The Knoxville independent. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1894-current, 1919-02-08
BRIEF LABOR ITEMS

Day laborers in Japan receive only
% cents day.
Men employed in the steel works of
Sydney, N. S., have received an in
crease of ~ cents an hour, in wages.
Organized iron molders in Portland,
Ore, are against the installation OF
women in the iron foundries of that
city.
The labor cost of certain type Of
American ship is figured at about $40-
600, as compared with, $4,000 on a
similar British ship and $4,000 ON
Japanese ship.
Over 10000 men from every walk Of
life have been trained as shipbuilders
by the training department connect
ed with the Hog island shipbuilding
plant at Philadelphia.
The Norwegian social department is
preparing proposals on the question of
participation by workmen in the adj
ministration and profits of commercial
and industrial undertakings.
Canadian railway employees have
asked the Dominion labor appeal board
to grant them the same rates of pay
as are obtained by the employees of
the Canadian government railways.
The second industry of importance
in Costa Rica is that of gold and sill
yer mining on the Pacific slope. The
mines vary in size and give direct en-
ployment to Approximately $4,000 men.
Three munition firms in Leicester,
Ilkeston and Nottingham and threela at
Loughborough, England, are taking up
the manufacture of hosiery needles,
imported from Germany before the
war.
Because Of their honesty and faith
fitness, women conductors employed
by the New York Railways company
will be retained in their positions.
They have been earning kz~----s = q IL
S32 a week.
In Lancashire, England, the major
ity of workers in the textile trade are
women, who also form a majority of
the trade union membership and re-
ceive the same rates of pay for the
same work as men.
A great number of Dutch workmen
who were recently discharged by the
Krupp gun works at Essen, Germany,
have been reengaged and have re-
turned to the plant, where they are
now busy constructing railway ma
terial.
New disorders have occurred in the
Buhr valley coal fields, in Westphalia,
Germany. Armed strikers attacked
soldiers guarding two coal mines and
both properties were damaged. The
strikers We're finally compelled to re-
sumo work.
Approximately 100000 soldiers, sail
ors and munition workers will be as
sisted in learning trades and finding
employment during the coming year
by the Methodist Episcopal church,
according to plans announced by the
Methodist centenary committee.
Striking miners in the Dusseldorf
Germany district have fought a
pitched battle with the soldiers pro-
tecting the mine, according to reports
received here. The encounter result
ed in several persons being killed and
wounded before the troops finally sur
rounded and arrested the miners.
A strike of marine workers which
may involve 10000 men was started
when several hundred deckhands,
cooks and fremen employed by light
erage and ferry companies, walked
out According to Thomas L. Della
hunty, chairman of the Marine Work
ers' Affiliation, the strike was unau-
thoriZed, since the demand of the men
for an eight-hour day and higher
wages is now under consideration by
the war labor board.
Cleveland firemen decided to en-
force the eight-hour day provision ap-
proved by voters in November 1917,
but never put into effect because Of
lack of city finances. AS a conse-
uuGuC6 LWO-JHIIuS Vi the uIGHldn On
duty in the various fire stations
walked out at midnight, leaving the
other third of the force on duty. At
eight o'clock next morning the night
shift went home and another shift
came on duty. Another change fol-
lowed at 4 p, m.
AS result of precautions taken by
the military authorities the effort by
maximalist agitators to inaugurate a
general strike at Montevideo, Uru-
quay, has been abandoned, according
to the newspapers.
Demand for an eight-hour working
day has been presented to the mill
owners by 10000 textile employees In
Manchester N. ii. They ask that the
new working schedule be made efrec-
tive on February 3. The matter is
| expected to be taken into the legisIa-
ture, where an effort is likely to be
made to repeal the present 54-houF
law and substitute 4S-hour law.