The Washington times., 1911-02-25
GOAPERS DEFENDS
ORGANIZED LABOR
Refutes Charges of Opposi-
ton to New Methods in
Departments.
PUBLIC PRINTER is
QUOTED AT LENGTH
Declares Cost of WarshipS Materi-
ally Decreased by Federal
Competition.

Refuting the charge that organized
labor has been inimical to Introduction
OF new methods in the Government
Printing Office and other departments,
and declaring that organized labor has
made ii possible to build modern col
liers and battleships in a definite time
in a Government yard instead of being
subject to delay in private shipyards,
Samuel Gompers today made public,
through the American Federationist, his
second paper in defense of union labor
in Federal departments in Washington.
The Public Printer, who is character
ized as a practical printer. having
before his installation in this office had
q wide experience in dealing with ell
ployers and employees is quoted at
length in a statement
Pays Tribute
In this statement the Public Printer
pays high tribute to the cooperation of
both his executives and employees.
\ description of the improved ma
chinery in the printing office is given.
n. c. Sprague, a representative Of the
pressmen, is quoted as saying: 1T is
certainly not true that organized labor
in the Government Printing Onice Is
methods. AS a mater of fact, workmen
court improvements
Mr. Sprague gives an extended de-
Scription of the improvements intro
duced with the cooperation OF the
union men.
A striking statement to the effect that
''the price for press work III the Gov
ernment Printing Office is - per cent
lower than ever before in its history
due largely to the new equipment IN
stalled in its press ROOM" is made.
1t is also stated that the cost of
building warships has been materially
decreased because of Government COM
petition.
Foundry Discussed.
In reference to the Washington naval
gun factory, Mr.. Gompers says:
Members of organized labor have
made persistent efforts to obtain reme-
dial legislation from Congress to secure
for the Washington naval gun factory
release from the StTangle hold the steel
casting monopoly has upon II. For
years the officials at the yard have
followed the example set by the me-
ChaniCs, and cO-operated with them as
far as they could so under executive
rulings in the quest for relief by means
of legislation"
The reason the new foundry is not
provided is that there are special in
terests at work before Congress to pro-
mote the doing of the fOundry's work
by contract, according to Mr.. Comp
ers
There is, however, one charge to be
made against most of the 10000 en-
ployeS in the mechanical establishments
in the Government departments at
Washington. which is true declares
Mr.. GOmpers. They have had the
backbone to organize and to establish
an afiiliatiOn with the other trade un
ions of the American Federation of
Labor. While in the case of Govern
ment clerks for more than half cen
tury there has been no revision of the
scale of wages, the mechanical en-
the union scale.
I'm the light of the facts which we
place before the public-it is to be re-
peated with emphasis We consider that |
the charges against the trade uniOnists |
in the employ Of the Government de- |
partments have completely failed