The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-05-27
Boycott is As Bad As Blacklist
 States C0nnoIIev
New Labor Commissioner Hits at Agitators and Says
 Men Should Be Satisfied

Patrick H. Connolley the State la
 bor commissioner, newly appointed by Coy. Simeon E. Baldwin, and who for
 many years has been identified with
 the labor interests of the State, said
 today that in his estimation the prop
 CT procedure to secure lasting indus
 trial harmony between employer and
 employe was the adoption of a con-
 tract by which both parties must
 abide faithfully.
 He further said that both strikes
 and lockouts. as steps toward read
 JuStment of business relations, should
 be made unfair. Establishing is akin
 to boycotting, and these sister methods
 of obtaining ends are both detrimental
 and unjust. MT. Connolley believes
 that arbitration should prevail where
 disputes occur.
 MT. Connolley said that the hatters'
 strike at Danbury in 1909 had been set
 tied within five months while the dlS-
 pute in some shops is not yet over.
 The arbitration board, of which MT.
 Connolley was a member at the time
 of the strike, did not favor that the
 strikers should return until the em-
 ployers had agreed that the label
 should be put inside the hats. MT.
 COnnolley was the only member or
 the board to work for an agreement
 between DOCn IdcLlOnS, IedIlE1AS lhoI
 they must be brought together by
 some agreement. He obtained the as
 sistance of persons outside, with the
 result that the Danbury matters went
 back after five months without haVlns
 the label inside the hat, and with the
 agreement that in ninety days the en-
 ployers should be in a position where
 they could use the label. The agree ment between the matters and their employers at Danbury holds until 1920, so that peace is assured for that length of time. The Danbury strik- CTS were among the first of the 20,- O0G matters to get back.
 Mr. Connolley emphasized that the labor man owes a great deal to the employer and should be content to get good wages He believes that 5. 50 was a good days pay, and was the average stipulation of the unions. Both employer and employe are satisfied in Connecticut, in consequence of which conditions are quiet, the only disturb
 ance since MT. Connolley came into
 office being the Collinsville strike. As | business is now, MT. Connolley re- marked, difficulties could not be af- forded The ambitious agitator is a detriment to organized labor. The narrowing speeches of leaders to the members of the union with the intent | to arouse feelings against employers | and capital are useless and not de- | Sirable.
 In speaking about blacklisting. Mir. l Eonnolley, said a man may cause a disturbance in one place because he is at odds with his employer. but it | is no sign that he cannot be peaceful in other circumstances and conditions. As concerns lockouts and strikes, the Iaborer is usually short of money and for him to be out of work is a real hardship. while the employer who has enough money and can take loss com fortably, is steadily losing money up-
 on which labor is dependent. An agree ment would check disturbances at in opportune times and would conserve
 money and labor.
 Hartford are poor for an apprentice to obtain work. MT. ConnoIley is of the opinion, from what he has seen, that the matter is local. To give an- other Danbury instance the matters allow one apprentice to every ten en7- ployes. The commissioner does not think that organized labor hurts ap-
 premiership or skilled labor, or, as a usual thing, gives the poorer me- chanic a salary that is unjust when compared with the wage of the skilled hand.
 The duty of the labor commissioner is to discover the causes of labor grievances. The commissioner is not now invested with power to remedy such troubles MT. Connolley said he
 believed that the office had been | created in the interests of both classes. and said that he should act for the
 mutual welfare, not being biased by any previous connections. He will be- gin his first inspection of the five free public employment bureaus next week, starting a Bridgeport Monday talk