The Knoxville independent. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1894-current, 1918-06-22
OF INTEREST TO LABOR

Walter L. Fisher, former secretary
of the interior, has been appointed by
the shipbuilding labor adjustment
board as its representative and exam
liner for the Great Lakes district, ex-
tending from Buffalo to Duluth. He
serves without pay, as do the repre-
sentatives of this board in other dis
tricts. Under agreement between the
navy department and the Emergency
| Fleet corporation and the officials of
the American Federation Of Labor, the
shipbuilding labor adjustment board,
whose offices are in Washington, has
jurisdiction over wages, hours, and
other labor conditions in all shipyards
having direct contract with the Emer-
gency Fleet corporation of the navy.
Messenger girls must now be over
twenty-one years old in New York.
Governor Whitman signed the Nicoll
bill, which requires the voting age for
feminine mercuries, and those past
tWenty-One years old are to be allowed
to work at delivering messages not
more than six days of 81 hours week
and not before seven o'clock in the
morning or after ten o'clock at night.
The same bill provides that messen-
ger boys under twenty-one cannot be
employed before five o'clock in the
morning or after ten o'clock at night.
1t applies only to cities of the first
and second class.
Two thousand recently organized
shopmen employed by the Elgin, Joliet
& Eastern railroad, owned by the Unit
ed States Steel corporation, voted to
ask an increase in wages. They now
earn a minimum of 80 cents an hour,
increased in two years to 81 cents.
They are caf-.s rsIIafferr.a bisfcbisrhssls&.,
boilermakers, machinists and helpers
The Wichita Street car company
granted its men a new schedule fol-
| lowing demands after a union was or
! ganized. The new scale is effective
at once and gives two-men car opera
tors 30 cents an hour, with half-cent
increase each 30 days until they gel
1914 cents. One-man car operators re-
ceive 2 cents an hour extra.
| Wages Of railroad trainmen, conduc
tors, baggagemen and switchmen il
Canada will be increased proportion
ately to the increase in wages for the
same class of work in the United
States within the next few weeks, il
was announced by NJ. Fl. Mcleod, yict
president and general manager of thi
Canadian Northern railway.
Employees of the National Tube
company at Lorain, o., received theil
first pay under the new wage scale
which includes Is per cent increast
for all day laborers. 1t is estimated
the pay increase will amount to 50,
100000 annually. The amount dis
tributed in wages by the local plan
in 1917 was $12000,000
Fifteen hundred molders in So Chi
cago brass and iron foundries re
turned to work. This was agreed t,
in Washington through the efforts @
the national labor war board. TIL,
question Of wages will be left to TIL
war board as arbitrator. The nev
wages will date from the time the mel
return to work.
An estimate that at least so per cen
of male college students will pas
their vacations this summer workin;
on farms, has been made by the de
partment of labor. The department
also announced that the youths will b,
lodged for the most part in farm Ia
Dor camps.
Striking ordnance-making employee
of the Bethlehem Steel company, mum
bering nearly five thousand, resumes
work. They voted to return when tn
national labor board, headed by ex
President Taft and Frank IT, Walsh
agreed to investigate their claims.
The Toledo Shipbuilding compan,
was forced to close when 1000 men
employed on construction Of govern
ment ships, walked out because the.
were impatient over an adjustment o
wages promised by the shipping board
New Bedford textile unions voted t,
reject offer of 1914 per cent wage in
crease and to insist on 25 per cent. Fal
River textile councils have asked 2
per cent increase.
The strike of the street railwa,
trainmen at Waco, Tex, on sine,
March 3, was called off by vote o
the local organization Of trainmen. 4
majority of the strikers returned t.
work for the company.
The Newfoundland railway strik'
| has been settled by the men resumin,
work with the understanding that ,
revision of wages shall be made with
In month.
| The grand total Of Canadian trad'
unionlsts who have volunteered ant
been accepted for overseas servic'
since the outbreak Of the war is 26,
| 4s8.