Omaha daily bee., 1920-03-08
Strikes Are on the Wane
Says the United States
Cancellation Official

With the beginning of the new year general abate-
in the Industrial unrest of the country by Mr.
Hugh L. Kerwn director Of the Bureau of Mediation and
Cancellation of the Department Of Labor His bureau has
thrtyfive industrial medators known officially
commissioners of conciaton, scattered through the diff
ferent sections of the country.
public opinion has been so taken up with this
roversy and with the coal strke that people do not
that the general situation is improving, Mr.. Kerwin
As proof, for the week ended December 2s 1919,
low record reached in the number of strikes
ported to the Department of Labor for adjustment Off,
cas there cannot recall the time when only two
were brought before their attention in one week.
Further statistics show that for the month of Decen1
\ ber 81 before the Bureau of Me-
dation and Cancellation. Comparative figures show that
during November "a taken up in September,
49, in August, 81; July, 81, and June 94.
The Bureau of Mediation and Cancellation is estab-
shed in the organic act of the Department of Labor,
which authorizes the secretary of labor to act media
tor appoint commissioners of concation whenever
his judgment the interests of industrial peace require it.
has not been the general policy of this very effective
branch of the to intervene any threatened
industrial dispute unless requested to do either by the
employer the employe the public directly affected
This policy has vindicated ITSELF Often strike threats
ened strike process of negotiation through local agen
cies and the Intervention of third party repre-
sentative of the federal government would tend to upset
pending negotiations.
During the fiscal year the Department of Labor has
signed commissioners of Cancellation to 1780 cases. made
Of 278 strikes lib disputes and threatened Strikes
63 ockout and II wakouts In only Ill instances have
the commissioners failed to make settlement.
The division of conciation has shown decided ad-
in thn numh Of nd
effectiveness medating agency For instance, for
part of 1913, when first created the division handled 33
strikes threatened strikes; in 1915, Az in 1916, 227
in 1917 378 in 1918, 1217 and in 1919 the fiscal year
just closed 1870. In many instances strikes which would
have involved thousands of workers engaged great
eratons quietly averted through the efforts of the
commissioners and all this accomplished with little
publicity and the consequent excitement which invariably
attended industrial disturbances when heralded in the
press.
In spite of all that has been said and done' ma
tonal concator Thinks "a better feeling exists today be-
tween the working and his employer. He concludes
that whie the coming year will not witness total abate-
ment of the industrial unrest believe shall see rc-
mendous reduction in the number of actual strikes and
ockous and that both the federal and state
adjustment agencies will be busy engaged in harmonic
ing matters in disputes between employers and employees
while the plants remain in operation As an evidence
of faith in this statement the Department of Labor
today handling 107 trade disputes involving thousands
of workers and of the 107 less than 8 are Strikes
the others being settled by commissioners without
pension of operations loss in production say nothing
of the monetary loss falling upon both workers and
agements when strike is on"
By Louis Rothschild in "The Nations Business"
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