The Knoxville independent. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1894-current, 1917-07-28
SOUTH HAS LABOR SHoR LACE
Heavy Exodus of Negroes to North
During the Past Year Is Having
Serious Effect.

| oADAS " get W udTh6l. AT NOrlOlE lNt
companies of the Fourth Virginia regi-
ment We're set to w0gh loading steam
ers. On the eastern Short of Virginia
1000 Boy Scouts were employed dig
ging potatoes. AT one time there were
100000 bushels of the tubers In the
ground and no one, except the Boy
Scouts, to dig them. The departure oil
the negroes to the industrial cities Of
the North created a great shortage OF
labor.
Industrial Workers of the Worio
leaders we're charged with WORKING
with German agents in mines and fields
of the West to stir up strikes among
Germans and Austrians, in correspond.
ence laid before the senate by Senator
Thomas of Colorado. particular ref
erence was made to strikes among the
miners in certain parts of Arizona, In
which Industrial Workers of the World
leaders were prominent, and Senator
Thomas asserted 1t as his opinion that
there was conspiracy directed BY
German agents in the United States to-
work through the Industrial WorkerN
of the World in gripping smelters and
industries of the West.
The count of the ballots on a refer
endum showed the unioh street car
men Of the city had ratified overwhelm-
ingly the Nes.s scale and working
agreements arranged between Leonard
A. Busby, president of the Chicago
Surface lines and William d. Mah0n,i
head of the Amalgamated Association
of Street and Electric Railway EN-
ployees. The agreement, which pro-
yides for cents an hour increase and
a basic nine-hour day, wss accepted
by vote of 5,251 to PITT, a majority
of 2,474. Elevated railway employees
also voted to accept the wage scale
offered by the Chicago Elevated Rail-
ways company.
Demands for wage INCREASES made
on behalf of the $4,000 bar iron work
ers in middle Western plants were DEF
MED by the Western Bar iron associa1
ton at the close of weeks confer
ence. The new agreement provides
for continuation of the present wage
scale, although concessions were grant
ed the men regarding working condi-
tons, which, it was said, will enable
them to increase their Gaming eapact
ity.
Labor shortage at coastwise steamx
ship docks at Norfolk, Va, which has
caused serious delay in transporting
truck from this section to northeih
markets and consequent heavy loss &
shippers, reached the climax when ~
negro stevedores refused TO go to woI;
at the Old Dominion line piers. One
vessel could not sail for a northerh'
port because of the strike.
A safety first campaign to minimize
accidents in navy yards, arsenals and
: other government establishments has
been launched by the federal EN-
plOyees compensation commission,
working in cooperation with the ma.
tional safety council of engineers. Al
survey is now being made of all the
navy yards and arsenals of the At
t lantic coast.
= The Chicago Federation of Labor
has refused credentials to newly elect
ed officers Of the Court Reporters
union as the result of a decision by
: the American Federation of Labor that
/ no court reporter who employed others
4 Of that vocation may represent the
: union, though membership and a voice
!. in its affairs may be retained.
4 The 5000 machinists and helpers Of
a the General Electric company who.
struck to have a negro college student
t removed from working among them
S adjusted their differences and resumed
l. work. The negro student will remain
: in the employ Of the company in his
l. present position.
k A strike Of street railway conduc-
tors and motormen was averted at La
e Crosse, Wis, when the Wisconsin
t Railway Light and Power company
e granted employees an increase Of 8
e cents an hour. First-year men now
Il receive 26 cents, second year, 81 GEMS
i and older employees 80 cents an hotr.
Recent strikes and lockouts in the
n building industry at Cleveland, O., have
n resulted in the Building Trades coun-
Y Gil and the Building Trades Employers
r association creating a board of con-
Citation Of seven men from each Or
|, ganization to settle Industrial disputes.
n President Gompers has issued chll
e to the 40 unions of federal employees
h affiliated with A. T. Of L. to elect rep
resentatives to convention which viii
" be held in A. f. of L. building for the
D purpose Of organizing national
v union.
,r BARRIERS Of Edmonton Canada, have
asked the city solicitor to prepare q
d bylaw limiting their working hours
d from a. m. to s p. m. daily and unit
If 10 p. m. Saturday and days preceding
holidays.
IF To meet the increased cost Of living
1t 100000 female munition workers II
k England have asked for an increase Il
pay,
to Three thousand tailors and diapers
In assistants of Petrograd recently de
In manded a 100 per cent increase u
warnc Sa