The Connecticut labor news., 1924-11-08
In 2 Parts Part 2
By JOHN P. FREY, Editor, International Molders' Journal

The most remarkable archaeological find in recent years was the discovery iof Tutankamen's tomb. The burial chamber, with its rich evidences of art and civilization, gave to the world a fuller understanding of the splenders and artistic development of ancient Egypt.
 To the trade union world, however the discoveries of w. H. Buckler, the American archaeologist, are more in teresting, for he has brought to light a building trades agreement entered into on April 27, 45o A. D., by the building trades of Sardis, Asia Minor, and the building trade contractors of that city acting under the supervision of the chief authorities.
 This agreement was found upon a block of bluish marble, lying in field within the arear occupied by the city of Sardis in Roman days. The substance of the thorough organization which ex- isted in the building trades at the time 1t was entered into, and furthermore in dicates that agreements in the building trades had been in existence for many years.
 This particular agreement was con- sidered of such importance that it was carved upon marble, and erected in a public place so that every one could read it. The first paragraph of the agreement Is of particular interest, be- cause the union agrees to complete all pieces of work given to its members by any of the building trade contractors, provided that the contractor was prompt in paying the wages which had been mutually agreed upon Mr. Buckler's translation of this agreement Is as fol- lows:
 Declaration under Ooath by the Builders and Artisans of the Most Dis tinguished Metropolis of the Sardians.
 'In the consulship of the most distin- guished Fiavius Patricius and of the consul who shall have been proclaimed on the fifth before the Calends of May, in the most distinguished metropolis of the Sardians twice honored with an emperor's temple, in the twelfth <most happy indiction and on the fourth of the month Daesius, we give to the most ex- cellent Aurelianus, devoted commis- sioner and defender of the said re- nowned metropolis, our assent to the things hereinafter set forth:
 Whereas your excellency has re- ceived divers accusations against divers persons practising our craft, to the eff feet that they take in hand pieces of building work, leave these unfinished and obstruct the employers, deenaing it important to abolish an injustice so det- rimental to the employers, you have fe- quested from us this agreement and dec laration under oath in the following terms:
 "'We do agree and make oath by the holy and life-giving Trinity and by the safe preservation and victory of the Lord, of the inhabited earth, Flavius Leo, everlasting Augustus and Emperor,
 CD That we will complete all pieces of work given out to us by any one of the employers, provided the employer is prompt in paying to us the wages mu- tually agreed upon;
 "s(2) Should the man undertaking the work have any plea on which he de clines 1t for some reason of his own either private or public, another artisan from among us shall take his place and shall entirely complete the work under construction, on the distinct understand ing that the man declining it, whether he be the artisan who began 1t or the man who shall have taken his place, is one of ourselves and that no reason of our own stands in the way of the work i;
 "(3) Should the man undertaking the work once hinder the employer in any way while 1t IS, as we said, under con- struction, if he who either began 1t from the beginning or shall have taken the we shall for such hindrance pay inden- mites according to the actual contract between the employer and the artisan;
 "(4) Should the employer show in diligence, if he be for seven days hin dered from working, the work shall be left to the artisan undertaking it;
 "'(5) Should the artisan fall ill., the employer shall wait twenty days, and if after such indulgence for twenty days the man should get we'll, but show no disposition to work at that time, an other shall take his place on the terms declined;
 "'(6) If when the man undertaking