The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-02-26
ARMY CLOTHING
NOT To Be DELAYED

New York, Feb 2s--Army clothing
should be turned out with little like
lihood OF interruption from future
labor problems, according to LOUIS E
KRISTEN, the new administrator of
labor standards for army clothing
Mr.. KRISTEN is new to this ONCE, but
not to the work, for he was chairman
of the board of control of labor stand
ards. BY "a recent order of Quarter
master General Goethals Mr.. KRISTEN
was placed in charge and the board
discontinued.
The new form of contract said
Mr.. KRISTEN the other day, requires
that all labor disputes that cann~t be
settled by employers and employees be
referred to the secretary OF war and
that his decision be nnal; also, that
any employees in government con-
tract shop have the right to submit
any grievances direct to the quarter
master-general II they so desire.
with regard to standards OF work,
We pass upon sanitation, hours of
work. fire hazard and wages. We do
not AK wages, but we have q stat
istician who goes into costs so that in
case of a dispute we shall have in
formation AZ TO whether the demands
are reasonable. We, OF course, have
nothing to ~ with the letting of the
contract: that In done at Washington.
1T Is our intention that the army
work be distributed where IT can be
best handled. in other words where
labor now exists in the needle trades;
this course will be followed on ac-
count OF both the work ers and the
co m munitiee, to avoid the develop
ment OF mushroom industries where
under normal conditions they could
not be continued. that is after the
war. we are striving for continuity
OF work, that there win De no labor
uph eavals. The truth is that since
the preceding board took charge of
this work last summer there have been
no really serious labor troubles. Only
one contract WAS held UP on account
Of labor difficulty, and that was q
comparatively small affair. On the
contrary. we think good deal has
been accomplished. in correcting
buses that will result In speeding up
the work. Some of the conditions
were very had before the board was
organized last summer and were the
subject OF complaint by various social
bodies. Suhcontracttng in the worst
/ form existed A great deal of cloth
| ing was being Gent cut to the tene-
ments. II was found that army cloth
| ing was being made In a house where
a diphther1a sign was hanging
| We were told that this could not
1 be stopped that on account OF the
stipulation that the sleeve Innings be
handse~ved II WAS necessary for the
work to go out in this way. This re-
| quirement WAS a relic of other days;
It was cha nged, and now all the work
can be done by machinery We made
other changes that will save the gov
| eminent q great deal Of money.
The administration OF labor stand =
ards for army clothing will continue
the work done by the board. As the
task OF preliminary organization had
been completed, 1t was evidently Cen
| erai Cocktails idea that the work
could re carried on In the future to
better advantage under centralized au-
thority: hence the placing OF one man
in charge"
Mr. KRISTEN has been in the cloth
ing manufacturing business for TWEEN
tv yea re- and is a director In one OF
the largest companies in the country
which however, has no connection
with any army clothing contracts.