The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1918-02-11
ELIMINATE
PROFITEERING
Establish Principle of the
Eight-Hour Work
ing Day
LESS INCONSISTENCY
IN OUR ATTITUDE
Are Recommendations O f
Pres. Wilson's Media
ton Commission

the conduct OF some of those guiding in.
dustry at home, and the recognition OF
some form of collective relationship be.
tween capital and labor as a principle in
a national labor policy" are the prn.
cipal recommendation of President vii.
sons mediation commission which just
has finished survey of the labor unrest
west OF the Mississippi river, which the
government considered most menacing to
successful prosecution of the war.
In return for this, the commission
holds, labor should surrender all prac-
tices which tend TO restrict maximum
efficiency" when il is assured of sound con
ditions and effective means for just re-
dress of grievances.
The commission, headed by Secretary
Wilson of the department of labor, went
west principally TO look into the copper
strikes in the Arizona district and the
l. w. w. activities in the lumber dis.
tricts of the Pacific Northwest It in
cluded in its investigations however, the
dispute in the California oil fields, the
threatened strike of Pacific coast tele.
phone operators, the threatened strike Of
the packing house workers in Chicago,
and the street railway trouble In Mime
apois and st. Paul
| Generally, the commission found that
uncorrected specific evils and the absence
OF healthy spirit between capital and
labor. due partly To the evils mentioned
and partly to IAN unsound industrial
structure were the main causes of the
industrial difficulties arising since the
war began. The commission SAYS that
while sinister influences and extremist
doctrine have awaited themselves of
those conditions, they have not created
them
The overwhelming mass Of the labor
ing populations is in no sense disloyal,
says the report.
A means OF correction suggested by
the causes of the unrest itself, the com
mission outlines as follows:
~. The elimination TO the utmost
practical extent of all profteering dur
ing the period OF the war is a prerequi-
site to the best morale in industry.
- Modern large scale industry has eff
fectualy destroyed the personal relation
between employer and employe-th the
knowledge and cooperation that come
from personal contact. II is therefore /.
no longer possible to conduct industry /
with employees as individuals Some /
form Of collective relationship between
and men il Indispensable
The recognition of this principle by the
government should form an accepted
part of the labor policy of the nation,
-. Law, in business "a elsewhere, de
Ponds for its vitality upon steady en-
forcement. Instead of waiting for ad-
justment after grievances come 10 the
surface there is needed the establishment {
Of continuous administrative machinery
for the disposition of industrial issues
aud the avoidance of an atmosphere of
and the waste of disturbances
II The eight hour day is an estab-
ished policy of the country; experience
has proved justification of the principle
also in war times. Provision must of
curse be made for. longer hours in case
IF emergencies. Labor will readily meet
his requirement if its misuse is guarded
against by appropriate overtime pay |
nents.
IS. Unified direction of the labor adj J
of the United States for the
,criod of the war should be established. q
vt present there is an unrelated number 2
# separate committees. boards, agencies
nd departments having fragmentary !
nd conflicting jurisdiction over the la
,or problems raised by the war sin |
lie headed administration is needed with U
ulI power to determine and establish the o
necessary administrative structure,
IS. When assured of sound labor condi- o
ions and effective means for the just !
edress of grievances that may arise, Ia I
4 oil { [
ices which tend to restrict maximum |
e
~. Uncorrected evils are the greatest Il
rovocative extremist propaganda. aud
heir correction in itself would be the L
est counter propaganda. But there Is u
eed for more affirmative education II
here has been too little publicity of an Il
1ucative sort in regard TO labor's rela- O
ons to the war. The purposes of the e.
and the methods by which s.
is pursuing them should be brought 1
ONE to the fuller understanding of la p
or. Labor has most at stake in this :.
ar, and it viii eagerly devote its all If Il
lly it be treated with confidence and
subject neither to indul {
,nce nor neglect, but dealt with as
,rt of the citizenship of the state r
abor Not Employed to Full Capacity.
At length the commission records its
arch for the real cause of the labor
lrest and comes to these conclusions
The conclusion cannot be escaped that
e available man power of the nation.
rying as the industrial arm Of war. is
It employed to its full capacity nor
isely directed to the energies OF war
The effective conduct of the war suf-
r. needlessly because of interruption of
Drk due to actual or threatened strikes.
Irposed decrease in efficiency through
e strike on the job. decrease in efiicien-
due 10 labor unrest, and dislOcstion of
e labor supply.
These are not new conditions in
neriean Industry. nor are their causes
W. The conditions and their causes
We long been familiar and long un-
rrected. War has only served to in
lsify the old arrangements BY making
eater demands upon industry and by
ording the occasion for new disturbing
stors.
Among the causes Of unrest. familiar
students Of industry. the following
md out with special significance 10 the
lustrial needs 81 war.
Broadly speaking. American industry dai
Il healthy basis 81 relationship be des
zen management ard men. Al bottom "a
: Is due to the insisteucc by employ L.
upon individual dealings with their ans
n Direct dealings with employees or NC