The Oklahoma Labor Unit (Oklahoma City, Okla.), Vol. 5, No. 24, Ed. 1 Saturday, November 30, 1912 Page: 3 of 4
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CONSISTENT TO THE LAST
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WOMEN EMPLOYEES WORK
70 TO 83 HOURS A WEEK
"The vote of Mr. Roosevelt, the third
party candidate, and for Mr. Debs, the
Focialist candidate, is a warning that
their propaganda in favor of funda-
mental changes in our constitutional
representative government has formida-
ble support. While the experiment of
a change in the tariff is being carried
out by the democratic administration,
it behooves republicans to gather to-
gether again to the party standard and
pledge anew their faith in their party's
principles and to organize again to de-
fend the constitutional government
handed down to us by our fathers. Wc
must make clear to the young men of
the country who have been weaned
away from sound principles of govern
ment by promises of reforms, impossi-
ble of accomplishment by mere legisla
tion, that patriotism and common sense
require them to return to a support of
our constitution. Without compromis-
ing our principles wc must convince and
win back former republicans and we
must reinforce our ranks with consti-
tion-loving democrats. We favor every
step of progress toward more perfect
equality of opportunity and ridding so-
ciety of injustice. But we know that
all progress worth making is possible
with our present form of government
and that to sacrifice that which is of
the highest value to our governmental
structure for undefined and impossible
reforms, is the wildest folly."—Presi-
dent Taft's post-election statement.
President Taft is true to reactionary
bourbonism to the last. He is an open
and avowed enemy to progress, and con-
sequently is more worthy of respect
than those who are masquerading under
the names of "progressive" and of
"democrat" and secretly oppose pro-
gressive measures. Among the "con-
fc.stitution-loving Democrats" whom he
regards as hopeful for his reactionary
party, are no doubt such as Senator
Bailey of Texas, who always votes like
an Aldrich republican, Committeeman
Edward Y. Hanley, of Ohio, who is al-
ready publicly urging the democratic
party to break its promises, John B.
McLean, of Washington, who advocates
nothing but reactionary ideas in all his
papers, Tammany boss Murphy, and
other tories who wear a democratic la-
bel.
President Taft would like to have it
believe'1 that he favors "equality of op-
portunity and ridding society of injus-
tice." But he does not want to attain
any sneh object if to do so necessitates
changing the present form of govern-
ment "handed down to us by our fath-
ers." Since he objects so strongly tc
changes in the form of government, he
naturally holds social justice to be "im
possible of accomplishment by mere leg-
islation." It certainly is. Without
some constitutional changes predatory
interests will take good care that leg-
islative bodies will pass nothing that
will hurt them very badly, and even if
something worth while should pass con
gress or a legislature, it is pretty sure
to be nullified by the courts until 'he
"government handed down by the fath-
ers" be sufficiently changed to en-
able the people to discipline judges con-
trolled by predatory interests.
But Taft regards the present form of
government more sacred than 1he wel-
fare of the people. He does not regard
it as a serious objection that predatory
interests are protected and sustained.
On the contrary, all the acts of his pub
lie career indicate that he considers
that fact a recommendation. It is not
his defeat for re-election that now dis-
turbs him so much as the menace to os
tablished wrongs revealed by the re
turns. He might well add to the vote
cast for Debs and for Roosevelt all
the votes east for Wilson, except those
of thick and tliin partisan democrats
and tories of the Hyan-Belmont-Hanley-
Murphy-McLean-Bailey kind.
Nothing shows better what an obsta
ele to freedom lias been removed in the
defeat of Taft than his own post-clec-
tion statement.
UNITED ASSOCIATION
SHOWS RAPID STRIDE
Worcester, Mass., Nov. 27.—Accord-
ing to information received by the or
ganizing committee of the Central La-
bor Union nine women are reported to
be working from seventy to eighty-
three hours a week in the freight offices
of the New York, New Haven and Hart-
ford railroad. The time sheets issued
by the state police are posted in the
freight offices, but notwithstanding this
other methods of keeping time are in
effect, and show that six women during
a recent week worked seventy hours
each, one seventy-three hours, one sev
enty-six hours, and one eighty-three
hours. The law in this state makes
fifty-four hours the limit of time which
any firm can employ women and chil-
dren without violating the state law.
The Central Labor Union is making an
endeavor to follow this matter up and
will insist upon an enforcement of the
law.
SUGAR COMPANY FINED:
DEFIES FACTORY LAWS
A total of $30 and costs was the fine
imposed upon the Spreckles Sugar Re-
fining company, of Philadelphia, by a
local magistrate, although it was con-
clusively proven by the Consumers'
League that seven girls under eighteen
years of age have been employed at the
refinery all night in defiance of the
state factory laws. It seems that it has
been the practice of this company to
pay no heed to the law against employ-
ing women below a certain age at night
work.
The Consumers' League is making
every effort to eradicate the system of
fworking. girls at night, and assert?
that it stands ready to obtain new
places for employes where they lose
their positions on account of giving
evidence of violation of law against
the company.
CIVIL SERVICE JOBS OPEN
Washington, Nov. 26—Radio research
scientific housekeeping and practical
dairying are the three divergent sub
jects for which the civil service board
now wants applicants. The Bureau of
Mines needs an assistant versed
radio activity and kindred chemical re-
search. He will get $1,800 to $2,000,
according to circumstances. The other
positions will be somewhere in Cali-
fornia or the Southwest. The require-
ments for the positions are general edu-
cation, sanitation and hygiene, home
management, laundry, domestic supplies,
cooking, care and feeding of children,
home nursing and plain and fancy sew-
ing. The Department of Agriculture
also wants a practical dairyman who
understands the Babcock test for milk
to take entire charge of the dairy herd
at Beltsville, Md.
MINERS DISSATISFIED
Reynolds', the great weekly paper of
England, has this trenchant editorial
in its last issue: "No sane and healthy
person grudges the miners the advan-
tages gained from the late strike. In-
deed, to any one who has the remotest
knowledge of the hardships of a miner's
life, the minimum demanded seemed
ridiculously inadequate. And yet many
colliery owners are now trying to evade
the responsibilities imposed upon them
by the act. We know a fact that some
coal fields are again seething with dis
content; men are angry, and rapidly
becoming desperate at the way in which
the owners are endeavoring to force
them to contract outside the scope of
the act. We hope a more reasonable
attitude will be adopted ere another out-
break occurs, for, if the men are again
driven to a 'down tools' policy, the
fight will not be waged in the same con
ciliatory spirit as before. And if a
million angry miners strike—well, na-
tional disaster will be the inevitable
result."
DOC BILL
Tlir HOUSE FURNISHERS
THAT ARE HUMMERS.
Come in and see for yourself.
n
IS!
intram
MUM
C
"THE PEOPLE'S FAVORITE STORE" 8-10 Grand Ave., Oklahoma City
WE PAT THE FREIGHT ON OUT OF TOWN ORDERS
NOW IS THE TIME TO BUY
COMPTROLLER ESTABLISHES
RULES FOR LABOR DAY
ALABAMA MINERS
TO AID MINE BUREAU
The Associations of Journeymen
1 Plumbers for the fiscal year 1012 or
r ganized seventy two local unions, with
an increase of 4,000 members, making
a total membership for the organiza-
tion at the present time of 29,000. Dur-
ing the period mentioned there were six-
ty strikes, forty-five of which were won
two compromised, and three lost, with
ten strikes still pending. Strike bene-
fits amounted to $82,298 and death ben
efits $14,500. The plumbers now have
585 local unions, with average wages
of $5 per day, the vast majority of the
local unions working an eight-hour day
and a half-holiday on Saturday the year
round. During the month of October
new local unions were chartered in Mil
waukee, Wis., Swift Current, Saskatche
wan, Canada; Cincinnati, Ohio; Fort
Dodge, Iowa; Bellville, Ontario, and
Hagertown, Md.
MONUNMENT UNVEILED:
MEMORY OF MEN WILL LIVE
To mark the last resting place of
Charles Lazinskus and Frank Nagri
kus a monument has been erected by
the District Council of the United Gar-
ment Workers' of America in Chicago.
The exercises were attended by a large
number of members of this city. The
y%wo wen mentioned were shot in the
great struggle of the Garment Workers
to eliminate the sweat shops of the
clothing manufacturers in Chicago. The
exercises were attended by a large num-
ber of the Garment Workers as well as
other union men and appropriate ad-
dresses were delivered. The memory
of these men will live, for it was
through their efforts that the Garment
Workers of Chicago were enabled to se-
cure better conditions and command a
recognition of the employers.
NEW BOOK ON CHILD LABOR
Washington, Nov. 27.—Lawlessness,
directly encouraged by child labor, is
one of the more subtle effects sot forth
in the new "History of English Ap-
prenticeship and Child Labor," by
Jocelyn Dunlop and R. D. Denman,
M. P., London. The book exposes the
fallacy of the theory that children did
not work prematurely and under bad
conditions before the nineteenth cen-
tury, but it also shows in detail how
the modern child wage-earner differs
from his predecessor. He is an inde-
pendent wage-earner, free from re-
straint of any kind; machinery has
made his work as valuable as an
adult's; and the character of his work
has ceased to be educative and has be-
come deadening when not actually de-
moralizing. The child laborer of today
tends always to become the lawless,
useless citizen, incompetent and unem-
ployed.
By a ruling of the Comptroller of the
Treasury, just handed down, those per
diem navy yard employers who worked
last Labor Day get their regular per
diem and nothing more. If it had been
January 1, February 22, July 4, Me-
morial Day, or Thanksgiving Day, they
would get double pay. Comptroller
Tracewell finds that the law specifically
provides that all employes who work
on the holidays last named shall receive
double pay, but that when Labor Day
was established by law the provision for
extra pay in case of working was not
extended to this holiday. Therefore, he
says, Labor Day, is on the same status
as Saturday afternoons. The decision
applies to all navy yard employes, the
Government Printing Office, and the Bu
reau of Engraving and Printing, who
are paid on a per diem basis, and all
other per diem employees of the gov-
ernment.
I. T. U. FUNDS
Indianapolis, Nov. 28.—The Interna-
tional Typographical Union, by refer-
endum vote, has just amended a section
of its by-laws relating to the invest-
ment of surplus funds of the organiza-
tion. The executive council is now au-
thorized to invest all funds in excess
of $50,000 in bonds of the United
States or in non taxable state, county,
township, city or school bonds. The
council is also empowered, if deemed
advisable, to deposit the funds of the
International Union in any reputable
bank or banks selected and accept as
security bonds from any approved sure-
ty company of good reputation. 1 nder
this law the executive council has in-
vested $525,000 in approved securities
and as soon as other bonds of known
value can be procured, an additional
$75,000 will be invested. These invest-
ments will net between .1% per cent,
and 4 per cent, interest.
Washington, Nov. 28. — According
to Fuel, a magazine devoted to the !
mining interests, the possibility of in-
creased wages for the coal miners of
Alabama is being discussed with con-
siderable interest by both miners and
operators. Operators who are mem-
bers of the Alabama Coal Operators'
Association a few months ago raiseu
wages to 55 cents a ton, and it is re-
ported that this will soon be done by
other operators. Some of the independ-
ent operators have increased wages to
57^2 cents per ,ton.
PRINTERS GET INCREASE
Washington, Nov. 27. — Columbia
Typographical Union has been success-
ful in negotiating a new wage scale
carrying with it an increase of 5 per
cent. The present scale in Washing-
ton in the newspaper offices, which
went into effect Monday, November 11,
is $27.96 for all journeymen on the
composing room floor, the hours being
fixed at seven per day. The present
scale with price and a half for over-
time, makes the weekly wage in Wash-
ington in the newspaper offices coin-
pare favorably with other scales
throughout the country.
Washington, Nov. 27.—The United
States Public Health Service has joined
the Bureau of Mines in its mission to
lessen the dangers of mining. Surg]
Gen. Blue has appointed Prof, lteid
Hunt as a member of a committee which
is being organized by the Bureau of
Mines to study improved methods of
resuscitating persons overcome by pois
onous gases in mines. An investigation
will be made in the anthracite and bitu
minous coal fields of Pennsylvania, com-
mencing about the middle of this month.
CHILD LABOR AND HEALTH
Washington, Nov. 26.—"Child labor
predisposes to tuberculosis. This does
not apply exclusively to child labor in
the factory. In many cases child labor
in the home is as bad as in the factory,
and the danger from tuberculosis is
just as great. Tuberculosis is a social
disease in the final analysis. It cannot
bo eradicated until we have social jus-
tice." These are among the state-
ments made in a paper before the re-
cent Congress on Hygiene and Demog-
raphy in Washington by Dr. S. Adol-
phus Knopf, of New York.
STEEL WORKERS
Pittsburg, Nov. 27.—Secretary W. F.
Tighe of the Amalgamated Association
of Steel Workers reports that as a re-
sult of the bi-monthly settlement, based
on the selling price of bar iron for the
sixty days j(receding November 1, the
puddlers connected with the Amalga-
mated Association of Steel Workers
have received an advance of 15 cents
per ton, making the current price $6.15
per ton. During July and August the
puddling rate was $5.85 per ton and
was advanced 15 cents per ton, or to
$6, for September and October. As
noted, another 15 cents per ton has
been added. The bar and guide mill
workers have also received an advance
of one per cent., placing their wages
6 per cent above the base of the asso-
ciation's sliding scale.
ONE DAY STRIKE WINS
Chicago, 111., Nov. 28.—The differ-
ences between the Chicago Teamsters,
Chauffeurs and Helpers' Union and the
team owners, which precipitated the
strike a short time ago, have been set
tied. The demand of the teamsters
for a wage increase of $1.50 a week has
been granted. The strike was due prin-
cipally to disagreements between the
Chicago Team Owners' Association and
the Chicago Cartage Club, the first nam-
ed organization having agreed to pay
its members the raise in question, while
the latter organization refused. This
precipitated the difficulty, but, as stat-
ed, a settlement has been reached, and
the teamsters after one day's idleness,
returned to work.
METAL TRADES
Washington, Nov. 27.—At a recent
convention of the Metal Trades in
Rochester, N. Y., it was agreed by the
delegates to recommend to the organ-
izations affiliated the appointment of
an organizer from each international
organization for the purpose of con-
ducting an organizing campaign among
the metal trades during the coming
year. It is expected that all of the
metal trades organizations will respond
to this plan, the effect of which will be
to inaugurate a revival in the metal
trades and secure a lar^e number of
local councils, as well as an increased
membership.
REFERENDUM DEFEATED
Rochester, Nov. 28.—During the re-
cent convention of the Metal Trades
Department resolutions were introduced
the purposes of which were to amend
the constitution, making it compulsory
to elect the officers of the Metal Trades
Department by a referendum vote.
When these resolutions came up for
consideration thy were defeated by
practically a unanimous vote, the sen-
timent among the delegates being to the
effect that the referendum plan of elec-
tion of officers in a federated body like
the Metal Trades could not be put into
succqssful operation.
ANOTHER LABEL SHOP
Jamestown, N. Y., Nov. 27.—A local
union of garment workers was recent-
ly organized here in one of the large
clothing manufacturing establishments.
It is confidently expected that in a
short time the firm will be using the
union label on all its goods. No fric-
tion has yet attended the organiza-
tion, and an agreement carrying an
increase in wages will be executed in
the near future.
ASPHALT WORKERS ORGANIZE
Pittsburg, Nov. 28.—An organization
of men engaged in the laying of asphalt
streets has been organized with a good
sized charter list. The new organiza-
tion is chartered by the International
Union of Pavers, Rainmermen, Flagg
Layers, Bridge and Stone Curb Setters.
MANY MEETINGS HELD
Rochester, Nov. 28.—On Sunday, No
vember 17, a large number of prominent
labor officials spoke to audiences con-
gregated in halls, theatres and church-
es. President Gompers, Treasurer Len-
non and Raymond Robbins spoke at a
public mass meeting in Convention Ilall.
The fraternal delegates from the Brit
Seddon and Smillie, spoke in one of the
theaters, while a number of others oc-
cupied pulpits in the various churches.
MUST PASS HEALTH TEST
Albany, N. Y., Nov. 29.—Attorney
General Carmody, in an opinion issued
recently, holds that under an amend-
ment to the state labor law made this
year it is necessary before a child be-
tween the ages of fourteen and sixteen
years may be employed in any factory
in this state that such child shall be
e'xainined as to physical fitness by a
medical officer of the State Labor De-
partment or by a health officer.
CIVIL SERVICE TEST
Washington, Nov. 27.—To fill a num-
ber of vacancies in the first grade cler-
ical positions of the government, the
Civil Service Commission will hold an
examination of all candidates on Feb-
ruary 1 next. All those who pass will
be put on the eligible register for pos-
sible appointments. This examination is
largely for places in the customs and
internal revenue divisions of the treas-
ury department.
TAILORS WIN STRIKE
Savannah, Ga., Nov. 27.—The local
Tailors' Union in this city, after a
strike of two days' duration, has enter
ed into an agreement with all the? la-
dies' tailoring establishments in this
city, the employers having acceded
to the demands made by the tailors.
The controversy came about over the
insistence of the local union on a nine-
hour day, which has been granted.
ELECTED TO LEGISLATURE
Pittsburg, Nov. 28. William S. Big"
gor, general organizer of the United
Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners,
has been elected to the legislature from
the eighth legislative district of Penn
sylvania. Mr. Bigger is the author of
the eight hour bill passed at the last
session of the legislature. Mr. Bigger
has been a persistent and loyal chain
pion of the shorter work day in Penn
sylvania, and while a former eight,
hour law has been declared unconstitu-
tional, he hopes to see his last bill stand
the test of the courts.
CLAY MINERS ORGANIZED
Kittanning, Pa., Nov. 28.—The clay
miners of this city have just organized
a local union, receiving a charter from
the American Federation of Labor. The
charter list of the new organization
comprises a large proportion of those
employed in the industry indicated.
THOUSAND MINERS STRIKE
Cobalt, Ont., Nov. 27.—More than a
thousand miners employed in the Por-
cupine mine have gone on strike
against a proposed reduction of 25 cents
per day in their wages. The miners
employed in numerous other mines in
the Porcupine camp threaten to go out
also.
A good deal should be lopped off the
cost of distribution and given to the
hard working producer.
$ $ © © © © © * © © © © © © © © © ©
OFFERS A REMEDY
FOR EVERY ILL
The Trade Union is the only
force through which the work-
ers have been able to secure
their rights. It offers the rem-
edy for every social, economic
and political ill from which we
may suffer. It is entitled to the
loyalty of the laborers and to
the respect and admiration of
all mankind. Let us cheer its
progress, bow in reverence to
its magnificence and splen-
dor, and wish it godspeed in the
great work it is doing.
FINE PRINTING
LETTER HEADS. BILL HEADS,
STATEMENTS, ENVELOPES.
BUSINESS AND VISITING CARDS,
WEDDING STATIONERY
E. C. SPENNY PRINTING CO.
ino W 5152 129% W. Main St.
Oklahoma City, Okia.
J. H. SCHOLLMEYER
134 West Main Street
BOOKS AND STATIONERY
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I Holiday Lines in Both Departments Now Open. All Craftsmen
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The Oklahoma Labor Unit (Oklahoma City, Okla.), Vol. 5, No. 24, Ed. 1 Saturday, November 30, 1912, newspaper, November 30, 1912; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc157125/m1/3/: accessed April 23, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.