The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1912-03-16


held in check, but with a view to com.
plete eradication.
The electrical workers controversy in
volying secession movement and which
has tied up nearly 100000 is now being
tried in the courts of Cleveland. A de-
cision is expected in the near future.
A bill has been introduced in the
| United States Senate by Senator Gard
ner of Maine, authorizing the govern.
ment to take over the properties of the
express companies and operate them in
conjunction with the postofice depart
ment. The estimated cost of acquiring
| the express companies Is a trihe over
100000. The statement has been
made that the parcels post would not
bring the relief desired, as the express
companies are paying the railways only
/ about one-half as much for carving
packages as the government would have
to pay them for carrying its packages
under the present postal law, and in
order to get the benefit of this relatively
low railway rate, the express contracts
with the railways should be taken adj
vantage of 1t was also brought out
that the average express rates in ten
foreign countries amounts to S425 ton,
while in the United States the average
is S3l.20 a ton.
The average wage received by brick
layers in England is 1912 per week of
52b hours. The bricklayers in Germany
receive $3.50 per week and are required
to work 80 hours.
1t is reported by the United Mine
workers officials in the Pennsylvania
anthracite region that the total stock
Of coal on hand is only about one and
half million tons. 1t is asserted that
with the average demand this would
be consumed in seven days. This state
of affairs argues in the interest Of the
miners, should strike be necessary in
these fields.
The Vermont State Branch, A. F. L.,
has donated $500 to the Lawrence
strikers.
The House committee on rules has be-
fore it for consideration two resolutions
on the Lawrence, Mass, strike. One of
them calls for special committee of
investigation, while the other authorizes
the committee on labor to make the
investigation. A number of men and
women, boys and girls, participants in
the strike, have testified before the rules
committee, giving their story as to the
conduct Of the police and the state mil
tia during the strike Some of the in
stances related are almost unbelievable, !
and yet apparently the strikers have
been treated shamefully. Congressman
Berger and Wilson and President Com
pers appeared before the committee in !
advocacy of the resolutions of investiga- |
tion. President Gompers and Wilson ar /
gued in favor of investigation by the |
labor committee. 1t is quite likely that /
the investigation will be ordered by the I
rules committee and the actual state OF I
labor also has its agents in Lawrence
at the present time.
Beginning April !, the local BARRIERS
will start out on their new agreement.
On and after that date they will com.
mence their daily labors at 1880 a. NJ,
with the usual closing hour of p m.
These hours will continue winter and
summer. Saturday evening the shops
will close at 10 p. M, being one hour
earlier than formerly. An additional
quarter of an hour is added to the even.
ing lunch time, making three-quarters
of an hour under the new bill, in place
of the half hour in the old agree
ment. A minimum wage rate of $500
has been established with proviso at
tached that will entitle any union barber
making over $2l.00 in labor value to one
half of all values produced above that
amount. For example, if barber pro-
duces $4,000 in labor value to his EN-
ployer. he will receive in wages at the
end of the week $3.50, and so on We
heartily congratulate our brother bar
bers in securing better working eondi-
tions, also increased wage rate, espe-
eially so when we consider such an agree
ment has been reached satisfactory to
employer and employe. May the good
work continue.
Alex. Ironside,
Correspondent.