The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1918-03-01
u. S. E. WILL NEVER
CONSCRIPT LABOR

Hiram Johnson. Of California. ~x.
poets 10 make a speech shortly. In
which he will say som, rather severe
things about the management OF the
shipping program
Tho attitude OF the administration
towards eonncription Of labor il
clearly shown by thi. statement by
Secretary 81 Labor WILSON.
VIII Not Con-eript
There never viii be eonscrfp-
ton Of labor for use In privately.
owned shipysrds or any Other
private industry. II u should
ever become necessary 10 con.
script Labor tho private owner
and the private profit viii be
eliminated. Tho labor will be- sp-
piled TO materials which have
been cornmsndccred by the gov.
-rnmcnt. That time has not yet
come"
SAMUEL GoNPERs. Of Ameri.
can Federation OF Labor. said today.
The problem In not one % labor
shortage. but OF tho mal.adjustmcni
OF labor. There are a million Idle la
boring people In the United States
at the present time.
when such IN the case II IL alb
surd Co talk about importing Chi
neas or conscripting men To work in
tho shipping Industries Building
has been almost completely Hu-.
pended and there are thousands Of
plumbers. ateamfi,tcra. brickiaycrs.
plaster-ra. maRons. roofers and tin.
ncru who are out 81 work.
It's New Industry
Eventually the men may become
occupied In the shipbuilding and 9th.
or war work. including work on
farms. but until there Is "A real short.
ago Of labor have no patience with
the effort to criticiae labor and to
try TO hold the union laborcr respon-
siblc for the slow down Of work.
''Shipbuiiding IN n now industry 80
far as this country Is concerned.
From constructing 400 900 tons a
year. We are trying TO construct
from four 20 six million tons. This
means that new men must be train
cd Expert labor must be diluted
with incxpert labor and the imme-
diate effect OF this Is reduction in
tho speed record Of the working
gangs The lack OF good housing
conditions In many instances ac-
counts for complaint by shipbuildcra
that workmen do not like to come TO
work for them and there IL dlspo.
sitlon In certain quarters TO refuse
TO pay the higher wages required by
the higher cost Of living"
Labor Plentiful
IRVINE l.. LENROOT. represent.
alive from Wisconsin. who has ship
Yards In his district. said:
"rhe time has not come TO even
talk about conscription of labor. II
will not come until II is shown that
there IL a real labor scarcity. Then
We viii see that labor ~ conscrlpted
for work only for the government, nj
IL my observation that there Is more |
labor than the shipyards can employ /
at the present time and the slow |
down ~ more the result OF bad man. /
agement by the shipbuilders than
ack OF labor
LOUIS r. POST. assistant score
lry OF labor said:
~ there H. to he conscription OF
ibor lct II come I'm the following or
Ter. FIRST. commander all ship
yards or other plants where labor is
10 be conscripted. and. SECOND.
eliminate all private interest be-
tween tho laborcr and the govern
ment which conscripts his services.
This government never win stand
Tor the conscrlption OF labor TO be
employed on work in which any HUI
nan being acquires private profit
Use POSSIBILITIES
"Our department IL building In
organization TO handle
he problem of getting the Jobless
nan and the manless job together
We shall work thru every postoffice,
-ural free delivery man. county and
-ural agents, thru the agricultural
organization and in
scores of other ways 10 give FREQ In
formation 20 laborlng people as to
where their services are needed ana
20 employers as 10 where they can
get labor.
AS vet the cry IL one OF antici'
1ated distress rather than felt dis.
rcss Our figures show more APP
,lications for work than applications
or laboring people"