The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1917-12-14
SEATTLE NEWS LETTER
Pacific Coast Lumbermen Want. An
Eight Hour Day-Red Cross
Actiyity-More Strike
Troubles

eminent to regulate prices OF lum-
Der. They also want national
eight hour day in the lumber indus
try Of the country The government
investigation has established the
fact that Notwithstanding the high
cost of southern pine stumpage il
is costing more to manufacture lun-
Der in Washington than in the yell
low pine district Of the south lt
also has been found by government
experts that owing to the fact that
Oregon is comparatively free from
labor troubles the Oregon mills are
producing lumber at $500 per thous
and feet less than in Washington,
where the I. w. w. agitation result
ted in all kinds Of strike trouble.
Every woman in the state Of
Washington who is interested in
Washington soldiers now encamped
in the state Of New York should be
informed that the boys are in need
Of long wooden wristlets and wooden
helmets. According to newspaper
reports from eastern headquarters
the government thru such agencies
as the Red Cross has distributed
thousands of wooden sweaters, socks
and gloves. But the boys are shy
Of wristlets and helmets and the
woman who wants to do some knit
ting as war contribution should
turn her attention to these particu-
lar articles for which their is n big
demand.
The Red Cross Christmas mem
bership campaign is on and for the
next few weeks the person who is
not member may expect to be ask
ed many times to join and the per
son who is a member will be told
that he can do his bit for his coun-
try by coming thru with another
membership The state has been
cut up into various divisions and
leading bushes men of the state
will be in charge of the drive. All
of the old antagonism against the
Red Cross has vanished since the
visit to the Pacific Northwest Of
Henry Dawson, the man that Pres
ident Wilson drafted from the house
of Morgan & Co., to head the move
ment for the period of the war.
Many people were inclined to the
belief that about half of the funds
contributed by the country for Red
Cross purposes went to paying fat
salaries, but Mr.. Dawson during his
Northwest tour laid great emphasis
on the fact that most of the employ
ees of the Red Cross are doing vol
unteer work and that one hundred
per cent of the money contributed is
actually used in relief work, the in
terest received on Red Cross funds
taking care of salaries and other ex-
penses.
Just about the time that the peo-
pie of Seattle thought they were
thru with strike troubles, the tele-
phone girls having returned to work,
the employees of the big meat pack
ing establishments of the city
walked out because the packers
would not consent to introducing
the principles of the Closed Shop in
their plants. According to the
packers, wages hours, and working
conditions could have been adjusted
without any difficulty, but they re-
fused to cOncede the demands of the
union for a closed shop. The en-
ployees said they were willing if it
came to the show down to have
their wages cut and even their hours
increased if only they were granted
the Closed Shop, and walked out
when the demand was refused The
packing plants of the city are now
operating under government license
and are under contracts to furnish
thousands of pounds of meat month
ly to the soldier boys at Camp Lew
is and the Navy boys at Bremerton.
Unless the strike can be settled or
new employees secured deliveries
cannot be made. The packers have
issued an appeal in the name of pa
triotsm for people to come to work
at their plants, guaranteeing them
an eight hour day, high wages and
working conditions the best in the
United States. 1t is not unlikely
that the government will step in
and bring about a settlement. In no
case in which the government has
been called upon to settle differen-
ces between employer and employee
has it granted the Closed Shop,
where open shop conditions pre-
vailed prior to the strike.