Denver labor bulletin., 1917-07-14
PRESIDENT WILSON ALARMED OVER
SPREAD OFIW.W. FIREBRANDS IN WEST
Troops Special Medaors Being Arizona
New Mexico and Montana; Bill" Haywood Takes Advan-
tage of Unrest Among Copper Miners o Foment
Trouble and Harass Union Labor.

yities We're in line with the provision
of the seamen's bill, abolishing invol-
untary servitude and removing the
remedies given to foreign governments
and foreign ship owners, TO arrest
seamen who desert in ports of the
United States. Seamcn, being given
right on American and foreign vessels
alike to demand one-half wages or half
the wages earned by them and unpaid,
in American ports, have been able to
enforce that right.
Take Advantage of Law.
81 am informed that seamen coming
here on foreign vessels sent to Amcri-
can ports to compete in American
trade leave their vessels unless the
master voluntarily guarantees them an
increase in wages which will bring
their average earnings up to n par
with the average earnings of Amcri-
can seamen, and other seamen in
American ports who have already nr-
rived Mt the American standard.
''The seamen then take the pre-
caution to see that there is incorpor-
ated in their new contracts of hiring,
a provision that they shall be paid off
in ports of the United States only.
This assures that they will always be
discharged in port paying wages as
high as the ones in the United States.
NfhN Inty T'turfltu bN tuC1
foreign owners to ports Of the United
States. where they will again have an
opportunity of securing the best rate
of wages.
"Onc need not be a mathematician
or student of economy to conclude
that the enforcement of this lcgisla-
tion means the creation Of an opportu-
nifty TO the American shipowncr to
compete with foreigners on par, so
fFa tU.l..
ondly, IL gives America an opportunity
to build up merchant marine by rca-
son of the fact that while the higher
wages are paid on nil vessels. rules
for safety appliances. better food.
larger crews quarters and general
conditions on board, are enforced on
American vessels"
Question of Prophecies.
The big business magnates who run
the effective committees of the council
of national defense are under fire in
congress, and Senator Kenyon's group
is throwing down the gauntlet to the
president in the matter of the senate's
demand that no advisory member of
the council or its committees shall
make any money out of war contracts
The president says that the men who
are mt the head of the big firms from
whom the goods can be bought the
cheapest are the very men whose help
he needs now. The senate opposition
wants to abolish all these volunteer"
advisers, and have n lot of technical
experts hired on government salaries,
so that they will be responsible solely
to the public.
In this mixup the president has had
to call in the federal trade commission
to investigate the actual cost of meats,
of lumber, of steel, and of n lot of
other things that are being bought in
huge amounts. Organized labor had
had no SAY in any committee hand
ling or advising on any of these pur-
chases, except on the coal production
committee. There its membership is
a minority, and it is not responsible
for the attempted holdup of SO ton
at the mine for soft coal.
A. +. Of l.. Stenographers Win.
Results will probably appear, six
months hence, in a lot Of government
management of industries. That will
call for new sorts of labor representa-
ton. Meanwhile the trades affected
by war work are busy with strikes
and organizing campaigns they have
been generally successful. The mold
ers are reported by John /. Nolan to
have organized nearly 200 shops dur
ing the past year. The machinists
have done even better. In the midst
of this wave of prosperity, even the
office stenographers and clerks at tho
A. f. of l.. have won their demand for
raise of $2 n week, after more than
a year Of discussion.