
amendments concerning the initiative,
referendum and recall and woman suf-
frage, The law and legislative com.
mittee was instructed TO prepare rec.
concentrations for the consideration Of
the council to provide for agitation
and education of the workers to the
necessity of Intelligent action and APP
proval upon those vital legislative pro-
posals, and that the law and legisla-
tive committee be authorized to In
clude In its recommendations plans
providing for the awakening interest
on the part of union men and women
In these amendments,
Washington. -The efficiency system
of America finds It's counterpart In the
United Kingdom under the euphonious
title of satisfactory level" There Is
now dispute at Bacup, In which Ia
involved the question of standard OF
quantity in given time. II is charged
that the mill owners have exercised
more than legitimate pressure In ar
irving at their satisfactory level of in
dividual production. Sympathy in gen,
eral is with the operatives In the
controversy III
Fresno, Cal.--The strike OF plumb
ers and sheet metal workers, which
has been on In Fresno, was settled
when the strikers agreed on a com
promise. The original demands were
for $3.50 day and Saturday half
holiday. The plumbers and timers
were getting FIVE dollars day. BY
the compromise the plumbers and tin
ners will get the half holiday on
their own time, but will get no in
crease in wages until October is.
They will receive $3.50 week IN
til October.
Washington The number of labor
ers employed In the shoe industry In
the city Of Barcelona, Spain, is about
1850 of whom $50 are women. The
wages paid per week of nine and
onehalf hours workdays In the fac
tories are as follows: Foremen, IS. TO
to 1925; mounters. $3.50 to $4.75;
day laborers, 1885 to s4.75; polishers,
$3.50 to s475; cutters, $3.42 to $4.75;
machine operator (women), $2.5S to
$S.42; apprentices, $l.6S to $2.2S.
Boston. Boston branch of the Ma
rine Firemen's union won It's strike
against the United Fruit company to
secure a return to the old Boston wage
scale and recognition of the union.
The old wage rate has been re-estab.
lished. Several conferences have been
held with the unions representatives,
and while the entire request OF the
union ON recognition matters was not
agreed to, the arrangement made
amounts to about the same thing.
Los Angeles, Cal.-Labor unions In
Los Angeles gained 6,S74 In member
ship during the last year, and the
growth at the present time Ia greater
than ever before. 1t ia believed the
next year will see an additional mem
bership Of ten thousand. The growth
OF the unions has resulted In increased
wages, reduction in the hours OF labor
and improved surroundings for the
workers.
Indianapolis The referendum vote
by the subordinates of the Information.
al Cigar Makers union, on q PROPOSE.
ton to hold a convention OF the inter
national body this year shows that II
has been defeated. There has not
been convention OF the international
for 15 years, all needed legislation In
that time having been transacted
through the initiative and referendum.
Paris, F'rance.--The federation Of
trade unions connected with the build,
ing industry In France has decided
the bodies which form It shall no long
or take part In any building opera,
lions connected with prisons.
San Francisco San Francisco print
ers and the allied trades of that city,
have been doing some organization
recently and shortly will have working
combination like that in Boston.
The other California and Pacific
states cities send reports of progress
In organization work. The Pacific
cost congress stirred things out there
evidently.
Washington. lin Australia even the
bushmen and other men who do odd
Jobs have a union. of sixty thousand
members, and large surplus of
money, and own an evening newspa-
per of their own.