Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1914-12-23
DISTRIBUTION OF
LABOR S PROBLEM
Secretary Wilson Discusses e.
forts to Brinq JobIess Man
and ManIess Job
Together.

Washington Special: Secretary Will
son of the department of labor, i'm his
annual report, submitted today ex-
presses the conviction that had the
owners of the mine properties in the
Caiumet copper region and the Colo
RADIO coal fields dealt with the strike
SITUATION in their inception. "had they
oeen on the ground and personally in
charge, there is reason to believe that
no strike would be occurred"
Whatever NAV have been the re-
sponsibilty of the workmen for the
strike and its Incidents" said Secre-
tary Wilson, t h local management
cannot be wholly acquitted; and upon
the elementary principle of agency, as
sound IN morals as in law, ultimate re-
sponsibility must rest upon the own
ers."
Labor Disputes.
principally, Secretary Wilson'S re-
port Is devoted to a review of the labor
disputes the department has success
FULLY mediated during the last wear and
it defines at some length the principles
upon which the department acts in
such cases. OF the mediation and con-
Citation work the report says:
OF all the functions of the depart
ment or labor which it Is yet possible
to administer. this one may be reason
ably regarded as the most important.
Suggesting with reference to labor dis
putes a development of diplomatic
duties in the department of labor an
alogous to those in the department of
state with reference to international
disputes, 1t points to a federal admin
lstrative system for promoting and fos-
tertng industrial peace; not a peace of
the Warsaw order, but one of mutual
benefit and good will.
Aim Of Department..
Primarily the department. of labor
must conserve in industrial disputes
fh0 tnfnrncf0 nF t1o
United States. Such is it's duty under
the law of it's creation. the first sec
tOfn of which charges it with re-
sponsibility for their general welfare
while the eighth makes this RESPONSE
bility specific as to labor disputes. And
those interests are exceptional in their
magnitude. Not only do wage earners
constitute in number more h a third
OF our total population. but in financial
respects also their aggregate interests
are vast. 1t is doubtful If any vocational
interests represented lii our govern
mental system exceed in volume or
public Importance those of the wage
earners of the United States.
but though the department of la
Dor represents primarily the wage
earning interests in labor disputes, it's
ideal is to make it's representation sim
liar in character to that of the depart
ment of state, which, while representing
the interests of this country in disputes
between II and other countries, does
so with fairness toward all countries.
MI. Wilson then discusses the distri-
button of wage earners, saying:
Excess in the supply of labor over
demand for 1t Is a cause of labor dis
puteS which ranks high in Importance,
If indeed 1t does not rank as the cause.
In c%Olloquial terms the .jobless man
puts all wage workers at a disadvan-
tage in bargaining with employers.
The 'manless job is a corresponding
colloQuialism. If there were a profit
able 'manless job for every .jobless
man. the complete remedy for indus
trial disputes would be to bring the two
together; but whether so complete a
correspondence esxists or not. no one
at all familiar with the problem of
seasonal employment and of accidental
displacements of wage earners can
doubt that 1t exists in some degree.
There were 'manless jobs for jobless'
victims of the Salem fire. and this de-
partment helped to bring the two to-
gether: there are 'manless jobs Of the |
seasonal kind on our farms and else |
where to which this department has
been able In some instances to bring !
'jobless men, In so far as department.
al work Of this kind can be improved
and expanded. the evils Of labor dis
putes will be miniminized: and with
reference to such work the cooperation
of congress is urgently solicited. What
is needed is timely and widespread in.
formation concerning labor conditions
in every part Of the country.