Denver labor bulletin., 1917-02-10
INDUSTRIAL LAW
STILES FREEDOM
Continued From Page one.)

CONTINUED From Page one) /
The nineth report referred to covers
the entire period since the approval
of the act in 1907 up to the present
time.
In the whole nine years Of the ex-
istence of the Lemieux act 1t dealt
with disputes involving only 10000
employees, and $4,000 of them, or near
award, and in numerous instances IN
spite of the law. The record shows
that no effort was made by the labor
department to inflict the penalties
provided for violation of the law. The
report attempts to feature the fact
that out of 191 disputes there were
only twenty strikes. The record shows
| that there were siXty-three strikes IN
volving from four to 100 employees.
| There were also 109. cases, with $50
employees and less. while the largest
number in any case involved was 5000
and they struck. So much for your
compulsory service act.
Against this record, under the New
lands mediation act, which has no
compulsory powers, out of seventy
| four railway disputes seventy-three
were settled by mediation or arbitra-
ton, and in several instances the en-
ployes numbered more than all the
railroad, municipal, utility, coal mines
and other employees dealt with by the
Canadian board in the whole nine
years of its existence.
The United States department of
labor reports 800 cases, 275 of which
were adjusted, and this without any
compulsory power whatever.
| There are twice as many disputes,
involving five times as many employees
settled by voluntary boards in New
York city every year as in all the
disputes under the Canadian compul-
sorry investigation act during its life.
Specific instances detailed by the
report of the administrators of the
prove the fallacy of the theory that
compulsion by law prevents industrial
| controversies and strikes. The re-
| port says:
In the Cumberland Railway & Coal
company controversy, with its LOO
employees, there were four disputes in
one year, and in three of them the
men refused the award and struck,
while in fifth dispute the next year
/ they struck again.
| In the city of Toronto. in a dispute
| between the electrical workers and the
city-owned electrical works, the award
| favored the men, but the city refused
to comply and the men struck.
| 1t is interesting to observe that
even the city government of Toronto,
/ part of the machinery of state, re
fused to be bound by a decision rem
dered by a tribunal created by the
| Dominion of Canada.
In a dispute between the Grand
Trunk railroad and its machinists the
board unanimously found in favor of
tbn htit tho rntlrnuI refused a
accept the award and the men struck.
| The Michigan Central railroad pro-
posed a reduction in pay in one class
of service, whereupon the men struck
without reference to the law, but no
penalty was enforced against them.
Six thousand members of the Unit
ed Mine Workers Union struck against
the Western Coal Operators associa-
ton in defiance of the law. After
wards they were persuaded to apply
for board, and an award was handed
down that was unsatisfactory and
they struck again and tied up the
mines for seven months.
! In the Grand Trunk railway dispute
with its 5000 conductors and trainmen
both sides were so displeased with
the award that they began negotia-
! tions independently of the board. AZ
ter month of fruitless endeavor the
men struck. The general government
of Canada then, by mediation without
compulsion, took up the question and
brought about a settlement after n
ten days strike.
In a dispute between the st. Johns
Street Railway company and its en-
ployes the board handed down a unan-
imous award, but the company refused
to accept and the men struck.
In a dispute between the Canadian
Pacific railway and its / 300 employees
which the report says also affected
indirectly $1,000 employees, there was
both defiance of the law and con-
fession of utter ineificiency. The re-
port says of this case:
Report of board was accompanied
by minority report signed by Mr..
Duval. Prior to the date of the ap-
plication the employees had gone on
strike and remained out from Novem-
Der l to February 3, when the depart
ment was informed that an agreement