The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1913-11-15
GOMPERS AT HELM
LABOR'S SHIP SAFE
Continued From Fage

COntinucO from rage /. j. EF-I -
|. waite the standard of human society.
'One OF the general duties imposed
on the department under it's organic
Flaw is the duty of promoting the well
fare OF wage workers. s. &%8-... - Y
The che ! great specific, duty i'm
posed Oh the department is the duty
to act as mediator in trade disputes,
to oppCint commissioners Of concili-
aticn III trade disputes.
There can be no mediation; there
can be no Cancellation between en-
plcyers and employees that does not
DresupPose collective bargaining, and
there cannot be collective bargaining
that does not presuppose trade union
ISM
To Go Step Farther.
Of the situation at Calumet th&
secretary said it had heretofore been
the custom to investigate wages,
hours and condition of labor and re-
determined to go step farther and
investigate the earnings Of the COR
porations involved.
"An1 the little bit of confidence
that am going to give you,' he
added. lis an advance statement of
one of the items in that situation
that the largest corporation engaged
in the production of copper in the
Michigan district was organized in
1870 under the laws of the state of
Michigan: that the face value of it's
capital stock is $2,500,000. The
shares are SIS each. They were pur-
investment is $1,25O,OOO. From that
time until one year ago, the last fiscal
report that we had, a period of AZ
years, that corporation declared in
dividends 100000 on an invest
ment of $1,260,00O, and made rein
vestments out of its earnings of $751;
100000. Nearly $20O,0OO,O0O of actual
net profit in a period Of 40 years, on
an investment of $1,250,000, and then
not only protest against meeting COM
mlttees of their workmen but refuse
to accept the good offices of the de-
partment OF labor in negotiating the
difficulty.
They say their proposition is their
own; that they have the right to do
with it as they please. Maybe they
nave, but those who take that posi-
tlon have a false conception of the
! titles to property
Titles Created by Law.
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, but primarily for the well
fare of the man to whom it conveys
it, but for the welfare of the com
munity. Society has conceived
whether rightfully or wrongfully
that the best method of promot.
ing the welfare of society is tC
! convey titles to individuals in
real estate and personal ef-
fects. It does it, however, not for
the welfare of the individual, but fol-
the welfare of the great mass of the
people, and if any individual or cor
| property is his own, that he has the
right to do with it as he pleases, fails
to take into consideration the fact that
| the title has only been conveyed tc
him as a trustee for the welfare Of
the society, then he is creating con-
| dition that will cause society to modify
or to change these titles to property,
as it has perfect right to- do, when
/ ever in its judgment it deems it for
the welfare of society to do it,"
! Bureau OF Labor Information.
Mr.. Wilson condemned the sending
of strike breakers by private employ
! ment agencies. He had a dream OF
federal bureau of labor information
of which he said:
Il wish to see created within the
| department of labor bureau Of in
formation that will be handled much
| on the same lines as our weather
I bureau of information, where, with
the aid of the immense number OF
government employees which we have
scattered over the country. we will
gather the information of where men
can find employment, the wages they
will receive, the hours Of employing nt.
the conditions under which they toll,
| whether or not a trade union is rec
ognized, and last, but not least,
whether or not any trade dispute ex-
| lists where the employment may be
had; and then condense that informa.
ton into a sheet that can be posted
in every postoffice in the United States
and in every other place where men
congregate, so that they will have the
| information relative to where employ
! ment can be had and the kind of en-
pl0yment and in doing SO give them
the information in such way that whe1,
a man comes into community where