Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-01-09
WOULD ENLIST
SOLDIER WORKMEN
[Continued from First Page

dressed the meeting briefly this
morning. Mr.. Palmer's talk was
along the lines of the necessity of
preserving the labor resources to
conduct the war.
The committees urge that two
committees, one from the farmers
ana one from the Federation, be au-
thorized to meet Jointly at least once
month and to take up as of prime
Importance at this time the assur-
ance of sufficient supply of skilled
laoor TO grow products required,
lalr prices for the products, suffi-
clent fertilizers and other farm ne
cessities at fair prices. The COM
m1ttees recommend that the govern
ment grant parole to enlisted or
drafted men in order to meet press
ing labor shortages in industry and
on the farms and that they be paid
during such service at the prevail
ing rate of wages where employed.
The resolutions. blame the coal
shortage not on the amount of coal
mined but upon poorly managed
transpoI tation.
Interests Identical
we declare that the interests of
workers i'll cities and on the farms,
rightly understood, are substantial
ly the same.
require permanent channel
through which they may be express
ed and subserved.
we recommend to the organiza-
tons, here represented, the establish
ment of joint working alliance.
I'VE recommend that a permanent
joint committee be appointed by the
chairman.
I'VE recommend that the perma-
nent joint committee shall hold
meetings at least once a month,
throughout the year, at the call OF
the chairman and that the first duty
of this committee shall be to pre-
pare tentative working agreement
to be submitted to the organizations,
represented, for amendment and
ratification.
I'VE recommend that said COM
mittee shall prepare and report to
the alliance a plan for the supply
of agricultural products direct from
the farmer to the consumer. q
Realizing the paramount import
ance of an abundant, reliable and
fairly-priced supply of food, both to
our own people and to our allies in
the war, we join in demanding that
it shall be made possible for the
farmers of Pennsylvania and the
whole United States to produce the
food so urgently required.
Farmers Need Help
I'VE recommend further, in the
interest of all, that the farmer be
assured of a sufficient supply of
skilled farm labor to grow the pro-
ducts required, fair prices for their
products when grown, and sufficient
fertilizers and other farm necessities
at reasonable cost, without extortion.
ITO these ends we favor the eX-
tension of organization and Coop
Grafton among and between all
workers.
I'VE recognize that the high cost
of living is due not to excessive
prices received by farmers, but to
excessive prices eXacted from con-
sumers, less than half of whose dol
farmer who produced it.
I'VE recognize that the so-called
coal shortage is really not n shortage
of either miners or coal mined, but
has been due to poorly managed
transportation. The bituminous
miners are in many cases only
making half time. or less, due to the
lack of placed cars and, while the
government has fixed the prices at
the mine, the consumer is still, IN
many cases, paying prices utterly un-
reasonable.
Soldier Labor
I'VE recommend that the grange
be requested to supply to the labor
papers, from time to time, articles
upon the circumstances and condi-
tons of production so that the con-
sumeI may understand the process
es of production on the farm, and
that the labor organizations be re-
quested to furnish articles dealing
with the problems of industrial pro-
duction for use in the grange off,
cial paper.
Where vitality necessary indus
tries are undermanned, we suggest
the assignment of drafted, or en-
listed men, to work under parole at
the prevailing rate of wages in the
positions where they can serve the
nation best, offers a prompt and
reasonable remedy to the perilous
conditions in these necessary indus
tries We believe that such parole
ment would do away with any rea-
son for conscription of labor to
which we are opposed.
1--WE recommend that our joint
committee present these matters to
the Council of National Defense for
consideration and cooperation"