Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1917-01-05
INDUSTRIAL AND ECONOMIC

INDUS RIAL AND ECUNUMlC
The outstanding feature of the year
in the Industrial world was the threat
ened strike of the 100000 members of
the four great railway brOtherhoOds,
which was prevented only by the pas
sage by congress of the AdamsOn bill.
The demands of the four brother
hoods. representing the engineers, fire.
men, conductors and trainmen, were
made upon the railroads early in the
year and after fruitless conferences
between the representatives of the
brotherhoods and the committee OF
general managers representing prac-
tically every railroad in the United
States, a strike vote was taken among
the members of the brotherhoods. On
July 26 it was announced that the
vote had been overwhelmingly in favor
of strike unless the demands of the
men were granted by the railroads.
The federal board of mediation i'm
mediately offered its services in an eff
fort to prevent a strike but on August
been unable to bring about an agree
ment and on the following day Presi
dent Wilson summoned the general
managers committee and the brother
hoods representatives to the White
House for a conference. This confer
ence produced no result, the railroad
managers offering to submit the whole
controversy to arbitration but the
| brotherhood representatives refusing
to agree to arbitration of their eight
hour day demands. August 20. Presi-
dent Wilson, with a promise from the
brotherhood leaders that they could
rescird their strike order, already is
sued, if a law were passed providing
| for tie placing of their wage scales
| on ar eight-hour basis, went before
congress and asked the passage of
three bulls which he deemed neces-
sary to meet the situation. One of
these bills provided that "eight hours
shall be deemed the measure or stand
ard of days work for the purpose of
reckoning the compensation for serv-
ices of all employees" operating trains
in interstate traffic.
Other bills proposed by the president
provided for the compulsory submis-
sion of rail labor disputes to board
Of mediation to be appointed by the
president before a strike could be de-
clared and for government operation of
the railways in case of military neces-
sity.
The bill embodying the provision fol
the eight-hour basis for wages, known
as the Adamson bill, was rushed
through the house September 1 an6
was passed by the senate September
The order for a strike which was II
have gone into effect September was
then rescinded. The session of con
gress ended shortly afterwards anG
considers ton of the other measure:
proposed by the president was post
poned until the next session.
Strikes were in progress in a mum
Der of Industries during the early par
of the year and some were marked b!
scenes of violence. April "a, striking
employees of the Westinghouse com
pany, led by masked woman, ,riotel
in East Pittsburgh. Fatal strike riot,
occurred at the Carnegie steel work.
in Braddock, Pa, May g. = big strik,
was started by the Chicago carmen
workers May 8. Express .rivers il
Chicago struck May 16 ana consider
able violence marked the strike, ex
y press wagons being operated under pc
| Tr,Ix
were sent to La Sale, ILL.,, to queI
: riots of cement works strikers.
: A strike Of street railway me-
stopped all surface cars in the boz
1 oughs of Manhattan, Bronx and Rich
mond, New York, August 5, but tn
2 strike ended two days later tempo
4 rarily. September 6, strike of al
9 men on the subway, elevated and SUI
I face lines in New York was calleC
4 Serious riots marked the street ca
. strike In New York. particularly o
4 October 5.
e November 8, large party of I. "
: w. members from Seattle engaged
a battle with a sheriff's posse at Eve
4 ett, Wash. Seven men were killed dul
/ ing the fighting.
o November Is, the National Industris
/ Conference Board was organized
Y representatives of several association
f of manufacturers said to embrace Is
It 600 employers, giving work to approx
It mately 100000 persons. The boar
r, 1t was announced, will look after IL
interests of employers in their rel
= tions with labor.
d November %, Judge Hook of tt
# United States district court at Kanss
IS City, Mo-, held the Adamson eight-ho,
If law unconstitutional and an agreemel
l. was reached between the represent
y tives of the government and of the raj
Ie roads for an appeal to the Unite
ID States Supreme court in an effort
y obtain a final decision on the validi
n. of the law as soon as possible.
ID The year was marked, especially,
h. the latter portion, by marked increas
lie in wages in many industries. Increas
le of $S,000,000 annually were granted
the soft coal fields March 6. The VI
)S ted States Steel Corporation, Mover
ut ber 81, announced a 10 per cent /
i crease of wages, amounting to approx
mately $20000,000 annually. Mover
n ber %. New England cotton mills a
q nounced Il general increase in wage
IN Wages were increased during the We
Mt in the packing industries and in ma
e- other fields.
g, The year was one of great prospect
o. in all manufacturing and agricuItul
industries. Foreign trade of the u
ry ted States, as shown by reports of t
ge department of commerce, reached
of total of $7,463, 100000 in the year er
u I HAIMhMAM IC AM IMLEMTc