The labor advocate. [volume] (Cincinnati, Ohio) 1912-1937, 1916-01-22

AT the meeting of the Central Labor
Council last Tuesday night, after spir-
tied discussion, resolution was adopted
instructing the president to appoint
committee to call on the Board of Edit
cation and endeavor to have the board
adopt school books which bear the label
of the Allied Printing Trades.
This resolution was presented by the
delegates of Pressmen's Union No. II
upon the request of the National Label
League.
This resolution evidently applies to the
American Book Co., and if such is the
case there seems to be a serious hitch
somewhere, because Mr.. Frank E. Bell
who represents the Allied Printing
Trades Council which is composed of
the various crafts of the printing in
dustry-and the man. who is paid to see
that the label of the Allied Printing
Trades is used, in a recent interview is
quoted as saying The American Book
Co. is operating under union conditions
with few exceptions. They work their
men eight hours a day, with good pay
and the union hopes at some future day
to unionize this shop. That the Ameri-
can Book Co is not unionized is not the
fault of the company ITSELF
lle1l, whose falllt is 1t /!
Mr.. Bell has been very aggressive in
his demands for union labor and the
use of the label, and no matter how
often he has attempted to tell Mr.. Free
man how to run the Gas Company, he
has never neglected the business of the
Allied Printing Trades.
Mr. Louis +. Edgerton, Business
Agent of Pressmen's Union No II, in
similar interview, says: while we
are still intlexibly convinced that every
manufacturing plant and all labor should
unonize,-and we hope that eventually
all will do so,-we favor on behalf of
Pressmen's Union No. II the award of
all contracts in this city to those en-
ploying labor here i'll preference to
spending the cty's money with employ
ers who will distribute it elsewhere. We
are not against the American Book Co.
Notwithstanding the above statements
the delegates of Pressmen's Union No.
II offered the resolution before the CEN
tral body, asking that the committee call
upon the Board of Education.
IT, as Bell says, that it is not the fault
of the American Book Co. that it is not
unionized, and as Edgerton says. we are
not against the American Book Co., per-
haps it would be a good idea for the
committee appointed by the Central La
Dor Council to call on the American
Book Co., find out the trouble and make
an effort to organize their plant before
they call on the Board of Educaton;
and if they can succeed in unionzing
this plant they will accomplish more for
union labor than mere visit to the
Board of Education.
Remember that the call on the Board
of Education takes the nature OF selling
books, and the American Book Co.
knows more about this game than any
body in the league; their batting aver
age for a number of years being one
thousand.
A spirit of fairness dominates the
policy of the Labor Advocate; we want
to be fair to every man, woman or
child. We strive honestly to keep within
our rights and to accord the same privil-
ege to Others We try to say those
things which are of interest to or
ganized labor and to avoid the waste of
space and printers ink upon those things
which are old and stale.
But, we would like to know just what
Brothers Bell and Edgerton were driv
ing at and why the American Book Co.
has not been made entirely union as
according to the remarks made by these
gentlemen the company is willing.
WithrOw In Favor of American
Book Co.
President J. NJ, Withrow, NJ. d., OF
the Board of Education in an interview
says:
'The plan being followed by the
Board Of Education is the same that is
being pursued by the Cincinnati Hos
Dital where the surgeons are called upon
to select the instruments with which
they do their surgical work.
Choice BY Teachers.
The Hospital Commission and the
Purchasing Department always ask the
opinion of the experts as to who shall
furnish the instruments with which the
surgeons operate.
"Metaphorically speaking, the school
books bear the same relation to the