Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1917-12-30

ara trains VIII nave to come down or
their high hoss" ana be plain folks.
The tcmperamcntal opera singer may
IN the near future have to ride IN a
car with a squallug baby aud the big
banker will have to iuhale pipe smoke
where women do not ride, whether
he likes IL or not. and chase out to
an eating house to get his meals. in
stead of walking back to a diner
which will also be turned into car
for the necessaries instead Of the
lGNIries of life
In any event, the proletariat is go
ne to heave sigh OF relief take a
fresh breath ana oNclaim: "Now that
tie government is running the rail
roads We will get "A square deal and "a
civil answer"
Just what step the government will
take next IL n matter of conjecture:
but further control OF war neccssaries
is as certain To come as the sun and
lhe moon.
With the railroad control ought to
- the control of the stockyardS. and
after that the control Of the packing
Industries of the country, and that
they will be taken over in "a very
short time is not an idle forecast.
They Will have to be controlled for
thc benefit of the war
Must Run ship Yards.
In time the shipping Yards Will have
To come under control of the federal
government. The Shipping program Of
the government calls for five million
tons of ship bottoms I'm the year 1918.
That number Of ships are necessary
to meet the ruthless submarine war
fare and Increased shipping to the
United States and allied armies
abroad.
To construct these five million tons
bottoms six hundred thousand skilled
mechanics are needed. aud there are
today less than two hundred thousand
employed. and at wages that are ri
dicuIously high. The lowest wage
paid In the individual shipping yards
of the country is S47.50 per week OF
eight hours, and half holidays Sat
urdays. The highest wages paid is
Si73.50 per week. with an average
wage of $50 per week. Riveters are
being paid 500 per week. In order
to complete the governments ship
building program, every shipyard in
the country will he compelled to work
81 hours "A day, or three shifts. and
there is not a shipyard in the country
working more than one shift of eight
hours at the tremendous wages paid.
when the government shipping
board began operations toward con
structing the ships they let contracts
to shiphuilders as they presented their
BIDS. Little care was taken. because
the emergency was so great. We
eded the ships and not dickerlng
The consequences were that contracts
were let to shipbuilders whose yards
were on paper. They went down to
the sea board and built their shipyards
after receiving the contracts. along
side old shipyardS like Cramps, and
others. They then found themselves
with contracts and shipyards, but no
skilled labor. They went 20 Cramps
and hired his men at double wages.
Another shipbuilder with contract
and a yard but no labor in turn
hired the skilled men again at a fur
ther increase In wages, and this sort
of competition in labor continued un-
til wages went clear out of sight. and
are out of sight today, with a tre-
mendous shortage.
May Conscript Labor.
What are we going to do about Il?
There seems TO be but one answer
government control, and perhaps Ia
Dor conscription. If we have to
come to labor conscription, we will
nave 20 do it, and there is uo argll-
mont War is the principal business
OF this country, and If IL is necessary
10 conscript labor to win IL. labor
must be drafted the same as fighters.
and there should be no question about
the authority or the policy OF the gov
errment. There are hundreds OF
thousands of men thruout the coun-
'ry who could get immediate employ
mont at the shipyards at ridiculously
high wages If they were to present
themselves for work, but they are not
doing so. and the government is suf-
fering for ships, while the critics
clamor for the government to Speed
up. \ raid on the pool halls OF the
country, or closing them up. might
find available a number of idlers who
can be put to work in helping win
the war. If the American people do
not do voluntarily what Is necessary
to win the war. they will have to do
II under force, and this is as Il
should be.
1t may be necessary In time. fol-
lowing out this war emergency policy
to take over the sugar refinerles and
the price fixing OF the commodity
The food bill grants power To distrtb
ute only-that is not enough. The
pilce SnOulu De Ilkeu, ana IT necessary
the refineries should be taken over.
ana II necessary they will be con-
steel Plants Get Wise.
trolled by the government.
The steel plants are voluntarily do
ing now what they would have been
compelled to do by force had they
not seen the handwriting on the wall.
II necessary they also will come under
the control OF the government. This
war IL every mans war, and every
man will have to voluntarily do his
duty or be made TO do II. And that
is as IL should be.
Later on, we may need the tele-
graph lines and the cables. and II 80
the government will step In. And
why not? There are some who will
whine about the president assuming
power while fighting for "A
democracy. Rot. In u democracy