Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-10-05
LABOR CONVENTION :.
TO REGARD SLUMP.
Unemployment, Prohibition
and Five-Day Week to
Be Considered.
BIZ FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.

tanned the dignity of a 5o-year-old
movement, will hold its golden jubilee
annual convention in Boston this week
amid conditions largely unprecedented
In its half century OF history. How to
come to grips with the grave lnduStrlai
plight, now drifting into its second
year, naturally will be in the forefront
Of the meeting
President William Green end :. aer
executives of the American Federation
OF Labor will present a concrete pro-
cram for graphing with the basic is
sues confronting organized workers at
this time. It will be submitted and
become the order of business immedi-
ately following the address which
President Hoover will deliver before the
convention tomorrow afternoon.
Problems Are Outlined.
More or less in the order of their i'm
portance, these are the questions wnlcn
will rivet the Federation Of Labors at
tention at Boston:
/. WAYS and means for coping with
cverproduction.
2. Introduction of five-hour shifts
and fve-day weeks In American IN
dustry.
Ser cent beer.
4. Methods for protecting organized
labor against government by mJunc-
ton"
g. Reafirmation of labor's political
policy" ie, rewarding friends and pun
ishing enemies.
6. Extension of federation's activities
to include wider organization OF WorKers
IN Southern States.
+. Insistence upon continued restric-
ton of immigration. with special re-
atrietions while unemployment remains
aggravated.
RardinG CoInmuniStic endeavors In
United States.
Unemployment Considered.
How labor can cooperate with capt.
cal in coping with unemployment IS
likely to dominate proceedings at Bos-
ton. The federation has not formally
taken issue with the census report that
only 2,500.0o wage earners are out OF
work In the country. Many organized
labor leaders have challenged these
figures and contend that the actual
jobless total IS materially higher
some say as high as 100000 or more.
The federation has definite ideas how
an unemployment crisis, at least OF
present dimensions, can be avoided or
rninin1ized in future. It purposes asking
employers to embark systematically
upon a program Of spreading" work
over the year so that seasonal slack
periods will not, as they habitually
have in the past, result in lay-onS OF
thousands Of workers. Labor believes
that If thorough planning by industry
cannot entirely Danish the evil OF
seasonal unemployment, ways and
means can be evolved for considerably
lessening its hardships.
To curb joblesSness, the federation
viii also have before 1t the project Just
approved by the metal trades depart
clares that the five-hour day and FIVE
day week constitute q prompt method
Of providing work and restoring ma
tional purchasing power. The report
declares that so great is the potential
productive capacity Of the United
States. owing to new machinery. that
II manufacturing establishments were
to operate at full capacity four hours q
day, the total volume CT production
would be greater than ever. "It would
be more profitable to investors" the
metal trades spokesman declare. more
beneficial to wage earners and OF
greater advantage to the public II
many of our industrial plants operated
two hve-hour shifts per day. There
would be little, If any. confusion or lost
effort by having one shift of workinen
EHPIOycQ i've III 1OGCItCO11
and another shift of fve hours in the
afternoon. This method is coming as
certainly as the three eight-hour shifts
displaced the old two 12-hour shifts in
production"
In calling for 275 per cent beer
under amendment of the Volstead Act
the Federation Of Labor will only re-
afnrm oft-expreSsed allegiance to what
It considers the most practical solution
- ~ skSf
ton issue Beer is described by labor
leaders as the American workers bev-
erage. 1t Is held TO be Notwithstanding
because Of the extreme improbability
that any working man or woman would
ever drink enough to get drunk on It
TITS the hard stuff the laborer used
60 lap up In the old-fashioned saloon
that sent him home full and kept him
away from work Monday mornings,
say the labor beer advocates. I'VE
don't want the saloon back and don'i
ask the legalization Of hard stuff but
the American worker can be given ATS
beer without any peril to him, 10 in
dustxy or to the prohibition cause.
That, In a nutshell, Is the argument
that will be put forth at the Boston
convention:
The rejection Of Judge Parker Of
North Carolina for a United States
Supreme Court justiceship gives special
point TO organized labor's hostility tc
government by Injunction" The Bos-
ton conclave will 60 strongly on record
in favor Of the Norris Blaine Walsh
bill now pending in the Senate, where
by yellow dog" decisions, discrimina-
tory against organized labor-the thing
that undid Judge Parker-will be def
nitely abolished by law. The Fedora
ton says it will never rest until every
form Of restriction against unionism is
stihed 1t plumes itself on having not
only brought about Judge Parker's
non-conhrmation in the Senate, but
also on having materially helped tc
defeat "pro-Parker" Senator'S seeking
denomination In the 1880 primaries
Among these were Senator's Simmons
Of North Carolina, Blease Of South
Carolina, and Ransdell Of Louisiana.
Plan War on Communism.
In the congressional campaign now
raging, organized labor this week Will
rededicate itself to its familiar prac-
tice Of ''rewarding friends and punish
ing enemies" The program IS held tc
be strictly non-partisan and bi-par
tisan. In any congressional district OF
State, a candidate for Congress is OPP
posed or supported, whether he be Re-
publican or Democrat. wholly and ex-
clusively on his record with respect tc
Tabor legislation" If he has been q
consistent supporter Of immigration re-
striction, for example, or anti-1nJunc'
ton bills, in the House or Senate, III
II sure of labors ofhcial support i
his record Is clouded on these scores
organized labor will do what it car
to smash him at the polls. This years
primary results, it is claimed, supply
graphic evidence Of the punitive power
Of labor.
Once again, at Boston, as ever since
the days of federation convention
when Samuel Gompers was in presi
Aanf{aI v.ou,ar Apoav{rap labor will rom