The Connecticut labor news., 1922-02-17
{ Continued from Page One.)

ven; Arthur J. Morrolle, S25, Willl-
 mantle; J. A. Boulais, 623, Danielson. Officers Rcports-John Littlejohn,
 200, Waterbury; William Stevens,
 1920, Wallingford; George Bloomer,
 111o, Ridgeheld
 | Good of Order-Frank Clark, 746,
 Norwalk; Thomas Carry, 647. Fair Press--E. Peterson, 1913, Bridge
 port; Frank Burke, 8o4, Naugatuck; 1 William Patterson, oz, New Britain. 1 Warden--Henry F. Kelly, I27, Der
 by.
 l The committee on credentials re-
 ported that there were present at the | opening 5S delegates, representing all | locals excepting Branford and Merl- l den, and two fraternal delegates. The
 committee on rules then reported the
 usual forms of procedure, the conven- 1 ton to open at 9 a. III. continue until I2, adjourn for luncheon until I 80
 and continue until , o'clock and the
 rules were adopted.
 | President O'Brien then presented
 his annual report in which he referred 1 feelingly to the death of Treasurer E.
 C. Silveria, of New London, last | June, and recommended that the con- |vention pay q silent tribute to his l review of the year 1921 he voiced re- 1 grets that his hopes expressed at the last convention for prosperous and
 peaceful year had not materialized. This was due to the antagonistic
 movements created to oppose Organ ized Labor and which opposition had
 resulted in strikes and lockouts all over the state. Nevertheless, he 1 stated, the local unions were able to
 keep their organizations intact and on l this he heartily congratulated them. Every local union had had its wages
 decreased, either voluntarily or in voluntarily during the year but he | could see no reason for 1t, inasmuch
 as the cost of living had not been 1 reduced to warrant 1t, He recom-
 mended discussion of plans to bring the wages back to their past level
 during 1922 which he exported to be | a banner year.
 An energetic membership campaign l to induce carpenters not now affili- ated with the local unions to become so affiliated, he urged strongly. The decision of the A. F. of L. jurisdic- l tional awards by which control of the metal trim work was taken from the carpenters, was referred to and he reported advices from the General President that Building Trades Coun cils everywhere were uniting in sup 1 port of the carpenters to oppose the decision. He then reviewed the work done toward settling strikes and lock outs caused by the wage reductions and the partial success that had been met with.
 Secretary George Chandler then
 presented his report in which he scored the efforts Of the builders eN- change, manufacturers and other | financial pirates" to disrupt the [ building trades unions. This move ment started early in the year when i building operations began to fall of
 the united building crafts of the state,
 following a meeting ill New Haven in March at which plans were adopted result not a local union was lost,
 but instead the State Council of Car pentcrs had gained one.
 He told of the conference with the Builders Exchange board and the edict of that association later to fix the minimum wage without regard to the ideas of the workers. Then the buck was passed' to the public press, which joyfully told the public how the master builders had everything fixed up to make the cost of building
 cheaper through wage cuts, but for got 10 tell anything about cost of materials and builders profits. The maximl)n rate of 80 cents an hour fixed by the contractors failed in many parts of the state, however, as thorugh the weekly report blank sent +I c+o+a hoard The result on the whole was a large deAection in membership of the Builders EX- change when they saw contractors, not associated with it, going ahead with work under union conditions, while they themselves were idle. He gave warning of another attempt this spring to cut wages and urged every delegate to impress upon his local the need of sticking together and combating lt.
 At special board meeting in March, he was ordered to send out an appeal to local unions for loans to the State Council to be used i'll com batting the drive against the union.
 In response the sum of $I,625 was loaned to the state body which was used to good effect and has all been repaid to the locals advancing it. The
 reports of finances for. the year showed the Council to be in good condition, with a working balance in
 the bank of $5oI.43 at the first of the
 present year. The report of Fred Dunn, who was appointed to, succeed
 the late Treasurer Silveria, showed,
 however, a bank balance of $6ot.I1 some check issued by the secretary
 ar rparently not having been cancelled. The reports of the fraternal dele
 gates to the New York State Coun- Gil, Martin L. Kane of Bridgeport, to the Massachusetts convention; ]. F.
 McGrath of New Britain, to the New
 Jersey convention; George J. Stan llev Of Meriden, were then read and later accepted