The Knoxville independent. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1894-current, 1919-04-12
GENERAL LABOR NEWS.

~0Nt~SN S~~~S~~0
workers.
Canadian railway workers number
over 10000.
The total alien immigration in 1914
was 1,21S, 400; 1915, 1926, 700; 1915, $685.
S26; 1917, 1885, O3; 1918, 110,61S.
Louisiana has appointed a state COM
mission to study the labor Of women
and children, with view to maximum
hour and minimum wage laws.
Wage advances affecting 5,557,000
British railway and engineering work
ers total $1O,591,50O weekly; other
workers, $4,55s.500 weekly, making
yearly total of about $780,000,000.
Four thousand employees Of the
General Electric company plant at
Pittsfeld, Mass, started on 45-hour-
week working schedule. officials Of the
company said the curtailment was
made necessary by business conditions.
The Welsh Tinplate Cancellation
board at Swansea, Wales, has granted
further increase bonus throughout
the trade ranging from Is to 20 per
cent on present bonuses, which already
amount to 95 per cent.
OF the 3,348 locomotives built by the
Baldwin Locomotive works last year
60 per cent were for the United States,
France and Great Britain for war pur-
poses. The average weekly number of
men employed during the year was
1882, exclusive Of the subsidiary COM
panies.
The Pacific Mills print works at
Lawrence, Mass, reopened. This plant
employs over 1000 operatives, who
have been out of work because Of the
walkout Of the boiler flremen, who
are returning to work on the same
basis as before the strike. Seven soup
kitchens also were to be erected in the
city, the sum of $4,000 having been col
lected for this purpose.
Notice Of further reduction of 20
cents a day in wages at the mines of
the Utah Copper company at Bingham,
40 miles west of Salt Lake City, was
posted. The reduction is effective
March /, according to the notice, and
is based upon price Of Is cents a
pound for copper. a reduction of 70
cents a day announced several weeks
ago was based on 20cent copper.
A strike of the employees in 81 shoe
facto@es in New York city, having
comb ned output of $4,000 pairs of
shoe is on, according to Raymond P.
MOI e, chairman Of the Labor Board of
Shoe Manufacturers. Fifteen thousand
employees are affected by the strike,
Mr.. Morse said, although only 1000 be-
long to the unions, which are demand
ing 40 per cent increase in wages.
Members Of the Postal Employees
association who have been in conven-
ton at Saskatoon, Sask., have by reso-
luton placed themselves on record as
demanding the following: Right Of
free speech in its entirety; minimum
wage of 1924 weekly: abolition of all
work in Easements; abolition Of
wooden mail cars; adjustment for
seniority and monetary losses; five day
week of six hours day.
Judge John r. Mccall, Of the federal
court, handed down decision at Mem
phis, Tenn, in the case of Ell. P. Coke
against the Illinois and Mississippi
railroads in which he held that switch
men were not entitled to pay on
basis of eight hours a day under the
Adamson act. Judge McCall's decision
was based on the theory that only
actual members Of train crews are en-
titled to pay under the eight-hour plan,
and that this provision does not in
clude those individuals whose sole
service is to throw switches.
The Brotherhood of Railroad Signal
J Men Of America, representing nearly
I, 100 per cent of the signal men on the
Williamsport, Sunbury & Elmira divi-
sion Of the Pennsylvania railroad, are
strongly In favor Of government owner
! ship of the rails.
Following considerable agitation, the
admiralty has decided that men In the
British navy should have higher pay,
and committee has been appointed
to take evidence and report recon-
mendations. A substantial increase,
!, though not approaching the American
standard of pay, is expected to be
| granted.