The Connecticut labor news., 1924-11-29
TRADE UNION SAYS USE OF LABEL WILL
 GUARANTEE PLAN

Federation of Trade Unions to safe day in every civilized nation, is inter esting labor executives here The plan is based on the successful use of the union label by trade unions of the United States.
 Briefly, the plan provides for the labelling with an "eight-hours' mark" of all goods exported from countries which have not ratified the Washing ton eight hours. convention. In state ment from it's headquarters at Amster- dam, Holland, the Federation says:
 Any new suggestion which prom ises to be of use in safeguarding the eighth hour day deserves very careful attention in these days when employers are so eagerly trying to abolish this very inconvenient limitation to their powers of exploiting the workers. It was recognized at the Washington conference in 1910 that the eight hour day would have to be secured inter nationally, for if 1t were not, the door would be open to unfair competition by countries which refused to adopt 1t.
 Trades unionists know now even better than they did in 1919 that if one country defaults, all the others must suffer as result, and that no country is really safe so long as the workers of another country work more than eight hours. Here and there plans have been considered which aim at stronger action by the international trade union movement to compel co0n- tries which do not adhere to tile eight hour day to observe the provisions of the Washington conference.
 ''The union label system of America Is we'll known, and, generally speaking, the results do not seem to be unsatis factory. Why should not a similar system be used to safeguard the eight hour day? All goods exported from country which has not ratified the Washington eight hours convention would then have to bear label with lIIC "OiuS LiSlf HUH MI dt h IL would, of course, be the business of the trade unions to control the labelling of the goods Goods without this mark would be refused transit by the trans port workers of the country of destina ton ,or even of any transit country which they would have to pass through; and in certain cases (semi- goods), the workers of the country of destination would refuse to use them for finishing processes.
 Tt would, of course, be absolutely essential to have the cooperation of transport workers; but goods, such as iron and steel, which are being sent to another country to be used for manufacturing the finished article, 1t would also be necessary to secure the assistance of the workers engaged in the finishing process.
 Precautions would also have to be taken, similar to those now successful ly adopted by the British building unions, who see to 1t that all doors, etc, imported from abroad bear spe- cial stamp or are accompanied by declaration from the trade union of the country guaranteeing their manufacture in conformity with the provisions of the agreements made by that trade union.
 Tn the United States, appeal is made to the public not to bny any goods which do not bear the union label Tn the case of goods with the Eight Hours Label it Is not so much the general public as the organized work CTS to whom appeal would have to be made, for everything would depend up on them If, for instance, the trans port workers, or the workers engaged in finishing processes, refuse co-opera- the ground.
 But organized workers would soon realize that much can be done in this way to secure better working condi- and to safeguard the eight hour day i'll their own country. Then, too, in coun- tries where the eight-hour is prac tical reality, and not a dead letter, public opinion would undoubtedly be on the side of the workers. as in these long working hours are uni regarded as an unfair way of in the world market.
 "The above are, of course, broad outlines only. There would, of course. have to be an enormous amount of work. But the very fact that the success of the scheme does not depend on winning the support of an apathetic public so much as upon the enthusiastic, whole hearted co-opera af 4La ..r1..-l.o.=c ..-l,o to ha.,e Et