Arizona republican., 1917-10-04
GOVERNMENT HOPES TO FIND REMEDY
 FUR LABOR UNREST
Republican A.P. Leased Wire1

WASHINGTON, Oct. 3-The gov ernment is working to develop some l comprehensive system of dealing with the labor unrest which threatens to hamper war production. It is con- cerned over the pronounced upward movement of wages. disproportionate for various industries and the difficult ! ty of stabiliZing conditions without do- ing injustice To workers or employers Nearly all production now is directly or i indirectly necessary for the prosecu- | ton of the war and the output of war l materials is curtailed by strikes, ,ex- traordinary movement of workers from one industry to another or from plant to plant and other unsettled conditions On the recommendations of the com
 mittee headed by Secretary Wilson of
 the department of labor which left to-
 day for the west will largely depend on the governments eventual policy. Meanwhile it is understood the govern
 ment's course will be:
 To extend to a number of industries having war contracts the present sys- tenn of wage adjustment boards which have been created for cantonment con struction, shipbuilding longshoreman's work and army and navy clothing pro- ductions,
 To increase the number of war de- l partment contracts containing clauses providing that in case of suspension of work by strike, the secretary of war l shall settle the disputes:
 To enforce agreements with indus l tries for whose products standard pric-
 es are fixed, not to reduce wages: ] To encourage employers to form as- sociations by industry groups to deal 1 collectively with labor demands and | To press informally for adjustment of | disagreements before they reach the 1 strike stage, under the implied pres 1 sure of the governments war power to 1 commander and operate plants | These practices already are in effecc on a small scale, having been developed
 gradually to deal with specific labor l problems as they arose. They have l failed to prevent many walkouts how l ever. despite the governments recog- 1 milton in most cases of the right of l labor's demands for higher pay to meet l the increased cost of living Continued evidence that employees | and employers were not working in i harmony led government officials and | their advisers of the council of ma tional defense to look for a more fun | damental solution. With this end in | view, special study is being given Brit | ish' governments methods by Ameri | can officials.
 |I While recognizing that British meth ods may not be adaptable entirely tc | American labor conditions, officials | here are giving special attention to the | following British practices:
 Generalization of administration O.
 all labor matters affecting war produc-
 tion in a single government depart
 ment;
 Entrusting of mediation of trouble:
 reaching the strike stage to another
 branch;
 Government promotion of the or i ganization of labor now unorganize(
 and of employers by industries, t,
 make collective agreements possible
 and,
 Heavy tax levies on war profit
 which some observers consider a prim
 cause of labor unrest.
 ! The defense councils labor commit
 tee, headed by Samuel Gompers, vii
 cooperate in any movement to stabi
 ize labor conditions, but cannot be ex
 pected, officials say, to prevent strike
 pr force mediation except by it's genera advocacy of industrial peace as a wa ' policy. Efforts of the sub -committe
 on conciliation, of which V Everi
 Macy is chairman have been limite, | by the fact that it lacks definite gov ernment authority.
 | Considerable effective work lookin
 to avoidance of strikes and conseuuen | suspension of war production. has bee | done by contracts specifying that tn
 secretary of war shall adjust contro
 versies in case they interfere seriousl with production. In many cases, also e they have been able quickly to mediat . threatened labor disputes and avoi ', strikes.