The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1913-04-28
LABOR NOTES OF
vide INTEREST

Again we find the state of Ohio in
the vanguard of progressive legislation
through the action OF its legislature re-
Gently, when il passed bill providing
pensions for dependent widows and aban'
doned wives with young children, this
measure only needing the governors sig
/ nature TO have it become law. BY
this action Of the legislature, Ohio takes
it's place with Illinois, Pennsylvania,
Utah, Missouri and New Jersey as po-
neers in a movement TO preserve the
home, which, after ALL is the unit and
foundation OF society as at present con
stituted.
The Ohio law differs from the laws in
the other states which have enacted sim
liar legislation, insofar as it makes Il
liberal provision of SIS per month for
all dependent mothers with one child
under ID, and an Ohio mother wholly
Respondent upon her own resources with
five children, may draw $43 monthly
from the state, which is far greater
benefit than in the other states men,
toned
The initiation of this admirable relief
Legislation is credited to Illinois, and in
our opinion. it should be adopted by all
states as the simplest and most effec-
tive method devised of preserving the
| families of the destitute from disintegra
ton. To our mind it ought not to be
necessary for mothers to have to sur
render their children to the state to care
for them in institutions, as after all,
mother is the natural, and consequent
| ly the best, orphan asylum, and her
home. however humble it may be, is the
Ia oJnanIo,,ts ND
states which endow the mothers with
that object in view make the most in
telligent use of public funds.
No great industry can flourish in these
days and in this country that refuses
the help of organized labor. Morals,
politics and economics are all against it,
for the forces of all these are on the
side of the combined and cooperating eff
forts of working men and working WON
en- to improve their conditions by self |
help and by mutual help, instead of |
relying on the charity or generosity or |
philanthropy Of their employers.
Over $4,000 children under l6 years !
of age are employed in this country, |
according to a report issued by the ma !
tional child labor committee, the state
ment being based on the latest bulletin
of the census bureau. This report shows
I'M children under l6 years old EN-
ployed in the hosiery and knitting mills,
nearly 10000 in the wooden industry, /
STAB in the silk factories ll,035 in
the canning factories and more than 49,,
900 engaged in other manufacturing in
1ustries.
Notable achievements are the result Of
well directed and persistent effort. The
American Federation OF Labor is the
creation OF the wage earners. Its vic
tories of the past are legion. The proof
of its efficiency as an aggressive and
militant instrument to oppose economic
injustice is in its growth. Nirile, un-
haunted and vigorous the influence OF
the great federation continues to draw
The unorganized into the unions of labor.
A great epoch in its history has &C.
.urred The membership OF its affiliat
a unions, for the first time, has reached
md oyerlapped the 100000 mark. For
he month of March, 1913 the American
federation of Labor received per capita
AK from its affiliated organizations
,ased upon an aggregate membership OF
'007 $50. :
Secretary Fred w. Suitor of the
luarry Workers international union as
erts that the local branches of that or
anization have been unusually success
III in gaining concessions and securing
ew agreements. During the recent
asst, agreements have been entered into
nth employers at Milford, n. H., where
three years contract has been entered
lto with an eight per cent increase
'ithout friction At Marlboro, \. H.,
similar agreement was secured, but
5 the result of fifteen-day strike.
n Mount Waldo Me-, another agree
tent was secured, carrying with it an
lcrease of one per cent. per hour. At
aymond. Cal, another settlement was
scured which runs from year to year
it'll a minimum wage scale of $3.50
er day. The local branch at Cleveland,
:, also gained 25 cents per day with
1T any difficulty. All of these local
mons have an eight hour day, with
me and quarter for overtime and dou-
e time for Sundays ond holidays.
The constant agitation being carried q