The Connecticut labor news. (New Haven, Conn.) 1921-1925, 1921-04-01
(Specia1 to The Labor News }

Hartford, April 1.-Ihat there
cannot possibly be anything good
in legislation proposed by Organ
lied Labor or workers generally,
and that it is a crying shame that
they are allowed to introduce bills
before the General Assembly that
compel manufacturers to appear
in opposition; and further that
even if bill creating an advisory
board with power to enter into
industrial disputes should be
passed, Governor Lake would
find it very embarrassing if not
impossible to find three employers
to sit with the labor men on the
commission was fatty declared
before the legislative committee
on labor yesterday afternoon
when the manufacturers and their
paid counsel enjoyed one Of their
weekly field days in attacking
Labor bills. The committee itself
was apparently so far in accord
even before hearing the bills dis
cussed, that Organized Labor
men, and men and women repre-
sentatives ;of the Consumers
League present to argue for the
measures, agreed that it is practi
cally a waste of time for workers
representative to appear before
the present legislature and ask for
any constructive legislation.
The main bill before the committee
yesterday was that introduced by the
State Federation of Labor advocating
the appointment of council consisting
of the state labor commissioner and equal
numbers of employers and employees,
whose duty it would be to enter into
and head off industrial disputes by max
ing public the real facts in the case Ira
NJ. Ornburn, secretary of the Fedora
ton, spoke for the bill explaining that
it had been suggested by the success of
state advisory board OF the y. ). Em-
ployment Bureau in settling disputes
during the war. Organized Labor is just
as eager to get away IRON strikes as
the employer, he said, and this bill would
be the first step in avoiding strikes, which
would be only agitated if the anti-strike
bill now with the judiciary committee
becomes law.
He referred to the Waterbury strike
of a year ago and intimated that the
trouble there hadn't been settled by any
means and the manufacturers represen-
tatives and attorneys at once took up that
phase and made the most of it. Had
an impartial board been appointed with
power to find out whether the workers
or employees were responsible for the
trouble the diSgraceful scenes of machine
guns briStling on the city hall would
have been avoided, Mr.. Ornburn SAID
The workers is willing to submit his
cause to public" opinion at any time, he
declared and couldn't win without pub
lie approval. This bill was intended to
provide means of putting the case of
each side up to the public and rest it
there, but the manufacturers discounted
the public having anything to do with it.
Attorney Ralph O. Wells of Hart
ford, representing the State Manufacture
erS' Association, was first on his feet
to denounce the bill. Labor in introduc-
ing such proposals had nothing to lose
and something to gain, he said because
as in the case of the War Labor Board,
everything had been settled by COM
promise and not according to the en-
ployers views. Had it been peace times
instead of war that couldn't have hap
pened and therefore the proposed bill
could do nothing of any good to public
or anyone else but the worker 1t would
give Labor only another opportunity to
create annoyance for the employer and
delve into his books and find out things
that isn't the public business, he Som
cluded
Attorney Jacob E. Goodhart, repre-
senting the New Haven County Employ
ers' Association, also harped on this
prospective delving into employers books
and that phase of the opposition appear
ed to be the fear behind the whole TRADE
against the bill, indicating that the en-
ployers had something to conceal and
proposed to do it if possible.
Mr. Wells again spoke declaring it
his opinion that if the bill passed the
governor would have embarrassment, if
not finding it impossible, to get two or
three or any other number of employers
to sit with representatives of the en-
ployes. Mr.. Goodhart again took the
floor to decry the power of the worker
to offer such or any bills to the Assem-
bly, and thus make it imperative for the
poor, busy manufacturers" to have to
drop their business woes for day and
rush to Hartford to see that the workers
bill were properly opposed.
There is before the legislative COM
mittee now a bill that will prevent all
strikes, and it will become a law he
concluded and then caught himself long
enough to amend his remark by saying
''or that is, it should become a law.