The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1917-06-23
RED LETTER WEEK
FOR UNION LABOR
Power of Organized Labor Is
Shown in Numerous Instances
in Washington.

WIS. INGTO.., June 21.-This was
u red-lette- week .or ORGANIZED labor
in the national governments affairs.
Three things stand out:
At the request of Consressmen
Nolan of San Francisco, Heating of
Colorado, Van Dyke of St. p: |, and
on or two other card men" in the
house. there was held a conference
between Herbert Hoover and some 80
members of con less, at A. f. of l..
headquarters, which resulted in put
ting the whole machiner. of the labor
movement into the fight for the food
control leg Station. ,
A. the - of the officers Of
the United --i.le Workers of America.
the big b: siness CT ,wd in control of
the Committee O., Coal Production.
{ the Council of National Defense.
agreed that seven members of the big
union should sit in kat committee,
which will .ctate conditions in the
coal industry during the war.
Begin a "Drivc."
AND finally, a general conference of
officers of the Metal Trades and other
departments of the Federation. with
officers of various internatio
unions, bega,. drive" which will
probably place labor union repre
sentatives on the chief committees
that control industrial standards in
all the industries while the war la sts.
This will include munitions, shin
building, land and water transporta-
ton, construction work, and odds and
ends Of industry.
H w much connection there NAV
have been between t! e offers of the
labor officials, in and out of con-
gress. to help the food-control pro-
gram and the decision of the coal
production committee that it was
wong in shutting out the United
Mine Workers, is not certain. w, "e
Hoover was talking with the labor
men, however, they spoke their minds
freely with regard to the trick that
had been played upon the various in
ternational unions by the defense
body by ignoring them when the
really serious committees which were
to handle the billions of dollars worth
OF contracts during the war were
being arranged. Hoover is reported to
have expressed his willingness to face
the fact of the Importance of the
labor movement in the community,
and to deal with it on that basis when
the food administration comes into
action.
Demand Passage Of Food ELL.
Whatever Hoover may or may not
have limited to the President as to
this situation, certainly the visit of
the labor delegation, on June II. to
the Wits House to ask the President
to hasten the passage of the food-con-
troll bill was a big event. The Presi-
dent got into touc'4 with the most
stubborn of the reactionaries in lis
part. attic c: pitol, and told them
that the dana~r Of food riots for lack
of federal control must OF be brought
upon the country. He demanded that
they pass the bill. The: were some-
what. shaken in their hostile state Of
mind by what he told them. The bill
has been sent from the Senate commit
t3e to the calendar of the senate, in
great has4e. and will be brought up
for debate the CO, ing week. Mean
while it is to be passed through the
house.
Represei ia We John T. Nolan told
Hoover that the wage. workers are
today 'sullen and restlc So and that
they are icing paid in dollar that
l. worth about 40 cents.' He sug-
Gested that people must cat. and that
the quicker he food legislation be-
came law the less would be the dam
ger CT widespread disturbances in the
United States
Much the same spirit Of getting
down to brass lacks marked the con-
ference, Friday noon, on the coal min
ers' demands. John P. White, presi-
dent; William Green, secretary treas
urer; Frank Hayes and John Lewis Of
the United Mine Workers were there,
as were. Secretary Wilson, Mr. Com
per, Chairman Peabody of the coal
Production committee, and Director
Clifford of the staff of the Council Of
National Defense.
Miners Side-Tracked.
White called attention to the fact
that the Mine Workers, on April A.,
had adopted resolutions at their
r'eeting in New York, offering to as
s;st the government. Then the coun-
Gil OF national defense had proceeded
of whom were coal operators and
managers, and none of whom were
spokesman of the 100000 members Of
the union. Then this big-business
committee had issued a warning to
coal miners to stay in their own dis
tricts, and not seek better Jobs ir:
other districts. White was not over
gentle in his remarks on this attempt
to shackle the miner to his Job for
tlrc profit of the nline-owner
Peabody and Clifford claimed that
the absence of union men from the
committee wos an "accident" They
aEreed to reform. The, names of
White, Hayes. Green. Lewis, John
Mitchell. President Jim Lord Of the
Mining Trades department of the A.
F. of L., and Hugh Kerwin, private
secretary to the Secretary of Labor,
were proposed and agreed to, as Mine
Workers members Of the committee.
Then it was agreed that on Thursday.
June 81. the committee should meet
and revise it's policies and it's SUBJ
committees, in harmony with the new
deal.
A few hours after this smashing
through Of the big business crust by
the fist Of the Nina worLors +ho