Great Falls tribune., 1922-01-26

xlLllkJ i lk1D ~ xNI
with all the persuasiveness Of the dip
lomat he was and up to certain
point the representative was thorough
ly convinced that Great Falls was the
city he was looking for. The first
difficulty arose when he asked about
the labor situation
Run Risks Of Strikes
"Dick SINNERS face fell bit at
that, but he brought his visitor over
to my office. I want to say to you
people now, that as / told that man
the truth-the truth that eventually
made him reject Great Falls as the
location for his assembling plant, I
felt like traitor to my city. This
man had familiarized himself to an ex-
tent with the business personnel of the
city. He asked about this plant, that
enterprise and the other industry.
Gentlemen, as he named each firm I
was compelled to tell him that they
had all had strikes-that they all were
running the risk of being closed by
strike ranging in length from a week
to three months. Boise, Idaho, an in
land town, was later selected as the To-
cation OF the plant, rather than the
city Ford would have preferred had it
not been for its perennial labor dis
turbances.
IF the people of Great Falls want
to have city of the size and import
ance they deserve, / want to urge you
to go. straight ahead on the road you
are. now travelling, and don't look
back. If you want to know what the
closed shop will do 60 to Butte. for
they surely have the closed shop there,
In Butte there are many buildings that
have beenalntenanted for nearly a wear.
Now that the mines are resuming they
Will be occupied again, but 100000
should be expended for repairs. Be
cause OF costs resulting from the DOM
nance of the trade unions, not S1O,-
OO0 will be expended unless conditions
are changed"
Work Discontinued
Mr.: Martin cited at Butte instance
IN winch work was discontinued be-
cause painter had to be paid S14
day. instead of the 50 he had been
receiving. A plumbers wage in Butte
is now S15, and many plumbers are
idle who want to work, he stated
Men who created this condition are
now out of employment. Mr. Martin
said it was impossible to understand
the motive of man who would con-
sent or be party to such conditions.
The acid test of any organization
is that of determining whether it
strives for the advancement of the
community in which it is located" said
Mr.. Martin. when you have accepted
that truism, ask yourselves whether
you know of an instance in which or
ganized labor has been more loyal to
its city than to itself, or whether it
ever did anything other than advance
damnable working rules. / wonder if
labor could show one single construc-
tive act
Dictate to Employers
Collective bargaining, said the
speaker. in Butte has been system
whereby the unions have told the en-
ployers what they can do. how much
they must pay and whom they may
employ. 1t is impossible to do collec-
tive bargaining under the closed shop
gaining. he continued. is like the holdup
man with gun-he tells his victim to
give up his money or his life. Mr.
Martin praised the work done here by
J. T. Ownes, secretary of the Great
Falls division, aud by employers during
the last year when | sung my swan
song in Great Falls, I told you that
you have to do what you are doing
now, but I did not think YOU would do
it so soon.' he stated. "You are max
ing splendid progress but you must
not forget that support is necessary
for the men who are on the firing
line
f. t. Leh. president of the state
organization, told the membership that
nothing in the world is so timid as
capital. II you want capital, you must
clean the state of the things that are
now retarding it. Nobody will come
and help us-we must fight it out for
ourselves"
Loss from Strikes
Mr. Leh stated that much of the
present conflict between capital and
labor resulted from the war. There
have been 5000 strikes year for the
last five years, he stated In 1919.
there were an average of so strikes
a week During this year. labor lost
| SS0O.000,O0O through strikes and en-
ployers lost $1,000. 100000. The pub
lie lost an amount equal to both of
these totals, which. said the speaker.
brought the whole loss up to $4,200,-
! 100000 for the year.
Need we ask ourselves why eondi-
tions are as they are today he
asked. Labor and capital have the
situation in their own hands, but what
are they going to do with it? Coop
GRAFTON is needed in the work of the
| Associated Industries. When every
body in the state is united, that which
is necessary can be done. We must
not dodge the issue, nor can we be
towards. We are for cause that is
beneficial to everybody. There is
much to do. and the quicker it is done
the better it will be for the state and
for everybody concerned
I Result at Helena
Secretary Grady of the Helena di-
vision reviewed the work done in that
city during the last year by employ
ers. When the period Of lower prices
/ first began to make itself known. he
stated, there was disposition evident
with skilled labor at Helena to accept
lower wages. but the unskilled workers
insisted upon the old scale. The
places of the man who refused the cut