The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1918-04-12


in the heading of this article re-
quire 37,761 legal signatures to en-
title them to be placed on the bal
lot at the November election. The
Trades Council has a committee to
attend to the circulation of these
petitions. E. A. Francois is chair
man of that committee and call for
volunteers to circulate the pttitions
in the 40 precincts of this city.
There are number of volunteers
and more are needed.
All voters are urged to register
in order that they may legally sign
the petitions.
The trades unonists and farmers
of this state have agreed on a pro-
gram that includes initiative meas
ures numbers 81, 80 and 33.
Measure No. 81 is the marketing
and transportation bill Its main
provisions are as follows:
(1) Provides that cities, counties,
port districts and townships may
own and operate mills, warehouses,
storehouses, elevators, grain bins.
cold storage plants, wood and fuel
yards.
(2) May buy directly at wholesale
all forms of food products and fuel
and resell and distribute the same
at wholesale or retail to the inhabi-
tants.
(3) Provides that such corpora
tions may sell food products and
fuel on commission for the produc-
ers thereof.
(4) Provides that such corpora
tions may own and operate flour
mills for milling grains and cereals
for flour and meal and sell the same
directly to the consumers.
(5) Provides for complete trans
portation system, collecting food
products from the farmers and dis
tributing them to the consumers.
co. Enables such corporations to
own and operate telephone and pow
er systems.
1t is highly important that in
these days of stress, every useless
effort should be done away with.
People who are not actual producers
should not be permitted to make
profit from the efforts of those who
do produce.
This measure, if enacted into law,
will eliminate waste, reduce the cost
to the consumer and, by its elimina-
tion of the middleman and profiteer,
will permit of the payment of a
higher price to the producer, 1t is
really an extension of the Seattle
port district principle, which no one
can successfully deny has been of
inestimable value not only to the
people of Seattle but to the entire
Northwest.
The natural tendency today is CON
troll by the people and this measure
is big step in that direction.
From the viewpoint of the wage
Garner, increases in wages have not
nearly equalized the increased cost
of living; the useless non-producer
fixes the price to the farmer and
for the consumer. Wage increases
have not decreased the relative diff
ference between the purse of the
wage Garner and the possibility of a
good living. The farmer is not to
blame; he gets but a small part of
the increased cost of living, and this
will continue as long as our pres
ent wasteful system is in use.
This measure will surely secure
the approval of all farmers and
wage earners in this state and
ought to secure the approval of all
patriotic citizens who really want to
do a constructive thing to help win
the war
Measure No. 81
This is labor's anti-injunction law
and its purpose is to curb the as
sumed power of the courts in in
dustrial disputes.
Injunctions are judge made, based
on precedence that goes back to the
old English law that placed prop
erty rights above human rights.
Labor is not a commodity, or an
article of commerce." declared the
congress of the United States when
it passed the Clayton amendment to
the Sherman antitrust law, and
which was signed by President Will
son. This amendment removed la
Dor and other voluntary associations
not organized for profiteering from
the operation of the Sherman law.
People in the state of Washing
ton have long suffered from the