Newark leader. ([Newark, Ohio]) 1917-1946, 1919-09-05
The Plumb Plan Spreading

| Deen quick TO recognize Cne poSSlDH-
tiles of the Plumb Plan, and to ap-
prove it's underlying principles. There
are many indications from all over
the country that the drive of the or
ganized railway employees for nation
alization and democracy in the control
of the railroads has encouraged labor
to define its stand.
Street railway employees at Oak
land, CAL, find in the Plumb Plan
complete solution of their local trans
portation problem. Without altering
detail, they propose the Plumb Plan
for the electric lines operating in
Oakland, and ask that immediate
steps be taken to secure just valua-
tion of the property, to form the basis
for a transfer of ownership to the
municipality.
The American Labor Party of New
York, at a meeting August % in
Yorkville Casino, advocated the ap-
plication of the Plumb Plan to the
municipal railway systems of Greater
New York. A comprehensive resolu-
ton was passed embodying all the
special features of the Plumb Plan
revaluation of the properties, tripart-
ite control, division of surplus, etc.
Reading this resolution, it is inter
esting to realize how perfectly the
Plumb Plan fits every angle of the
municipal situation in New York.
The New York State Federation of
Labor, at it's convention in Syracuse
last week, went on record in favor OF
the Plumb Plan for naturalization OF
the railroads of the United States
and democracy in their control, ana
at the same time urged that the same
or similar scheme be applied to the
telegraph and telephone systems, ana
advocated municipal ownership of all
public utilities.
The Plumb Plan also forms one OF
the foremost planks in the platform
of the new national party recently
formed in Chicago at the instance or
the Labor Party of Cooke County.
Democracy in the Arsenals
The true story of the participation
of labor in the management OF the
Government arsenals has been made
public by the War Department. The
memorandum of the employees repre-
sentatives to the Secretary of War,
which is here given in part, is an
epoch making document in the an
nails of industrial democracy.
With the signing Of the armistice,
the Government arsenal employees
faced a situation raising grave doubts
as to the security of their employ
ment. Having wellfunctioning or
ganizations in existence, the en-
ployees designated representatives to
take up the subject with the Secretary
of War and Chief of Ordnance. The
outcome was the approval of the sug-
gestion that branch be established
in the Office of the Chief of Ordnance
to secure orders from other depart
ments of the government for such
things as the government needed and
the arsenals were equipped to manu-
facture.
Before the war, the harness shop
of Rock Island Arsenal was in very
deplorable condition from the point OF
view of production and efficient Oper-
alton. A condition of antagonism
and distrust between the management
and the employees had grown up be-
cause of the attempted so-called sci
ertifc management methods, and the
breaking of promises made to the
men that any increase in production
brought about by their ingeniousness
resourcefulness and ability would not
be used against them for the purpose
of reducing the increase in wages
which they secured thereby.
When the United States entered
|
voluntarily agreed to take off the
limits which they had placed on pro-
ductivity, providing, however,, that
piece work prices were not reduced
without their consent.
The next thing which developed
concerned itself with the policy which
the new officer who was placed IN
charge of the shop employed with re-
gard to production and labor prob
lens existing. This officer came from
a firm which had very bad reputa-
tion with labor, and was regarded
with extreme suspicion. The men
went to him and advised that they
were willing to cooperate to their
fullest capacity provided they found
him square and would not hold it
against them that they were mem