Evening journal., 1920-10-28

body OF workers is to prevent an en-
tlreiy unjust and unnecessary petty
strike from seriously injuring tn sm
than the case OF the printers strike
in New York last fall.
II is easy TO see how 4 strike OF
printers could injure their employers,
how, by holding up the publication
OF newspapers and magazines, It could
inconvenience the public, including
the labor public; but 1t does not ap-'
pear at FIRST blush how a printers
strike could throw any great bodies
OF outside labor out OF employment
or even seriously affect their employ
ment or wages. Yet ii can and did.
In New York city there are a num-
Der OF great mail-order houses who
sell 10 eight or ten million customers,
scattered in all parts OF the country,
hundreds of millions OF dollars worth
OF merchandise every year. Every
such sale must, OF course, be solicited
entirely by large, elaboraiely printed
catalogues. They must be negotiated
entirely by letter and closed entirely
| through printed forms.
But m addition TO these regular mail
order retailers, there are a great
many other flrms-manufactur VINO
sell TO retailers by mail, mall order
| iObbers, and both manufacturers and
| iObbers whose statesmen sell from
catalogues, instead Of carrying sam
ples-all Of whom depend for their
sales on this kind of printed matter.
Last fall, however, right in the
Midst OF the preparatory season. when
the millions Of catalogues and letters
and circulars were being printed
which were to offer these various
! lines OF spring merchndise, few thou
l Nnplr rrinNnwG Etnnnpn NN0rk
They did not dare call this a strike.
Many OF the strikers had written CON
tracts with their employers, with
| months yet to run, guaranteeing that
| they would nor strike. Their national
officials decided that, under The cir
cumstances, they had no right to
, strike, and forbade them 20 strike. SO
/ these few thousand men merely all
together, at the same time, went, OIL
on a vacation.
As a result Of this wholly unwar-
ranted action Of about 20OO printers
| millions Of catalogues were not printed
or were printed months late. And, to
| quote Mr.. Ro~~r BabsOn. who has
| made a special statistical study OF this
| situation, ''the whole manufacturing
| programs of hundreds of these firms
| were held up because they could moi
get out their catalogues. It Is est
mated that those firms employ oytl
100000 persons. and indirectly give
work to 100000 others. Thus the
strike OF only few thousand men In
one industry affected 100000 in an
other line OF production And remem.
Der that back Of this 10000 are still
more men and women whose worl
and earnings suffered"
One billion dollars would be a mos
conservative figure at which to pu
the wages lost last year by workers
who did not strike becaues OF strikes
by other workers.
This means that each average work
er in the whole country, entirely II
addition TO all he suffered from raises
i'm prices due to strikes, also lost owe
500 cash out OF his own last year
/ pay envelope because OF strikes II
/ which he had no voice or other in
terest. Tens Of thousands OF thes'
workers. Of course, lost much NOR
than this.
But how many workers have eve
seriously thought OF the strike ques
tion from this angle? How many TO
, day. when strikes have become one o
our most conspicuous national prop
b. lens. are making any attempt frankl
and honestly to consider now man
: of the strikes which caused thes
I losses have been worth what the
{ cost 10 anybody