The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1911-11-13

! it is expected that some report will
be made to the coming Congress.
, The work O. the United States
Burear OF Mines is establishing mine
rescue stations through the coal re-
gions and the campaign of education
which the bureau has been carrying
on among miners. is warmly COM
mended.
The report endorses the bill intro
duced at the last congress by Repre-
sentative Sulzer, of New York. Gre
ating a Department of Labor in the
Federal government.
In an appeal for better laws to pro.
tect life and health in factory build
ings. President Gompers refers to the
fire in the Triangle Shirt Waist
Company's building In New York last
April In which l43 girls lost their
lives.
In scoring the so-called Efficiency
and Scientific Management systems.
President Gompers declared as false
statements that the systems have In.
creased wages. He charged that the
systems work undue hardship on the
laborer and result in no material
gain.
The fight for the eight-hOur day.
President G0mpers said. is steadily
going on. and he declared that labor
men could find satisfaction In the
fact that the last Congress applied
the eight-h0ur law to the cOnstruc-
ton of battleships, and that those
provisions OF the law had been put
into effect by the executive officers
of the government.
Among the other subjects treated
IN the report are Child Labor, Loco
motive boiler inspection, the Dan.
Dury iialterS Case-thc Senate Third
Degree Investigation, Seameh S
rignts, Railroad Track inspection, In
surance laws, the strike OF the wO.
men Garment Workers, the Baldwin
Locomotive works strike and the
work OF the federation organizers.
Each is treated briefly. reporting pro-
gresS, but without any recommends
tons other than those hitherto ex-
pressed.
The membership Of the organiza-
4 ton was never So great. According
to Secretary MorrisOn's report, its
financial condition is excellent The
Treasury shows balance OF nearly
100000 on hand. Nearly $4,000.
600 was dsbursed in support oil
strikes by the various unions which
are affiliated with the Federation.
During 1911 the Federation issued
$40 charters to unions. bringing the
total OF its organization membership
to ,t6i. In individual membership
the Federation gained nearly 20U,-
900 during the year.
The American Federation OF La
Dor through its affiliated Organiza-
tons has today the largest member
ship in its history" said President
Gompers in conclusion. Its stand
ing is sound and prospects are
bright. In its long drawn-Out le-
gal contests there is more reason
than ever to assume that labor S
cause will win. In number OF i'm
pOrtant strikes during the year, We
have had gains, and there has been
a tendency to continue the shorten
ing of the work day. to do away with
child labor, and to animate the UNI
organized masses with desire to
take part in the great labor move
ment.
Our movement has no schsm
within. All opposition to its poll
cies, its procedures, its form of Or
ganization. and its tactics, come
from without. All who would d.
vert ii from its established princi-
pies are enemies, working for the
: promotion of institutions foreign to
its character. Those who woult.
change it aim at its disintegration
: This is true whether the antagon-
isl in view is the college presiden,
who believes i'm the right of the non
unionist to work below the union
scale alongside of the unionist; or
the philanthropist who believes un-
ions should be mere benevolent So
cieties. or the editor who believes
: that the unionist should be always in