Middletown transcript., 1917-01-06
INDUSTRIAL AND ECONOMIC


The outstanding feature of the year
in the Industrial world was the threat
ened strike of the 100000 members OF
the four great railway brotherhoods,
which was prevented only by the pas
sage by congress CT the Adamson Dill.
The demands of the four brother
hoods, representing the engineers, hre-
men. conductors and trainmen, were
made upon the railroads early In the
wear and after fruitless conferences
between the representatives OF the
brot .erhoods and the committee or
general managers representing prac-
tically every railroad in the United
States, q strike vote was taken among
the members of the brotherhoods. On
July 26 1t was announced that the
vote had been overwhelmingly in favor
of a strike unless the demands OF the
men were granted by the railroads.
The federal board of mediation I'M
mediately offered its services In an er-
fort to prevent a strike but on August
12 the board announced that 1t had
been unable to bring about an agree
ment and on the following day Presl-
dent Wilson summoned the generai
managers committee and the brother
hoods representatives to the Whte
House for conference. This confer
ence produced no result. the railroad
managers offering to submit the whole
controversy to arbitration but the
brotherhood representatives refusing
to agree to arbitration Of their eight
hour day demands. August 20, Presl-
dent Wilson, with promise from the
brotherhood leaders that they could
rescind their strike order, already is
sued, if law were passed providing
for the placing of their wage scales
| on an eight-hour basis, went before
| congress and asked the passage OF
| three bills which he deemed neces-
| sary to meet the situation. One OF
these bills provided that "eight hours
shall be deemed the measure or stand
ard of a days work for the purpose OF
| reckoning the compensation for sefV'
ices of all employees" operating trains
! in interstate traffic.
| Other bills proposed by the president
provided for the compulsory submls-
sion of rail labor disputes to a board
of mediation to be appointed by the
president before a strike could be de-
clared and for government operation OF
the railways In case of military neces'
sity.
The bill embodying the provision fol
the eight hour basis for wages, known
as the Adamson bill, was rushed
through the house September 1 and
was passed by the senate September 2
The order for strike which was tt
have gone into effect September was
then rescinded. The session of con
gress ended shortly afterwards ant
consideration of the other measures
proposed by the president was post
poned until the next session.
Strikes were in progress in a mum
ber of industries during the early par
of the year and some were marked b!
scenes Of violence. April "a, striking
employees of the Westinghouse com
pany, led by masked woman, riotet
in East Pittsburgh. Fatal strike riot
occurred at the Carnegie Steel work
in Braddock, Pa, May 2. A big strik,
was started by the Chicago carmen
workers May 8. Express drivers II
Chicago struck May 16 and consider
able violence marked the strike, ex
press wagons being operated under pc
lice protection. July 13. state troop
were sent to La Sale, Ill.,, to quel
riots of cement works strikers.
A strike of street railway me-
! stopped all surface cars in the boz
4 oughs of Manhattan, Bronx and Rich
mond, New York. August 5, but tn
e strike ended two days later tempo
4 rarily. September 6, strike of a
e men on the subway, elevated and SUI
I face lines in New York was called
n Serious riots marked the street ca
J. strike in New York, particularly o
q October 5.
e November s, large party of I. v
/ w. members from Seattle engaged |
a battle with sheriff's posse at Eve
d ett, Wash. Seven men were killed du
l. ing the fighting.
o November Is, the National Industri,
l. Conference Board was organized b
y representatives of several association
# of manufacturers said to embrace Il
It 600 employers, giving work to approx
it mately 100000 persons. The boar
r, it was announced, will look after tt
interests of employers in their rel
E. tons with labor.
ID November %, Judge Hook of IL
II United States district court at Kans,
is City, Mo-, held the Adamson eight-ho'
If law unconstitutional and an agreemel
h. was reached between the represent
" tiveS Of the government and OF the ra
le roads for an appeal to the Unite
I'd States Supreme court In an effort
Y obtain a final decision on the validi
n. of the law as soon as possible.
ID The year was marked, especially,
h. the latter portion, by marked increas
he in wages In many Industries. Increas
le Of $8,OOO,OOO annually were granted
the soft coal fields March 6. The VI
ps ted States Steel Corporation. Mover
at ber 21, announced q 10 per cent
IL crosse of wages, amounting to appro,
mately $2O,0O0.0O0 annually. Novel
n ber %, New England cotton mills q
q nounced q general increase In wag'
On Wages were increased during the ye
MT in the packing Industries and in ma
'e- other fields.
g, The year was one of great prospect
o. in all manufacturing and agricultul
industries. Foreign trade of the u
ry ted States, as shown by reports of t