Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1914-12-14


/ less solicited to do 80. and although
this is regarded as tho wiser policy at
present. yet the statute empowers the
secretary to act whenever. In his judg-
ment, the interests Of industrial peace
may require It to bo done: and condi-
lions are conceivable In which 1t would
be advisable for the department. to Of
fer it's good offices though neither party
! requested or desired II. In the case.
for instance, OF n strike of such Bit
tcrness az to inspire both sides with q
determination to fight to the bitter end,
and OF such magnitude as to prejudice
! other Industrial interests or to disturb
. the public at large, Y would doubtless
be the du' { OF the department of Labor
to Intervene"
LOCAL SUPERINTENDENT
POOR MANAGER OF MEN
The Colorado and Michigan strikes
Secretary Wilson dishisses briefly.
quoting references he made to them In
his last report. or the Michigan cop
per strike. he says: "If thu, managers
OF the property involved In this strike
had dealt with the dispute at it's in
ception. AS Its principal owners (Messrs.
Shaw and Agassiz) might have done
had they been on the ground and per-
sonally in charge. there Is reason to
believe that no strike would have oc-
CURED. But the local superintendent,
doubtless an excellent PROF arty man
nger appears by the reports to have
been poor manager OF men
when tho employees solicited a con-
ference with him. In order to present
grievances. their request was entirely
| ignored 1t appears to. have been this
treatment that precipitated the strike
and kindred treatment that prevented
subsequent negotiation Cor terminal
ing II fairly. No rights Of the COM
pany could have been injured, nor any
prejudice to its business incurred, by
u courteous reception of complaints
tom the employees, followed by remov-
ing grievances IL real, or explaining
them away IL mistaken.
Whatever may have been the re-
| sponsibility Of the workmen for the
| strike and it's Incidents. the local map
| ngement cannot be wholly acquitted;
and upon tho elementary principle Of
| agency, as sound in morals as in law
ultimate responsibility must rest upon
the owners"
OF the Colorado strike the secretary
Gays:
The coal strike in Colorado, which
has necessitated the use of Federal
troops. liz another conspicuous instance
Of Industrial warfare In which, howev-
or heavily the responsibility may rest
uFon the strikers. II must attach also
to the local management OF the prop
crty involved. and therefore to the re-
'sponsible owners. In Its early stages
this strike could, as stated in the first
! annual report, have been settled upon
| fair terms had the proposals of the De-
| nartment Of Labor for arbitration by
| an unbiased board chosen by mutual
| agreement been promptly accepted"
DISCUSSES DISTRIBUTION
OF THE WAGE FARMERS
Mr. Wilson then discusses the dis
tribut.on of wage-earners, saying:
The welfare OF the wage-earners of
the United States cannot be served
| by mediation Of labor disputes alone.
Affirmative measures for modifying II
not wholly obviating. the Industrial
ma djustments that generate these
,lisputes must be undertaken as we'll
For this purpose Legislation is neces-
! sary. Pending such legislation, how
| ever. the department Is utilizing its
| resent Powers as fully as circum-
| stances Permit by availing itself of the
services OF the division of info:r1a-
ten OF the Bureau OF Immigration.
This division Of that bureau has been
specifically empowered by Congress TO
promote beneficial distribution CT
immigrants. By it's subsequent subor-
dination to the Department OF Labor,
charged as this department liz with
promoting the welfare OF the wage
| earners of the United States, that-func--
ton may be regarded as having been
SO far inferentinlly enlarged as to In
clude citizens within the scope Of it's
| intended benefits The department has,
| therefore. through the division of in
| formation, entered upon plans of work
! for improving the opportunities Of the
| wage-earners OF the United States,
whether citizens or aliens. for profit
| able employment.
Excess in the supply of labor over
demand for 1t is cause of labor dis
putes which ranks high In Importance,
| II. indeed. 1t does not rank as the
cause. In colloquial terms the jobless
man puts all wageworkers at a dis
advantage In bargaining with en-
responding colloquialism. II there
were profitable 'manless Job for
every Jobless man the complete remedy
for industrial disputes would be to
bring the two together; but. whether
so complete a correspondence exists
or not. no one at ali familiar with the
problem OF seasonal employment and
of accidental disp1acements of wage
earners can doubt that 1t exists In
some degree. There were ina Mess
Jobs for joblcss'' victims of the Salem
fire. and this department helped 10
bring the two together: there are
'manless jobs OF the seasonal kind on
our farms and elsewhere to which this
department has been able in some in
stances to bring jobless men, Inso-
far as departmental work of this kind
can be improved and expanded the
evils OF labor disputes will be mini
mixed: and with reference to such
work the cooperation Of Congress is
urgently solicited. What is needed is
timely and widespread information
concerning labor conditions in every
part of the country
MUST REMOVE CAUSES
OF LABOR DISPUTES
by systematically bringing some
| Jobless men and some 'manless Jobs
| together on n national scale. the neces-
sary first steps will have been taken
| toward complete removal of what is
perhaps the most potent cause of labor
disputes--involuntarY unemployment.
Even in the taking of those first steps
the modifying effect will be progress
sively realized from the beginning.
| of course. the labor problem can
not be solved by ameliorative plans.
such as are here proposed unless the
causes of involuntary unemployment
are unbelievably superficial and vul-
nerable; but with seasonal variations
OF employment nationally adjusted,
with accidental disturbances to en-