The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-11-13
Bitterly Arraigns Attitude
of Michigan Copper Min
ing Companies
MAY PROBE EARNINGS
OF CORPORATIONS
Secretary of Labor Forecasts Steps
About To Be Taken in Labor Sit
uation-Practice of Strike.
breaking Condemned

Seattle, Wash, November 1s.-Secre-
tary of Labor William b. Wilson, ad-
dressing the American Federation of
Labor convention today, bitterly ar
raigned the attitude OF the Michigan
copper mining companies, warning
them that a new conception of titles
to property was In process of forma-
ton. He declared he would make public
not only the wages paid to the miners
but also the hours they worked and
other labor conditions. He cited the
enormous profits of the mine owners.
Mr.. Wilson, who addressed the dele
gates as Fellow Unionists." said:
THE department of labor as now or
ganized and directed will be used to
cooperate with the great trade union
movement In Its effort to elevate the
standard of human society
"One of the general duties imposed
on the department is that of promot-
ing the welfare of wage earners
The one great specific duty imposed
on the department is to act as media
tor and to appoint commissioners of
conciliation in trades disputes.
Strikebreakers Condemned
There can be no mediation; there
can be no conciliation between en-
ployes that does not presuppose COL
iective bargaining Is justified in equity
and there cannot be collective bargain
ing that does not presuppose trade
unionism is rational"
or the situation at Calumet Mich.
the secretary said 1t had heretofore
Deen the custom n tfoa p
ours and conditions of labor and re-
port. This time he said 1t had been de-
termlned to go step further and in
sestigate the earnings of the corpor-
ltions involved.
The little bit of confidence that I
am going to give to you," said he, rs
an advance statement of one of the
items In that situation 1t Is that the
largest corporation engaged in the pro-
duction of copper in the Michigan dis
tr1ct was organized in 1870 under the
laws or the state of Michigan. that
the face value of It's capital stock Is
S2.500.000. The shares are s25 each
They We're purchased at $12 each, so
that the actual investment Is S125O. 900.
From that time until one year ago
the last fiscal report that we had. n
period of AZ years, that corporation de-
clared In dividends 1921, 100000 and
made reinvestments out of it's earnings
of $75,000,0O0.
5000, 100000 Net Profit
Nearly $200, 900 of actual net
profits in period of AZ years on an
investment of s1.25O,O0O and then they
not only protest against meeting COM
mittee of their workmen, but refuse to
accept the leading offices of the de-
partment of labor in negotiating as
a mediator of the differences.
They say their property Is their
own: that they have the right to do
with 1t as they please Maybe they
have, but those who take that position
have false conception of the titles to
property"
The secretary said every title was
law-created and law-protected, and
that, deprived of these laws. the prop
erty involved, would be at the mercy
of the first strong and cunning man
who desired it.
Law has created those titles" he
continued, mot primarily for the well
fare of the man to whom 1t conveys
1t, but for the welfare of the COM
munity. Society has conceived, whether
rightfully or wrongfully, that the best
method of promoting the welfare of
society Is to convey titles to indtvid-
uals in real estate and personal effect.
1t does 1t. however, not for the well
fare of the individual. but the welfare
of the great mass of the people. If any
individual or corporation takes the
ground that the property Is his own.
that he has the right to do with 1t
as he pleases and fails to take into
consideration the fact that the title
abs only been conveyed to him as "A
trustee for the welfare of the society.
then he Is creating a condition that
will cause society to modify or change
these titles to property, as 1t has a
perfect right to do whenever in its
judgment 1t deems 1t for the welfare
of society to do it."
Strikebreakers Condemned
Mr.. Wilson condemned the sending
Of strike breakers by private employ
ment agencies. and said:
II wis hto see created within the
department of labor a bureau of in
formation that will be handled much
on the same lines as our weather bu-
reau of information, where. with the
aid of the immense number of gov
ernment employees which we have scat
tered over the country, we will gather
the information of where men can
find employment, the wages they will
receive. the hours of employment, the
conditions under which they toll, wheth-
er or not a trade union is recognized
and last but not least. whether or not
any trade dispute exists where the en-
ployment may be had: and then con-
hot Inf M