The weekly Alaska citizen., 1918-06-17

IoIAOsA Oy lAS WOAh SSASA dAy dAu q S1 CdtCl unity ot purpose than has heretofore beer exhibited by unions throughout the country
 In Mir. Gompers' address to the dele gates at the opening session of the annua convention of the American Federation o1 Labor he strikes at the root of the matter and declares for the loyalty of labor in sup port of the war; But his personal attitude cannot eliminate labor troubles unless he has the hearty cooperation of the organizations composing the federation.
 More than year ago, or two days after the declaration of war, Mir. Gonpers and g representative labor committee issued state ment which was generally considered as meaning that both labor and capital would lay aside all differences until the end of the war. This statement was not lived up to as the events of the first six months and ever after proved. Then followed the Buffalo con vention. After a fight with pro-Gern,an ano paciist sections, the loyal unions gained tht aScendency and renewed the federation. pledge of loyal support to the governmen and went on record as disfavoring strikes and agitatons until the end of the war Again the nation believed that the labor diff faculties of the country were solved.
 11OWCVCl, ulClC Have DcCll uulIleIOus strikes since that time, and, though compara lively free from serious strikes today, labor still shows signs of unrest and the co-opera tion desired between workers and their eln ployers is still somewhat lacking.
 This situation parallels the labor situa tion in England during the first months o1 the war. But the government there calling representatives of both labor and capital to- gether, was able to establish plan of pro cedure which eliminated all industrial dis turbances and placed the labor of England on a foundation which has resulted in the greatest possible efficiency. There is no req son that the same thing cannot be accomplish ed ill the United States if American employers and their employees show as much sacrificing patriotism and loyalty as their English cous ins have exhibited.
 In England ninety per cent of skilled workmen are members of unions In Amer ica only little more than ten per cent be long to unions. At the outbreak of the wal the unions were practically 100 per cen strong in intuition factories. Labor in Eng land had already won its fight for closed shop. Its leaders had already succeeded ii establishing all those limitations and restric tions that have stood for the goal of the labo movement everywhere. Every workman wa reduced to precisely the same level; his worl was allotted to him, and should he do mor. than his quota he was dismissed from hi union and lost his job. Women were excud ed from industrial establishments to proven their employment at lower wages. from be coming menace to the labor monopoly
 Apprentceships were limited to tn, smallest possible number and the longest pos sible terms. The English unions were doing the smallest possible work for the highes wages that could be obtained. This was tn, system which was tried out at the beginning of the war and which was productive of neal disaster to the British. Lloyd George ant his associates were able to remedy this situa tion, and despite the fact that British labor is ninety per cent strong, the unions have de clared an industrial truce, removed all re strictions on the output, the employment O. women and the limitation of apprentices, al well as permitting the open shop In return they have been accepting the wages paid a the outbreak of the war as standard, while the government has arranged an ingenious system of bonuses to take care of the in creased living cost and at the same time re stricting the profit accruing from war condi tions to the employers
 Since that time there has been no trou ble with British unions. While demanding radical changes in its after-war program British labor is performing its whole duty as part of the allied fighting machine. American labor is no less part of tha same machine, as Mir. Gompers stated yes terday in his annual report It is distinctl, up to this labor to place its loyalty above criti cism, and only by actual service will it ac compish this. Until American labor doe. this "autocracu ,,,ilta rict1o and irrecnoncillI