The Knoxville independent. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1894-current, 1918-05-11
GIVE IDLE MEN WORK FIRST
Women's Defense Council Discouranes
the Crowding of Women Into
Industry

The national conference Of the Wom-
ems committee of the national cOun-
ell of defense has adopted the policy
of discouaging the industrial employ
ment of women until idle men are set
to work. Members of the conference
assert that there are fifty thousand
unemployed men in New York and re-
ports show that other cities have corr
paratively large numbers. The dele
gates to the conference at Washington
decided no emergency had arisen for
day nurseries and the employment of
mothers with dependent children
should not be encouraged.
Union printers working in Indian
apolis on hand job work are to re-
ceiye $26 week wages until the Unit
ed States concludes peace with Ger
many and $50 week for three years
thereafter, according to an award
handed down by the board of arbitra-
tion between the Union Employing
Printers association in Indianapolis
and Typographical Union No. l Of In
dianapoEis. They were awarded back
pay from January /. The present scale
is SO a week The board was APP
pointed to effect new agreement to
take the place of the one that expired
January $500, .......-..4....
The Standard Oil Company of New
Jersey granted all of its refinery plant
employees except bricklayers and
watchmen fiat wage increase of 10
per cent to become effective at once.
The general increase will affect more
than 10000 employees and will ulti-
mately be extended to the subsidiary
corporations. In addition the officials
announced a new plan of insurance for
all employees and old age pensions.
All the anthracite mines in the Lee
high field except two at Lattimer, Pa,
were operated on Good Friday in re-
Spouse to appeals of the union leaders,
the coal companies and the clergy that
the men remain at work to meet the
wartime demand for fuel. Some of
the cOllieries were short-handed. This
Is the first time in many years that
the breakers have been run full blast
on a Good Friday,
The Bethlehem Steel company an
ounced that, effective April 16 an in
crease OF approximately 10 per cent
would be made in the general labor
rate at all the company's plants at
Bethlehem, Pa, and at Steelton, Pa. i;
Lebanon, Pa, and Sparrows Point, Md.
Adjustments will be made in other po-
sitions directly affected by the increase
In the general labor rate.
Organization of the 100000 steel
workers in the United States was ask
ed in communication addressed to
the American Federation of Labor by
the local organization. President John
Fitzpatrick declared that conditions
in the steel industry today compared
with those in the stockyardS year
ago.
The Massachusetts legislative com.
mittee on social welfare voted, 6 to 5,
to report a bill providing for 50-hour
week for women and children employ
ed in all industries. The present law
limits employment to "a hours a week.
The American Federation of Labor had
petitioned for a reduction to AS hours.
Universal enforcement of national
minimum wage, democratic control Of
industry, revolution in national finan-
ces and the surplus wealth for the COM
mon good-these are the four cardj-
nal points of British labor reconstruc-
ton after the war,
An Amsterdam dispatch reports that
a colossal strike at Krupp's gun fac,
tory is threatened. Five thousand men
at the Essen works have issued an ul-
timatum demanding one complete days
rest in every week and more and bet
ter food.
BY vote of the executive commit
tee at Springfield, H., the United
Mine Workers of Illinois win invest
$155,000 for the third Liberty loan,
bringing their bond purchases to half
a million dollars.
The president of the National Union
of Manufacturers at a meeting at Lon
don, said the recent i2taa per cent boz
nus to munition workers is costing the
country f140000,O00 yearly.
The new bylaws which provide for
the early closing of all retail grocers
and meat dealers in the city were pass
ed by the city council at Vancouver.
b. G.