The Knoxville independent. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1894-current, 1917-05-26
MINERS GET Big
WAGE INCREASE
Concessions by Operators Affect
$1,000 in Pennsylvania BIZ
luminous Field.
LOSS FROM SICKNESS LARGE
Massachusetts Board of Labor and In
dustries Declares Between so and
20 Per Cent of II Can Be Pre-
vented-Other News of
Workers.

Concessions which will mean an in
crease of more than S26,000,000 year
in wages have been granted TO the
$1,000 mine workers of the bituminous
fields of central Pennsylvania. In adj
| dition to an advance in wages for all
| classes of labor ranging between 20
and 80 per cent, the operators agreed
to assume the burden Of collecting the
miners union dues without charge.
The men had asked a 33 1-3 per cent
| advance. Both operators and miners
| agreed to consider the nation first, and
| pledged themselves that the mines
would be run full time.
The Massachusetts board of labor
an industries estimates the loss in
| wages and sickness expense in Mas
| sachuSetts amounts TO over Sl0,00O,OOO
| annually, or 3 per cent of the pay rolls
| of the state. The board says that be-
| tween 60 and 70 per cent Of this loss
| can be prevented.
Women and children in the mills of
Paterson, n. j., in 1882 began work at
4 80 o'clock in the morning. Further
more, textile operatives at some places
were taxed to support the churches
and if man were regularly absent
| from divine service on Sunday he was
in danger of losing his employment.
Roxbury (Nass.) Rubber Workers
union has reduced working hours from
| 55 to 521a a week and increased wages
10 per cent for those earning less than
| $40 week and per cent for those re-
ceiving over So a week. This means
an average increase of IS per cent
since the union was organized.
To aid in the conservation Of labor
and "ln conformity with the necessi-
ties created by the national crisis, "
the Pennsylvania Railroad company
announced that it had decided to EN-
ploy girls and women in many
branches of railroad service.
The wages of $4,000 workers in six
wooden mills at Passiac, N, j., were
raised according to an announcement,
ION account of the present high cost
of living" The increase will add near
ly5S1 100000 to the annual pay roll of
the mills.
Firemen and police of Elyria, o.,
were given $6.67 month increase by
the city council. Waterworks pumping
station, street and cemetery and other
city employees got S. a month raise.
The total annual increase is $4,000.
A number of the young ladies in
Queens university, Canada, have sig
nified their intention Of aiding in the
work Of harvesting the fruit crops ii
the western part of the province dur
ing the summer
Provision for employing women il
various branches of railroad work i!
made in orders issued by ]. !. McCul
Tough. superintendent of the Puge
Sound division of the Northern Pacifi,
railroad.
Employees of the Regent Brass fac
tory in Marysville, O., on opening theil
pay envelopes found an increase of II
per cent in their wages, which wal
> voluntary on the part of the manage
ment.
A bread famine which seriOusl,
!, threatened Kansas City was averte'
when nearly two hundred union ba
n kers. who had walked out, were grant
o ed 50 week raise and returned Il
work.
It IL predicted that within shor
= time Fresno, Cal, will have more wag
o earners of foreign birth organized int
q unions than any other city Of its siZ
y in the United States and Canada.
A wage increase was announced b.
the Arlington Mills corporation, whicl
D owns great wooden mills in Lawrence
r Mass. This wage increase affecte
3 10000 workers
a Members of the Amalgamated AssC
= citation of Iron. Steel and Tin Worker
are receiving the highest wages in an
neriod Of the worlds iron making his
5 tory.
( OF 1,7S9 strikes in this country las
t wear the employers won but All. Tn
| workers won 7O6 strikes, 70 were arb
. trated and 542 were compromised.
The Baltimore Dry Docks and Ship
building company will erect a $1,000
! 900 shipbuilding addition to its larg
plant.
Demanding an eight-hour day an
reimbursement of the mining rate, 200
miners went on strike at Grafton, W
Va.
The New Zealand government Is cor
sidering taking up the scientific foster
ing of the oyster industry.
The Surrey (England) education
committee proposes awarding scholar
ships to enable disabled soldiers to b
trained as teachers.
A total of 34,371 gasoline and kero
sene tractors are employed in farmln
operations in the United States.
There are $1,000 motion picture thea
Q tiers in the United States and abou
z $2,000,000,000 invested in the business
Efforts are being made to unite 800
men. boys and girls engaged in the en-