Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1922-03-23
THE CONSUMERS GROUP

THE CONSUMERS GROUP
The manager of San Francisco's
Chamber OF Commerce speaking to
the Master Builders Association Of
Boston, Tuesday, told them there had
been a wonderful boom in the build
ing trades in his town which were
now able to do business at 80 per
cent less cost than was possible two
years ago before the open shop. He
did not estimate how much more
tho saving might have been had
there been no glass trust, no cement
combine and all the other combina-
tions Of extortion revealed by the
Lockwood investigation.
The Boston Globe report has 1t
that he frankly stated in beginning
that in a sense it was a survival of
the old time spirit of the California
virilantes that stimulated the Cham
ber OF Commerce to start out to
"cmancipate the employers in he
that had existed for many years"
The San Francisco police force. the
police courts. and even the Mayor
had supported that tyranny, he said,
and during strikes, labor. instead OF
plckcting by its own members, hired
professional pickcts, who formed
union and struck for higher pay,
whcreupon the labor unions "em-
ployed non union pickcts, who while
ptckcting about place where there
was strike declared to all corners:
This place is unfair to union labor
lie described how his Chamber OF
Commerce made it's first essay at
settling n strike in 1916, when the
longshoremen Of San Francisco
struck in violation of an existing
agreement with their employees, shut
ting up the port as tight as a drum.
All loca! shipping business being
at a standstll n committee Of the
Chamber of Commerce took a hand.
1t raised a fund of 100000 in two
weeks, chartered 40 trucks, did the
teaming business which the contract
the strike was broken.
The Chamber next got city ordi-
nances adopted making every form
of picketing Illegal. and thus abol-
ished a prolific cause of violence and
disorder in strikes.
In the Fall Of 1920. said Mr. Lynch,
contractors and material dealers re-
duced wages Of their employees. Ihe
employees proposed arbitration, three
arbitrators were appointed and soon
aftcrward made tentative reduction
of ~ percent to be operative pend
ir- the final settlement of the dis
pute.
The workers refused to accept the
ia percent reduction and struck.
a committee of the chamber took
entire charge of the building trades
int rests and. declared it would
have nothing to do with unions, pro-
c"ed"d to get workers wherever it
could. housing them in a hotel bought
for the purpose.
Jobs We're started on the opens shop
principle and the strike was broken
at cost Of 100000. The chamber
then formed a permanent industrial
organization to control the building
trades for the future "in the interest
of the community"
THE province of the new organiza-
ton is to see that both employers
Hna employees adhere to the wage
scales and other conditions laid down
by the arbitrators for the term of
one year and the open shop is
protecting the lawful rights of all
classes, and even property owners
and architects believe it to he 4 fine
thing the speaker asserted.
With both competition and the
law of supply and demand throttled
as they are today. there is need of
som" substitute regulation to prevent
profiteoring and to see that the in
forests of capital. labor and the
consumer are all served fairly, for
the Master Builders believe that
every business is public service
and should be conducted in the
public interest.
When the situation in San Fran
cisco became intolerable a consumers
group was formed and order came
=" iNS"i'' idNc olteh lHOuSHl
OF this third group as a permanent
possibility in industry"
Here is something to think about.
The spirit Of the old California
Nigilantes is only dormant: the "he"
men are not all dead. though they
be sleepy. 1t is dangerous to push
extortion to such extremes as to
arouse that spirit for it might hang
the wrong party.