The Knoxville independent. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1894-current, 1917-10-27
MANY ENLIST FOR
INDUSTRIAL WORK
Thousands Are Enrolled by the
United States Public Ser
vice Reserve.
MEN PLACED where NEEDED
Object of the Organization Is to Equal
ize the Distribution of Labor
In Country During the
War,

| Within three months after ifs mr..
ganlzation the United States Public
Service reserve had enrolled more than
$4,000 citizens for industrial work. g..
200 of whom were skilled engineers.
me reserve was organized as an Gin
dustrial clearing house" to eoualize
the distribution of labor during the
war, and these men, who represent A.
most every state, have signifed their
Willingness to leave their present en-
ployment If they can serve their coun-
try to a better advantage in some other
line of activity.
William q. Hall, named by Secretary
OF Labor Wilson as director of this
work, is pushing as rapidly as possible
the work of organizing state branches.
Care will be taken not to interfere
with men now working in essential in
dustries, and such workers will be rec
ognlzed by the award of some insignia
showing they are directly aiding the
nation in the prosecution of the war.
AT present the reserve is rapidly
placing men in various departments of
the government where special skill and
training are required. More than six
hundred divisions have been estab-
llshed and every name filed is cross-in-
dexed so that it is possible to pick
men for any special tax at moments
LOtice.
Directors of the Western Union Tel
egraph company have authorized the
payment of q bonus July /, 1918, to all
regular employees, except the presi-
dent, who will have served the com
pany continuously from January 2,
1913. This will give messengers $12.5 so
each, employees receiving less than ST.
2OO year, s per cent of the semi-an-
nual wage, employees receiving $1,000
and up to $1,000, 6 per cent, and en-
ployees receiving $1,000 and more, 5
per cent of the semi-annual wage.
The threatened strike of 10000 sea-
men employed on lake ore, grain and
coal ships was averted by an eleventh.
hour compromise agreement reached in
ASashiagtQEA Lnd9g the terms Of the
agreement, which was drawn up by the
United States shipping board, the sea-
men obtained an increase in, wages
from $72 to sos a month for able sea-
men and from $40 to $50 month for
deckhands. This is the largest raise
ever secured for the lake sailors.
Seattle (Wash.) Central Labor coun-
Gil demands that new wage boards i'm
mediately convene and readjust rates
for women. 1t is stated that no change
has been made in women's wages since
the boards awards, three years ago,
and in the meantime living costs are
mounting higher and higher.
Captains, mates and pilots of 200
Pacific coast ships have presented de-
mands for general wage increase APP
proXimating SIS a month, II per
| cent advance over the present scale.
The demands were made on behalf of
$4,000 men employed on ships out of
! San Francisco and Seattle.
Probably the first payment ever
made by the United States government
to schoolboys for army contract work
was recorded when war department
check was received at Philadelphia to
pay high school students for the manu-
facture of tent pegs supplied some
time ago.
A class of 25 girl employees of the
Bush Terminal company in New York
recently qualified to operate electric
locomotives. The company expects to
lose at least 100 men by the army draft
and has taken these means of being
ready to fill their places with women.
Montreal (Canada) Typographical
union has signed up new scale fol
its job printers that fixes the minimuH
at $24 per week for day work ant
$27.60 for night work, being an in
crease of 81 per week.
California canning corporations have
accepted the recommendation of thu
mediation committee appointed aftel
the recent Gamers strike. Wages arr
increased.
Boston Cigarmakers' union is urg
ing Massa chusetts trade unionists t
support an amendment to the STATE
workmens compensation law which
will include occupational diseases.
Women have become so popular il
; the trades in London and other citie'
Of England that when the war is ovel
the men whose places they have takel
will likely have to find other jobs.
The Evansville & Indianapolis Rail
road company, through it's superinten
: dent, G. B. Falley, agreed to grant al
increase to the telegraph operators o
from So to $40 month.
A flag of defiance was raised agains
Colorado's "can't-strike' law by tn
convention of the State Federation o
Labor which called on affiliates to ig
more the state industrial relations CON
| mission.
The Tacoma (Wash.) shorter work
day movement has reached loca
butcher shops, which will hereafte
close at seven o'clock on Saturda
nights instead of nine O'clock.
Denver (Col.) BARRIERS union is es
tablishing its new wage scale Of $1S
week and so per cent over $50, hc!!da
closing and ten o'clock closing on Sal