The Knoxville independent. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1894-current, 1918-03-09
GENERAL LABOR NEWS.

The talk about exorbitant wages
earned by pieceworkers goes on and
fans the fame, says the London Dis
patch. Cases are quoted Of men max
ing as much as EDO and f40 week,
and only the other day man in Shelf
field boosted that with squirt" he
had been able to take home f45. These
high earnings are due primarily to the
agreement made not to reduce piece
rates during the war, and to the fact
that with the enormous improvements
in machinery many men can now pro-
duce in IS and 20 minutes as much
work as they used to produce in three
or four hours. And they are paid for
their IS and 20 minutes as If they
were three or four hours. An illustra-
ton of what is possible on smaller
scale is that of factory of over 100
workers in which one weeks wage bill
showed an average of rather more
than f12 a head, including the Office
boy! At the present rate of progress
sion the f100,000,000 which the new
bonuses are estimated to cost the coun-
try will soon be reached
Railroad tracks cannot be kept in
proper repair unless higher wages are
paid laborers, the railroad wage COM
mission was told by representatives of
the Maintenance of Way Employees
union. Thousands of men already
have left the railroads to take jobs
with industries or mines paying much
higher wages. In many localities sec
lion fUremen are said 10 be dependent
largely on farmers 10 do repair work
or the roads. The farmers win go
back 10 their agricultural duties With
an pas VI @inteF. ll Gsrry.
president Of the union, proposed that
the poorly paid classes should receive
q 80 per cent increase, aud that this
should be scaled down to about 20 per
cent for the better-paid men. He said
that 100000 are employed on main
tenance of way work by the railroads.
The Albion (Mich) coal miners were
in conference, but decided on nothing
except to stay out until they are given
raise in pay. The miners say that
all they ask is the raise given last Oc-
tober by the federal authorities. They
now get 81 ton for mining the coal
and insist that the amount set for
| Michigan mines is $1.45. Fuel Admin
istrator Prudden gave the men an in
crease of 10 cents ton at a confer
ence about a month ago and the oper-
ators claim that the men agreed to
stand by this agreement. The men
say they refused to accept this In
crease and insist on the full govern.
ment raise.
The street car strike at st. Louis
estimated to have caused a loss OF
$4,000 a day TO the company and mil.
lions to retail business. ended in vic
tory for the union. The agreement
reached at conference between rep.
resentatives of the strikers and direc
tors of the United Railways was rati.
fled by the $500 striking motormen
and conductors. The agreement in
cludes recognition of the union with
the open shop proviso and leaves the
question of wages and hours, etc. fol-
arbitration.
Nearly 10000 men in the state Of
New York are employed in trades con
nected with shipbuilding, and from thi:
| oIov. b.. bot oil nf Il Afn 11x
hopes to obtain $4,000 workmen, New
York's quota of shlpyard volunteers
wanted by the United States shipping
board. Enrolment would not be fol
immediate service, but subject to call
A list of workmen In the trades de
sired was from the state military cen
sus cards, and it is intended to mai
an enrolment blank to each man.
According to the report of William
Green, secretary treasurer of the Unit
ed Mine Workers of America, read a
the biennial convention Of the Organi
cation at indianapolis, the membership
of the union shows an increase In tn,
average paid up membership for tn
fiscal year ending November 30, 1917
and was 55,595 greater than for tn
year ending November 80. 1916.
The department Of labor announces
that more than 10000 agents through
out the country would be engaged TO
the next two weeks in the enrollmen
of 100000 men skilled in the ship
building trades. Two thousand of tn
agents are appointees of trade union
who are cooperating in building u
the industrial army for final drive t
victory.
Girls who have been delivering tele
grams in Greater Boston must give u
the field to boys. The state board O
labor and Industries has ruled that n
female minor should be employed Il
messenger service In Massachusetts.