The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1921-03-15
ATTACKS KANSAS
INDUSTRIAL COURT
Mine Union Official Says it
Has Not Bettered La
Dor Conditions
HAS COST TAXPAYERS
AN ENORMOUS SUM
Increased Rates Granted to Public it'll
ity Companys Mean Hundreds of
Thousands of Dollars Out of Pockets
of People, Alexander HOwat Asserts.

Thousands of Dollars Out of Pockets
of People, Alexander HOwat Asserts.
TOPEKA, Kans.. March IA re
view of the workings of the Kansas in
dustrial court law from a mine union Off
cials point of view has been made by
Alexander Howat, president of district
No. II. United Mine Workers of America.
Mr.. Howat says:
The industrial court has been in ex-
| istence one year. During that period it
has accomplished nothing in lettering Ia
boris condition in this state. \ few wage
claims involving but a very small number
I of men have been handled by the industrial
court. few crumbs handed out as bait
to labor, but for every penny that has
been paid to labor hundreds of dollars have
been given to the public utilities corpora
tious am increased rates. Eight or ten
cents an hour increase was given to the
employees Of the Joplin & Pittsburgh Rail
way Co, who We're already working for a
starvation wage OF $3.50 or 81 per day.
and the passenger rates of the company
We're almost doubled.
The industrial court also added about
:i2 l-3 per cent to the value of the Tele-
phone Co. ut Topeka, and did the same ut
! Kansas City. kanS., and permitted their
rates To be adjusted accordingly.
! The industrial court has cost the tax
payers many thousands of dollars directly,
I and many hundreds of thousands of dol
| lars in increased rates to public utilities
! that have been given nothing but aggra-
| waite the labor problem and create indus
| trial strife
Every honest. self-respecting working
man in the state should resent a law of
this character. There is no law even in
the most autOcratic country of Europe
/ today that enslaves the workers i'm such
manner as is intended by this law.
This law Is an infringement on the
sacred rights of every honest working
man in the state of Kansas, This So
called industrial court law is an insult
/ to every man who believes in the princi-
pies of liberty and Justice and is a dis
grace to the state of Kansas. This law
| is meant to enSlave organized labor and to
place us i'm the same condition we were i'm
Years ago. before we had established the
/ United Mine Workers. 1t is meant to
place us at the complete mercy of the
| employers of labor. 1t is intended to
destroy the usefulness and effectiveness of
| beginning of a movement that is finally
| intended TO enSlave the working class of
America and to destroy the organized
labor movement of the entire country.
| Organized labor is not opposed to the
industrial court law because of our desire
| to call strikes, but we know from bitter
| experiences of the past what it means to
us if we surrender the right TO strike or
| if that right Is taken away from us 1t
Is only because we have in the past en-
! joyed the right to strike that we have
! ever been able to compel the employers of
| labor to grant any concessions that have
been accorded us. We know how little
sympathy or consideration we may expect
at the hands of the employers when we are
| chained to our jobs like slaves Organ
| lied labor in Kansas has a right to expect
| the same degree of liberty and Justice that
Is accorded the organized workers in the
other states of the nation. and we are
| going to continue to fight until that prin-
| ciple is recognized and re-eStablished in
| this state. InjunctiOns and industrial
courts shall not be permitted to interfere
with our policy in any way"
/ The Kansas industrial court law was
| the outcome of the miners strike Of 1919
| and was passed chiefly through the influ-
ence of Gov. Henry ]. Allen. 1t created
| q court of three members to hear contro-
yersies in industries and utilities was
| given power to intervene on its own
| initiative in industrial controversies and
may make orders relative to wages and
hours of employment. The law declares
/ it unlawful for operators to willfulIy
limit or cease operations for the purpose
of limiting production or transportation
or to effect prices for the purpose of avoid
ing any of the provisions of the act
The law also declares it to be unlawful
for any two or more employees in indus
tries named to conspire to quit employ
ment for the purpose of hindering delay
ing or suspending operations The right
| of any individual to quit, employment at
any time is recognized.
The law provides that a willful viola
ton of provisions of the act or of an order
Of court is misdemeanor, punishable by
a maximum fine of 81 900. a maximum
term of one year. or both In the case of
an officer of corporation or the officer
of labor organization willfulIy violating
the provisions of the act they will be guilty
| of felony. punishable by a maximum fine
Of $4,000 or maximum term of two
years. or both.
rho aonoral climate az yon,s ,oson,t,o.