The Washington herald., 1918-06-20
LABOR BEATS
ship BONUSES
BILLPLANNED
Speeding Up Amendment
Defeated in House
by 205 to 81.

Labor leaders in the House yester--
day forced the defeat of the Senate
amendment to the naval appropriation
bill to permit the payment of bonuses
to shIpyard workmen for speeding
up." BY the vote Of 206 to 81 the bill
was sent back to conference for fur
ther amendment to eliminate this pro-
vision.
The bill as It passed the House pro-
hibited the use of the stopwatch by
shipyard foremen, and the Senate
agreed to this, but inserted the sec
tion allowing the establishment Of
the bonus system Both Of these
provisions are part OF what Is known
as the Taylor system" having been
inaugurated by Admiral Taylor, chief
Of the Bureau of Construction. Union
labor men generally regard them as
obnoxious and say they impose an
unfair check system on their WORK.
waIkout Threatened.
A factor which contributed to the
defeat Of the bonus system by the
House was the threat of a general
waIkout of shipyard employees II the
provision were Incorporated into the
law. This threat was conveyed to
Chairman Padgett. of the Naval At
fairs Committee. through the medium
Of kilograms from officials Of unions
Of shipyard workers at Norfolk and
Portsmouth.
Padgett read the kilograms to the
House, saying as he did SO that he
did not approve Of such methods and
that the House should not pay too
much attention to them in deciding
whether or not the bonus plan should
remain in the bill. He explained,
however, that Secretary Daniels has
devised an efficiency system in the
yards which Is working effectively,
and that legislation on the bonus
question Is unnecessary. For that
reason. he said. he was willing to ask
the House to reject the Senate's
amendment
Telegram Resented.
Members who favored t. institu-
ton of the bonus plan stI ongly re-
sented the conveyance of such a
threat to Congress. Cox of Indiana,
declared that the senders OF the
message should be "conscripted and
made to put on the uniform and go
where they will have no chance to
strike" Cannon. Of Illinois, made a
similar statement.
Keating. of Colorado. and Nolan
of California. labor leaders. dis
avowed the threat OF strike and de-
clared the action of the union ON
ciaIs did not represent the sentiment
of the laborers.
Nolan Points to Pacific.
Nolan called attention to the rec
ords made by workmen in some OF
the yards, particularly those OF the
Pacific coast These workmen are
striving to outdo each other in ac-
complishing wonderful feats in ship
building, he said. and require no
bonus from the government to inspire
heir efforts.
Good Of Iowa. and Madden Of Ilii-
nois. pleaded for the retention Of the
Senate amendment.
England and France have waived
all labor restrictions on labor for the
war" Good said. ''and are working
under a system that permits the pay
ment of a bonus for the man who
Tpeeds Up his work. Why should we
not do the same thing? 1t is neces-
sary right now that the men in tht
shipyards should be impelled to dc
their utmost and the bonus system
will encourage them in that purpose.
The naval bill now goes to confer
snce with the two Houses in agree
nent. except ON this provision. and
On the proposal to raise the comman-
dant of the Marine Corps to be a
lieutenant general. which was de-
seated in the House.