The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1918-03-22

First Vice-PreSldent harry Call,
of the Washington State Fedora
ton of Labor, spent last week in
Olympia as the representative of
President William Short, in urging
signers for the three bills that are
being initiated by the federation OF
labor and the state grange. Mr..
Call appeared each night of the week
before some one or two OF the
local unions, and is placing with
them large number of petitions
for signatures. The unions are ap-
pointing committees to take direct
charge of the work, and Olympia
promises to roll up large number
of signatures. Mr.. Call is also
urging unaffiliated unions to join the
state federation.
He reports that up in his home
town, Bellingham, which heretofore
has been rather backward in the
work of circulating and signing la
Dor initiative measures, that the
boys are taking hold with great en-
thusasm and that already several
petitions have been fully signed and
turned in.
Mr.. Call has also spent consider
able time during his visit comforting
with Commissioner H. L. Hughes,
and DR.. J. w. NOVEL;, chief medical
adviser of the Industrial Insurance
Commission, on matters relating to
industrial insurance and medical aid,
in order that he may be prepared
with the necessary information to
advise workmen coming under the
act as to their rights and the proper
methods of protecting them.
Mr.. Call visited several local
unions and explained the provisions
of the three initiative measures put
forward by organized labor.
The trades unionists and farmers
of this state have agreed on a pro-
gram that includes initiative meas
ures numbers 81, 32 and 33.
Measure No. 81 is the marketing
and transportation bill. It's main
provisions are as follows:
() 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 producers
thereof
(D 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 DOW
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 a
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
it is really an extension of the
Seattle port district principle, which
TO one can successfully deny has
been of inestimabel 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 euualized the increased cost
of living; the useless non-producei
fixes the price to the farmer anc
for the consumer. Wage increases
have not decreased the relative diff
ference between the purse of the
wage Garner and the possibility of &
good living The farmer is not tc
blame; he gets but small part OF
the increased cost of living, and thi!
will continue as long as our present
wasteful system is in use.
This measure will surely secure
the approval of all farmers ant