Evening star., 1919-04-13

w yHY doesn't the government
M do something about these
industrial disputes? Why
doesn't the Department Of
Labor act? t s
Such questions have been heard
during and since hosti1ities. whenever
the, press carried reports Of strikes or
threatened strikes or industrial dis
putes that seemed likely to. interfere
seriously with the economic life of
the country. ,...-
On the face of things there may
seem to be good reason for the de-
mands,, more especially since the sign
ing Of the armistice. for since No
vember II last rumors of strikes have
been the order Of the days news. We
have had reports from the copper dis
tricts that there was grave danger of
revolution because of the sudden
curtailing Of work consequent on the
cessation of the call for war material.
In the northwest something very like
revolution actually occurred, but
was nipped in its ihcipient stages. In
the textile mills of New York, New
Jersey and New England workers
have been making demands. and have
Of enforcing the granting Of their de-
mands. In New York strikes com-
pletely tied up the port for several
days, and after an. adjustment had
apparently been reached through Che
intervention Of the President. on the
request Of the Secretary Of Labor. by
cable, trouble broke out again and
has not yet been wholly stilled.
Has Worked Under Cover.
Why, then. it may be asked, has not
was done? Why has not the Depart
ment of Labor fulfilled it's function OF
securing for labor its just reward, and
of assuring to the country industrial
efficiency and tranquility?
But the putting Of such questions is
due primarily to the fact that the
public is not fully informed as to jpst
what has been done. OF course, every
body is aware that the war labor ad-
miniStration has been in operation,
somehow. under the direction of Sec
retary of Labor William B. Wilson
Everybody knows that the National
War Labor Board has frequently
stepped into the breach when indus
trial peace was threatened, and
that the President himself has seen
to it in several cases. particularly
while the fighting was still going go
that its decisions were enforced.
But what's less generally known is
that many hundreds Of industrial dis
turbances have been controlled before
through the activities of the division
of conciliation of the Department OF
Labor, and that often, when 1t has
been impossible to prevent 4 strike
the offices OF the division have been
exercised to bring about q settlement
without recourse to the War Labor
Board 49,. -. : . j,
The reason for the lack of general
information on the activities Of this
division is that its work has beer
done in every case through, quiet ne.
gotiation. rather than through the
channels OF publicity. The tact i.
that there has been no serious indus.
trial dispute since the United States
entered the war in vhicA-tle agent
even before It became Generali,
known that q dispute was fAminent
work Dome Durias War.
The figures Of the work done durin,
the war will give. al, indication OF thu
importance OF the service rendered II
it's relation to the primary task oi
keeping supplies flowing .uniater'
ruptedly to France. Between April s
November II, s1S1S.~when the armistic<
was signed, the division Of concflfa.
tion settled, or assisted other :14enciel
in adjusting, more than 100 indus
trial disputes, involving. directly OF
Indirectly. upward Of 3, TOT. 900 work
erA'
It would not be a fair statement OF
fact in recording the effectiveness OF
the corciliation service during the
war. period to fan in giving due credit
both the Presidents mediation com
mission and the National War Labor
Board. The success Of the War Labor
Board is too well known to require
extended comment The Presidents s
mediation commission established ma
might arise in the copper districts, the
oil fields Of California and the lumber
districts of the -northwest, and pro.
vided agencies which settled ali diff
ficulties between the packing houses
and their employees. 50 that no dis
during hostilities in the meat packing
industry. - = -sar
The labor situation in the United
States during the war was eminensly
satisfactory. This was evidenced by
the scarcity Of strikes involying any
=
proportion OF disputes brought to
the attention Of the Department OF
Labor for adjustment before a strike
or lockout stage had been reached.
No Country Suffered Less.
In fact, no country engaged in. the
war suffered less than did the United
States as a result OF stoppage OF war
industrial activities. There was not
a general strike. in any industry DUR
ing the entire nineteen months Of our
and for weeks at q time there was
not single strike, in the csaf mines,
the textile industry the packing
plants, the copper fields, the ship
building yards or the lumber in
dustry.
One of the conciliators OF the de-
partment was on the harbor adjust
ment board at the port Of New York
throughout the war. and without pub
licity adjusted what is recorded as
but one case or dispute, but which.
in reality. consisted Of more than
800 grievances. any one OF which
might have resulted in serious trou-
BILE. AS a result Of his activities no
serious disturbance occurred. at the
port during the war. Similar success
attended the efforts of the repre-
sentative who handled grievances In
OIL fields in Texas, Oklahoma. LOUIS
lana and the coastal regions. The in
terdepartmentalco commissioner secured
during the war amicable settlement
in scores and scores of cases that
affected the production of needed ma
terials-s In ~Which-~the War an0-the
Navy departments. the railroad and
fuel administrations. the: Shipping
Board and other departments ana bu-
reaus Of the government were vital
ly concerned.
Since the eleventh of November the
dam nd on the dena cfment for con-