The Knoxville independent. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1894-current, 1917-09-29

per cent and payr0ilS ~ per cent !,
hosiery and underwear workers in
creased 81 per cent and payrolls 66
per cent; silk workers increased 2 per
cent and payrolls % per cent.
An interesting experience is report
ed by a Swiss factory which tried out
a system of nine daily working periods
of so minutes each. OF it DR.. Stephan
Bauer of Basel wires to the Survey
SIN the sewing department Of the fac
tory, rest of ten minutes was intro
duced after every 80 minutes work.
They welcomed the innovation because
they soon realized that with this time
division they were able to earn more
at piece work than previously. The
manufacturer himself noted an aver
age increase of productivity amounting
to % per cent, varying from no change
for the slowest to 40 per cent for the
most efficient of the workers
To show that the health standards
Of the industry are improving. the ex-
perience of the International Typo
graphical union is noted. From 1900
| to 1915 the average age of members
at death increased from 41.25 to 1854.
| The number of deaths due to all
causes in the five-year period, 1893 to
| 1897, was 2.061 and in the three-year
period. 1913 to 1915, the number was
identically the same; but in the
earlier period 66.S per cent were be-
low forty-five years Of age, while in
the later period $50 per cent were
below forty-f1ve. The per cent OF
deaths due to tuberculosis decreased
from 31.2 in 1900 to 1911 in 1915.
According to a bulletin issued by the
bureau Of labor statistics, United
States department of labor, 10 per cent
of the regular motormen on surface
street railway lines in the larger cities
Of the United States in 1914 earned I'M
der "a cents per hour, "a per CEN
earned under % cents, 43 per cent un
der % cents, 81 per cent under &c
cents. So per cent under 80 cents anC
9S per cent under "a cents.
Six street car strikers were charged
with murder and assault after a rio
in San Francisco in which james
Waters, guard, was killed, Ed
ward Lindsay motorman, fatal!
wounded, and Joseph Montelon, con
ductor, seriously hurt. A car manned
by strike-breakers was stopped and {
revolver battle ensued.
The new Pittsburg Coal company of
fered to sell it's miners coal at So
per ton. with a small extra charge TO
delivery. The miners, about 1,400 o
them, demanded that the deliver!
charge be eliminated and struck whel
the company refused.
A strike of 900 employees of tn,
Holt Caterpillar company at Peoria, III.
tied up work on $10000,000 in wa
tanks" for the government. The con
troversy was laid before the war de
partment.
Owing to the increased demand 70
experienced inspectors, the United
States arsenal at Springfield, Mass, il
considering the ACCESSIBILITY of employ
ing women to inspect arms made there
Canton (O) trade unionists charge
employers with maintaining blacl
list In that city as part of schem,
to wreck the building trades council.
Too many war parades have demon
allied New York's boy messengers anC
a call is going forth for girls TO taxi
their places.
The Riggers and Stevedores' unior
of San Francisco have requested min
7 Imum wage per hour of 65 cents ant
per hour overtime 81.
Women are now employed in the re
claiming shops of the Baltimore
Ohio railroad, where they will be obi
gated to sort scrap iron.
A citizen of Launceston, England
who died recently, left $4,000 to the
town council to provide cottages fol
sober working men and women.