The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1911-12-30
LABOR UNION NOTES
OF WIDE INTEREST
Frank ]. Hayes Denies That United
Mine Workers Are to Withdraw from
American Federation of Labor.

production II is hard for the average
person to conceive of superabundance Of
! food, clothing and other articles so nee
essary for an existence, and at the same
time see thousands of men, women and
children starving, freezing and existing
in the midst of the most shameful con
ditions. Yet such are the conditions that
prevail under our present social organi-
cation. Elevators, warehouses and stor-
1 age plants of all kinds are filled to over.
/ flowing with every sort of commodity;
at the same time men, women and chill
dren, human beings, if you please, are
starving and suffering for necessaries OF
| life Under our modern industrial system,
the workingman is unable to buy back,
on account OF inadequate remuneration,
| all that is created by him and conse-
quently each day a surplus is accumu-
lated to be stored away, while men,
women and children starve.
These conditions must forever CON
tinue to be the case until the workers,
conscious OF their economic and political
power, will unite to make it otherwise.
o o
Frank J. Hayes, vice. president OF the
United Mine Workers of America, in a
statement before the convention of the
American Federation of Labor, at At
lanta, positively and emphatically de-
MED the rumor that the miners were
considering withdrawal from the A. +.
OF l.. He stated that the miners had
always been loyal to the trade union
movement and would continue SO in the
In anita of #hsa
publications persist in repeating the ru.
NOR. Undoubtedly Vice President Hayes
voiced the sentiments of the rank and
file of the coal miners when he made
his statement, and certainly he is more
familiar with the attitude of the min
ers than any other individual outside of
the organization.
o
Senator Cummns OF Iowa. chairman
OF the Senate committee on civil service,
Is expected to complete and introduce his
bill for the retirement of government
clerks in a short time. He SAYS: 81
have completed that portion of the bill
relating to the retirement of veteran
employees in the civil service, but the bill
will also include a plan for the reclassi-
fication Of all the employees in the sery-
ice and for promotion and demotion. 1t
is that feature which | am now working
out. The retirement system TO be pro-
posed is a contributory plan, not the
straight pension plan. Other details |
would prefer 10 announce when the bill
is introduced
o o
During the past FIVE years there have
been advances of 20 per cent. in the
purchase price Of the following necessi-
ties in the markets of SOUTHAMPTON
consular district Fresh beef, mutton.
bacon, hams, butter, eggs, fruits. teas,
dried fruits, sugar, coffee, fuel, timed
goods, womens apparel, footwear, cloth.
ing, cotton goods, bedding furniture and
underwear, All these articles enter this
port duty free except tea, sugar. coffee,
dried fruit and those things which have
an added sugar content. There has also
been an advance in the price of nearly
every class of raw material. The price
OF -four has fluctuated, but is classified
as among the dearer commodities.
o 0
d. ]. Shackleton's appointment az an
insurance commissioner will, of course,
mean that his post Of senior labor ad-
wiser at the home office will become
vacant early next year. and some curios-
ity is felt regarding his successor. It Is
understood that though no definite steps
have been taken in the matter. the
names of at least two members of the
labor party are under consideration IN
connection with the post 1t is antici-
pated that some difficulty viii be ex-
perienced in finding successor, as far
as remuneration is concerned. There Il
always the possibility that the next
appointment may be made outside the
ranks of the parliamentary labor party.
but there is no keen desire for the posi-
ON the part of the men who are most
suited for it.
News comes from Chicago that. fear.
ing gigantic strike Of bituminous coal
miners of the country will be called on
April |, next, unless the old joint inter
state agreement is re-established, coal
operators and miners officials have held
meeting for the purpose of taking
steps to avoid a contest between the
coal operators and the miners.
0 0 o o
Louis d. Brandes, they well-known |
Boston lawyer, in testifying before the |
Senate committee on interstate com. |
merce in dealing with the trust question. |
gave expression to the following: 9The |
successful trusts have created conditions
absolutely inconsistent with American
industrial and social needs In our lust
Indignation over crimes disclosed at Los
Angeles should not statesmen seek the
cause Of the widespread, deliberate out
burst Of volence2 Was it not because
they, and men like them, believed that
the wage-earner, acting singly or col [
lectively, is not strong enough to secure !
substantial justice? Is there not cas- I
ual connection between the development T
of these huge and indomitable trusts /
and the horrible crimes now under in. I
vestigation? Are not these irresistible +
trusts important contributing factors of I
social unrest? Is it not irony to speak /
of equality of opportunity in country |
cursed with their social bigness ?"
o o
The Washington Central Labor union. /
at its last meeting, adopted a statement I
and resolutions in the Mcnamara case
The attempt of individuals and news
papers to cast odium on the leaders of /
labor was severely condemned, as was /
also the commission of crime and the /
McNamaras.
The officials of international unions, |
with hpadnuartara at Tndiauapolis Ind |