Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1922-10-12
SAYS FEDERAL LAWS ON coNcIL,
IATIoN HAvi. FAILED TO
GET PEACE RESULTS.
LABOR REJECTS ARBITRATION
somethlno More Needed That VIII
Give Assurance That the Dominant
Right of the Public Shall Be Recos-
nized by ALL
BY JAMES P. HoRNADAY


called attention to the fact that the
federal laws on COMPILATION have
failed to obtain any results for
peace.
The conception of arbitration is a
settlement based on mutual agreement
to abide by the decision of third
party, but this is now refused 'on
principle, for the workers consider
that arbitration always results in com
promise, and that this is como. omise
with their bread and butter" said he.
'Thus ali the old conceptions of mu-
tual settlement in industry have failed.
We may well preserve the old meth
DDS of peace, but of a certainty they
must be better organized, and we need
something more that will bring a posi-
tive insurance of peace to the public.
Nor is the organization of employers
on a national basis the answer, for in
such case, while collective bargaining
might proceed more smoothly, the pub
lie could well take alarm, because the
costs of any bargain might be passed
on to the consumer. Therefore, such
bargaining must be controlled in the
public interest, even if it serves to
prevent stoppage.
"There are a great many rights that
/ have grown up around these industrial
relations. Workers have right TO
organize to protect and improve wages
and conditions of labor. They have
right to collective bargaining. They
have a right to strike. They have a
right to refuse to join such organiza-
tons. They have right to work
without intimidation and assault. EN-
ployers have right to refuse to rec
ognize such organizations. They have
a right to lockout. They have right
to keep open shop.
Right of the Public is Superior.
mo one seriously denies any Of
these rights, but a lot of people are
overlooking superior right. That
is the right of the public to a con-
tinuous supply of its vital necessities
and services upon terms fair to the
employer and employee. When these
varicas rights infringe upon the pub
lie right, then the dominant right is
public right.
aside from employee relationships,
most of the economic Generalization
IL the coal industry lies in the btu
minous, as distinguished from the an
thracite, industry, and my discussion
hfr TO n nln
This industry. indeed. functions very
badly. Some state glibly that it will
work itself out II left alone. 1t must
be borne in mind that it has not been
left alone in the past and the pres
ent situation is in large degree due to
legislative interference. The control
Of combinations among operators,
without such restraint among en-
ployees, the rules of artificial car dis
tribution, the state legislation of va
rious sorts. and other acts have a
great responsibility for the present con
dition. / am not here questioning the
necessity of these measures, but their
influence in the situation must not be
overlooked, and they must be either
supplemented or amended by wise pro-
visions. if we are to have coal peace
Irreuularity of Employment.
"The perpetual labor difficulties are
but one of the inevitable by-products
Of this poor organization. Labor is
struggling on one side to set up re-
Enumeration based on such days pay
and such pieceworls rates as will give
standard of living from 60 per cent
Of time employed. Labor is thus
honeycombed with the worst OF stimu-
lants TO unrest, insecurity of employ
ment. At the same time, men who
have the opportunity TO work full time
In regularly operating mines earn re
turns far above the average income of
our most prosperous farmers and other
workers There can be no solution
either to the operators or to the work
ers so long as this condition contin-
ues. Entirely beyond great national
the consequent oyerexpanslon of the in
d,lstry, we must have planning out
of the intermittent Irregularities and
consequent overexpansion Of the in
d,sstry If we are 10 have stability.
s4a addition to relief from national
stospage in production through strikes
ana Iockouts there are proposals of
constructive and practical remedies
for these Irregularities which should
be investigated and which do not lead
70 Socialism and destruction Of the
American freedom and initiative. For
instance, an extra annual storage of
% per cent railway consumption would
eaualize the seasonal fluctuation.
Ifr,er storage IS possible by the rail-.
was at those times when public de-
mand for coal Is slack. instead of COM
oetitson by the railways themselves
with the public for coal, and thus for
the use Of cars, at the annual period
Of car shortage. A system of car dis
tribgdon tina. would not Itself break
into regular operation would help.
Larger storage By public utilities