The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-06-10
RUSSIAN TRADE UNlONISTS EXIST
 ONLY IN SECRET


 St. Petersburg, June 1O.-Russian trade unionists have been celebrating the second anniversary of the ,estab- hshment of a labor press in the coun- try. Notwithstanding the most elab- crate precautions taken by the po- lice, meetings have been held in all most all factories, collections made, of the press. In many factories, workfnen have resolved to devote to the press fund a whole days wages and to try their best to increase the number of subscribers.
 Since it was established, Truth, the organ of the trades unions, has had 36 issues confiscated and it has had to change it's name half dozen times. Besides, fines totaling $4,ooO have been paid; 16 of it's editors have been imprisoned, and their sentences totalled AT months
 Tn fact, throughout Russia, labor organizations, through the, interfer- ence of the police, are unable to- ex- ist openly. This, in the opinion of many employers is the cause of the frequent strikes and lack of under standing between them and their men Should a dispute arise and the men appoint the delegates to meet the employers, those delegates are immediately arrested as the ringlead- CTS of some imaginary revolution and as consequence the negotiations come to nothing The Organizations have been driven to hold their meet ings in secret and are practically ruI- ed by. secret committees. No man dare disobey the orders of these com mittees.
 The perfect control exercised is shown by an incident freely quoted here. It was intimated that no work would be permitted on casting re- quired for a certain battleship. The casting travelled from one dockyard to another, and wherever it appear ed the men refused to work on it. Finally the boycott was nysteriously removed and the work was speedily completed.
 Russia is looking forward to an in ternatio ona1 astronomical invasion for the purpose of observing the solar eclipse on August 21.
 Tn the west of Europe the eclipse will be visible only partially, but Russia will be favored by vision Of a total ecli pse. It will begin in Nor way. pass through Sweden and the Baltic, and then travel through Rus sia from northwest to southeast, re- treating to Asia. Minor and Persia. The duration of the total eclipse will vary from a few seconds to a few minutes, and 1t will be longest at Minsk, where it will last 2 IA min, utes.
 The Russian observatories. astro- nonicaI and physical research socie-, ties, as well as the universities, have already arranged their places of ob4 servatiou at various spots from Riga in the northwest to Theodosia in the southeast, and the chief expedition of the Russian Astronomical Society has even gone outside the confines of the Empire to Asia Minor.
 British astronomers will be well Frank watson Dyson. at the head Of a large staff, will make observations at Minsk on behalf Of Greenwich Observatory; H. F. New all will head an expedition from the Cambridge AstropI1ysical Observatory to Theodosia; while Professor A. Fowler of the Royal Astrononical So- ciety will make his Headquarters at Kten No fewer than eleven scien- tific societies of Western Europe have already staked out their claims on Russian soil. and in addition many in divfdual men of science will be pres ent on their own initiative.