Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1917-05-29
T0TTERS;;
FEAR END CLOSE
"pv S,oloos lcollo,s,r
Only a Miracle Can Save Coun-
try From Ruin, Declares
High Official.
SOCIALISTS DEMAND PEACE
Various Factions Are Unable
to Agree and Difficulties
Multiply.
SOCIALISTS DEMAND PEACE

IETROGtAD, May 2S-Nia Lon
uoh May 29, 1905 a. ny The indus
trlal crisis in Russia Is SO acute that
according to recent uttcrance Of the
minister Of finance NJ. Shngaroff
only miracle can save the country
| from economic ruin. Tho demands OF
the workmen were so enormous. no
declared, that IT seemed impossible TO
keep the Industrial wheels going for
any great length Of time.
The socialist ministers at a recent
council said the only possibility they
saw of settling the difficulties was to
| "rlng the war to a close.
Neither the coalition cabinet nor
the newly appointed commission To
regulate the difficulties between cap
lthl and labor has yet found "A way to
end the industrial crisis The com
mission ~ composed OF ministers of
finance. trade and industry and labor
hnt since there IL II wide divergence of
Views between the minister Of finance
and the new soci1listic minister of
labor II seems probable this commis-
sion will be confronted with the same
difficulties which attended previous
efforts at reconciliation
Factories TO Close.
An investigation of factory condi-
tons IN Petrograd leads to the alarm
ing conclusion that unless the eov-
trnment soon finds "A means of ad-
Juailng the present difficulties most of
the industrial enterprises working for
national defense will be compelled to
close within a few months The out
standing features OF the labor situa-
| ton arc as follows
AN Investigation shows that vir-
tuaIly the same difficulties prevail in
all the big factories i'm Petrograd and
| apparently authenticated reports
! from Moscow, Donets and I'ral dis
! trlcts indicate general Decentralization
| IN many OF the factories the demands
! by the workmen for increased wages
actually are greater than the entire
| profits of the factories under the best
| conditions of production. The work
! men. thru their committees, virtually
| are in command Of the factories and
/ all business has to be submitted to
them for approval. Wages in a ma
| lority of the factories already have
| been increased from 100 to 80 per
cent. But there yet has been no OFF
set by an advance in prices of the
output.
Workmcn Now Rule.
In one of the works in Petrograd
! tho WOrkmen recently demanded the
| Immediate payment of 100000 ~
blcs-normally $500, ,000-to cover
an Increase Of Is kOpeks an hour for
each workman since the beginning Of
the war. The directors communi-
Gated with the government and asked
to be placed under voluntary arrest
as protection against the threats of
the workmen. which. as usual. lc-
companied the demand. The directors
for two days were housed in the min
| islry of justice The government
finally Informed the directors that the
matter would be considered and with
the demand Of the workmen held
temporarily in allegiance. the di-
rcctors returned to the factory.
An oight-hour day has become ef-
fective in all factories. According to
the estimate Of a leading manufac-
turer, the output OF these factories has
suffered an average decrease of 40
per cent since the revolution. He eX-
planned that all these concerns were
confronted with an imminent short
age of raw materials and with bank
ruptcy
Not only have the prices Of pro-
duction not met the advance in wages
but payment has been so slow that
industry Is in urgent need Of working
capital. The dealers find 1t difficult
! to borrow money, as the banks nat
urally are not eager TO extend credit
to factories which are in control of
workmen's committees. As result
some of the factories. according to
this information, will be compelled
to close within a month
Can't Close Down.
An ironical feature of the difficult
ties confronting the employers Is the
fact that altho suffering serious loss.
t they do not dare to close the estab-
lishments owing to threats of ven
geance The power of the workmen' s
committees so far has superseded the