The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1913-01-28
CIVIC FEDERATION IN SESSION
Reduction of Strikes to Minimum
One of Aims Sought
UNIFORM LAWS IN STATES

New York, Jan. 2S.-Many eminent
representatives of capital and labor
assembled at the Hotel Astor today To
exchange opinions on the impbortant
subject of Mediation in Industrial
Disputes" The National Civic Fedora
ton brought them together with the
intention Of making the discussion Of
this subject the leading feature of it's
thirteenth annual meeting. The ses-
sions will continue over tomorrow and
will conclude with the annual ban
quet tomorrow night
Twelve years experience in dealing
with Industrial disputes by the con-
citation department of the Nationa.
Civic Federation has convinced the
members that to reduce the number of
strikes to a minimum and to bring
about IN early settlement when a
strike is not preventable, there Is
need Of egisation-amendator in
some cases and entirely new in others.
Would Strengthen Erdman Act.
To suggest amendments TO the Fed
eral law known as the Erdman act
and to formulate a model arbitration
law that might be adopted by AL the
states are TIE chief purposes OF the
present conference. The Erdman act.
so far as its present scope extends, is
"a satisfactory measure 1t
has been successfully applied in inter-
state railroad disputes, bat 1t does not
at present include disputes which may
arise in railway shops or in coastwiss
or river transportation or in express
traffic, and being "A Federal act. it does
not apply To municipal utilities, which
can be dealt with only by the states.
The strengthening of the Erdman act
and the adoption of laws along the
Same line by all of the states are
deemed necessary. And in addition IL
such Federal and state legislation. the !
will consider a plan for |
settling disputes between Federal, |
state and municipal employees and |
their respective governments.
Uniform State Laws Favored.
In addition to the question of set
ting industrial disputes by law, the |
delegates to the conference now in /
session will be asked to devise ways /
and means 10 bring about uniform
laws on other matters of general inn
portance. such as workmen's compcn
sation, accident prevention, pensions
for federal, state and municipal EN-
ployes reform in legal procedure, reg
llation of public utilities, regulation
Of industrial corporations, and regula-
ton of the manufacture and sale of
drugs and food products.
The past two years the federation
has devoted much time and energy to-
ward obtaining uniformity of state
legislation, and the hope is expressed
hat beneficial results along this line
Will he accomplished in the legisla
.ures now in session in nearly all OF
he states. 1t is believed that the
ederations proposed model bills
lrafted by experts will be of great
'alue in furnishing material To legis-
ative committees which have these
ubjects i'm charge
Prominent Men to Speak.
The various questions are to be
1 I
veil qualified to speak on the subjects
assigned them. Prominent among ,
hose scheduled as speakers Andrew
carnegie. August Belmont, John
lays Hammond, Alton h. Parker.
seth Low, Samuel Gompers. present
f the American Federation of Labor:
Warren s. Stone head of the Interna
lonal brotherhood of Locomotive En-
ineers; James NJ. Lynch. president
f the International Typographical
Inion; James Duncan, vice president
f the American Federation of Labor: ,
'rof jeremiah w. jerks. the noted
olitical economist of Cornell Cniver-
ity; Austin Il. Garretson, president
T the Order of Railway Conductors !
William c. Brown, president of the $
Few York Central Railroad. Frank 4
chairman of the board of a
irectors of the Chesapeake and Ohio h
lilway@ George Il. Cortelyou, former v
of the treasury; Albert b
haw, the well known editor and pub a
cist; Francis Lynde Stetson, famous a
$ a corporation lawyer: Marcus NJ. $
Iarks, manufacturer and an authori-
' on subjects Of labor and concila-
on, and Talcott William head of the
,hool of journalism of COLUMBIA uni.
ersty n
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