The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1920-08-27
SlIE. RlAR0lE, E'-
POSED BY INTER-
CHURCH REPORT

Bolshevisn, Caused Strike
Trust Go0ges Public and Puts
Spies On Government as Well
ason Labor.
That now famous report on
working conditions in the steel
industry by the Interchurch
World Movement is not a radi-
cal report.
It was made under the direc-
ton of prominent churchmen
and signed by them. They had
been asked when the drive for
church funds started to adopt q
resolution condenmlng the strik>
ers. Instead of acting thus, on
financial dictation, they voted to
make a careful survey and then
do the resolving.
This was the logical, honest,
Christian thing to do; yet this
simple act of independence
brought on the movement the
wrath of the great financial in
terests.
Not only were promises of fin
ancial support treated as scraps
of paper, but spies Of the trust
followed the investigators about
and desks of the churchmen
were broken open in the hope of
destroying the report before it
could he made public.
These church leaders found
conditions of work and living
which conflicted with the laws
of God and man, and consequent
ly they could not resolve against
the steel strikers.
1.-The causes of the strike"
says their report, lay IN the
hours, wages and control of jobs
and in the name: in which all
these were fixed.
ultimate control of the
plants was vested in a small
group of financiers whose reia-
ton to the producing force was
remote. The financial groups
machinery of control gave 1t full
knowledge of output and divi-
dends but negligible information
of working and living condl-
TONS"
THINGS FOUND
These investigators could not
find that bolshevls,n, Of which
the kept press had SO much to
say, but they did find:
l. That more than 81 per cent
of the workers had u l2-houl
day in what is probahly the
hardest work in the world and
about the most dangerous, and
that about half Of these L. houl
men also had the seven-day
week.
2. That the 12-hour day
schedule is compulsory, as is the
l8-hour or 24-hour or 36-houl
turn which usually accompanies
this schedule.
3. That the average stee
workers week in 1919 was g
hours longer than in 1914 ant
IL hours longer than in 1910.
4. That in return for these
hours two-thirds of the iron anc
steel workers earn from 5 to q
per cent less than the govern
ment's estimate for IAN Ameri
can standard of living" for AZ
average family.
5. That in it's endeavor t.
keep unionism out of the plants
the company discharges men fol
labor aHiliation, uses blacklists
"undercover men" and labor de
tectives and influences the press
pulpit and police authorities.
6. That the result of this poll
cy is decentralization of famil.
and community life; extreme
congestion and unsanitary, living
conditions in steel districts; i'm
possibility of night school at
tendance or other Americaniza
ton measures; limitation of tn
right of free speech and full citi
zenship in the steel communi
ties.
Z. That the company spies eX
tend their work to all corners
the United States government
being subject to their activity a
well as labor.
WAGES LOWER
8. That steel labor rates ar
the same or lower than in SINH
lar industries, if earnings AZ
compared on a basis of equs
hours. Comparison of commo
labor steel earnings with CON
mon labor in five other majo
industries in the Pittsburg dis
tried shows steel labor the low
est paid of all.
8. That skilled labor was pal