The Butler County press. [volume], July 20, 1923, Image 1

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VOL. XXIII. No. 14
By International Labor News Service.
Washington, D. C.—Organized la
bor should lose no opportunity to ad
vertise itself.
Women members of the working
man's family must be shown the bene
fits of trade unionism.
Many workers remain outside the
ranks of the unions because they are
not well informed on organized labor's
aims.
Disinclination of the average person
to go out of his way to investigate an
unfamiliar thing is a big factor in
preventing more rapid growth of the
unions. Organized labor must take
its message to the worker, not wait
for the worker to show interest.
JOri
I
LABOR MUST PUSH MESSAGE
SAYS UNIONIST WHO STUDIES
UNORGANIZED TOILERS' VIEWS
These are some of the poins made
by J. A. Cartier, a member of Paint
ers' Local 988, Grand Forks, N. D.,
in a letter to President Gompers, of
the American Federation of Labor
Mr. Cartier's letter is particularly in
teresting, as he has made a study of
why more workers do not join the
unions. Having been a member of
organized labor only three years, he
remembers how he felt about union
ism and so senses the feeling of the
unionist better than the man who has
been a union member so long that he
has forgotten he was ever outside the
union fold. Mr. Cartier writes:
"My membership in the union of my
craft dates from January 1, 1920. I
would have joined the organization
long before that date if I had known
how a membership could be obtained.
I make this statement to throw light
on my belief that the facilities for
joining are not sufficiently brought to
the attention of the workingman.
urge that something be done about
this and offer the suggestion that a
mailing list of all working men and
women be requested from the central
bodies, who, with the help of the lo
cals, could with a little effort obtain a
very good mailing list to be used by
the local executive board or commit
tees appointed for the task. Then
literature advocating our cause could
be mailed to workers within the
unions to refresh their memories and
rekindle their zeal and to workers
who have heard of unionism but who
have never been furnished informa
tion as to the procedure for joining
a union and to whom and where to
ask for membership.
"The workers at large, not except
ing union men, judging from my ex
perience in advocating the cause of
unionism, know little of the aims of
organizel labor. The literature sent
into the homes direct would help
union men to convince their wives
that they Were justified in being ab
sent froAi home to attend union meet
ings.
"I have had many women, some of
them wives of union men, argue that
it was not necessary for their hus
bands to attend meetings, as it was
bad enough that they were members
of a union. Thanks to my perserver
ence, however, I have convinced them
all that they were not fair in their
expression toward the organizations
which were fighting their cause so
nobly with sacrifices of both money
and effort.
"I would also suggest that it is ab
solutely necessray that the funda
mental principles of unionism be con
stantly emphasized. The ritual
should include the reading of the ar
ticles of the constitution and discus
sion of them for the benefit of those
who through neglect or otherwise are
not versed in the constitutions of their
respective organizations. This pro
cedure would educate the members as
to their purpose in organizing and
aid the forming of sound conclusions."
TWENTYYEARS
For Whipping Boss Who
Killed Tabert
Lake City, Fla.— Higginbotham,
whipping boss at the Putnam lumber
lease camp, has been found guilty of
second degree murder in the death of
young Martin Tabert, of North Da
kota. He was sentenced to 20 years'
imprisonment and was then released
on $10,000 bond pending appeal. The
jury was out one hour and 20 min
utes.
The defense admitted the whipping
but contended that it was "within the
law," basing this on testimony that
not more than 10 lashes were struck
which the regulations permitted at
that time. The death of Tabert re
sulted in the abolishment of whipping
and the dismissal from office of the
sheriff and county judge of Leon
county who sentenced Tabert to jail
for three months for riding a freight
train. The sheriff admitted that he
had an agreement with the Putnam
Company to supply prisoners at $20
each.
By International Labor News Service.
Washington, D. C.—"The lords of
teel have hearkened and have pledg
ed themselves to end the 12-hour day
in industry. Steel has made a wise
decision."
So says the Philadelphia Public
Ledger. The Ledger is right, steel
has made a decision, if decision it
really is. On this point the Ledger,
in common with leading newspapers
all over the country, calls for the
steel corporation to make good, say
ing:
"The nation will not. be dispos
ed to wait for 'hard times' or the
opening of the gates to immigration
to see it carried out. Steel will be
expected to act in good faith. The
60,000 men needed can be found if
steel wants to find them and looks for
them."
Even the anti-labor papers are de
claring that the 12-hour day must
go. Witness Munsey's reactionary
Sun, which under the heading, "The
Doomed Twelve-Hour Day," points
out that the change to the eight-hour
shift can be effected without great
difficulty, as many practical steel men
have dernoi strated in the most con
vincing way possible—by doing it.
Britain Shows the Way
Meanwhile, as steel promises and
promises to "be good"—some day
evidence continues to pile up that
the steel industry can live and thrive
on the 8-hour workday. Added to
the testimony of the Colorado Iron
and Steel Company and other former
12-hoglr industries in the United
States that they are operating with
success under the 8-hour day, comes
the information that almost the en
tire steel industry of Europe is now
operated on 8-hour shifts. The few
exceptions are in countries where the
industry is of very small importance
Particularly striking is the case of
Great Britain, which has had the 8
hour day in effect since 1919. None
of the men want to go back to the
12-hour day and few of the employ
ers do. This i*aises the question
"Can it be that British steel workers
are different from American steel
workers, who are said by the steel
magnates to love the 12-hour shift?'
fe THE BUTLER COUNTY PRESS.
GARY AGAIN[ PROMISES
PROOF PILES UP THAT STEEL THRIVES ON EIGHT-HOUR DAY
AS DEMAND GROWS THAT INDUSTRY'S HEAD
MAKE GOOD HIS WORD
Shown That More Steel is Produced in Great Britain Under Eight-Hour
System Than
Change Increased Production
Nor is this all of the story of Brit
ish steel under the 8-hour day. There
has actually been an increase in pro
duction. The change from the 12 to
the 8-hour day necessitated employ
ing more men, but it also was found
that in the more modern plants it
didn't greatly increase the cost of
steel per ton.
Dr. H. M. Vernon, of the industrial
fatigue research board of the Brit
ish government found in 1920 that
open hearth steel furnace plants gain
ed from 14 to 18 per cent in produc
tion when they reduced the working
hours from 12 to 8. On the shorter
shift there is less wasted time and
greater output per man per hour.
In most British steel plans work
is ended at 1 o'clock Saturday after
noons and not resumed until Sunday
night. What would the 12-hour slaves
of Pittsburgh, Bethlehem. Gary and
other steel hells say to that
With the 8-hour day has gone the
organization of the steel workers and
enjoyment of harmonious relations
between employer and employe. For
a period of twenty-five years there
has not been a strike or lockout in
the British steel industry, despite the
many struggles in other British in
dustries. The manufacturers, through
their association and the men, through
their iron and steel trades federa
tion. have formed the habit of dealing
THURSDAY MORNING STARTED OUR
With its endless assortment and large displays—with its better Furniture, Rugs and
Home Furnishings and with its unusually low prices this Greatest of all Furniture
Sale presents one of the rarest opportunities to save money ever offered you.
Not alone are the prices lower than elsewhere, but every article that is offered during
this Sale measures up to our usual high standard of quality and workmanship.
Truly here are values that cannot be duplicated anywhere. Come in today as early
selections are advisable.
Not only do you enjoy a worth-wile saving on every purchase, but you
can also take advantage of our liberal terms during this sale which
make the payments easy and convenient.
Please Read All Of 1 he Again
K-R-E-Above
J&i JLmJ
Known For Truthful Advertising
t-1'-« :*"'(, •'•••..•..•••• 7 :''i'j"'. •••.'•'.
Was Under Former Long-Hour Day
Labor men answer by declaring that
the British steel workers are much
like the American workers, who, they
say, would be only too glad to put in
a workday that would enable them
to live as human beings, not as mere
cogs in a souless machine.
Even more significance in its bear
ing on the claim that the 8-hour day
is not practical is the fact that some
great British plants voluntarily in
troduced the 8-hour day more than
twenty-five years ago, and, like a cer
tain celebrated product of their land,
are "still going strong." These plants
have grown stronger and stronger
with the passing years, under a policy
which Judge Gary and his fellow
steel magnates persist in solemnly
contending cannot succeed.
1
."*«*
HAMILTON, OHIO, FRIDAY, JULY 20, 1923 ONE DOLLAR PER YEAR
with each other and both sides find
that it pays.
Similar Results in U. S.
From the foregoing summary of
how the British steel industry has
fared under the 8-hour day, it is evi
dent that Britain has learned facts
that the American steel trade has
scarcely begun to appreciate in the
slightest degree. That a beginning
has been made here, however, is in
dicated by the testimony of the Colo
ado Iron and Steel Company, al
ready referred to. The Colorado
steel and iron is finding that the
8-hour day brings results similar to
these obtained in Great Britain, as is
indicated by the following quotation
from a letter by J. F. Welborn, pres
ident of the company:
"The immediate results, from the
standpoint of production per man
hour, and of labor cost per unit of
output, were satisfactory, and where
conditions have been comparable, it
has been evident that we have lost
nothing either in producing cost or
output by reason of the change.
"At blast furnaces the labor cost
per ton, immediately following the
introduction of the 8-hour day witli
the increase of ten per cent in wage
rates, increased slightly over one per
cent above former costs. At open
hearth furnaces it increased one and
one-half per cent while at our roll
ing mills there was a substantial re
duction in the labor cost per ton.
8-Hour Shift Booms Output
"Recent careful analysis of operat
ing results between various 12 an
8-hour work periods have been madi
and show these results to be ever
more satisfactory than we had real
ized before. The trend of productiot
per man hour, with unimportant ex
ceptions, haw been upward since the
adoption of the 8-hour day and in
every department of our steel manu
facturing operations, from blast fur
nace to the wire mill, our production
per man hour is now greater than
it was when all of these activities
were operating on the 12-hour shift
Comparing these results of the last
few months with periods of similar
production when basic rates were
ten per cent lower than current rates
1
By International Labor News Service.
Jersey City, N. J.—To organized
labor is due a major share of the
credit for the exposure of sweat shop
conditions which has aroused the
state and resulted in a state-wide war
on sweat shops.
So startling has been the conditions
revealed by the investigation, begun
by representatives of organized la
bor, that other states in the East are
investigating and are finding that
New Jersey is not the only state
where sweat shops flourish.
Horrible conditions existing in New
Jersey sweat shops were first brought
to the attention of organized labor
by the national child welfare commit
tee. The unions lost no time in act
ing and Mrs. Nellie Smith, an officer
of the Jersey City School Teachers'
Union T. M. Brandle, president of
the Hudson County Building Trades
Council, and Charles J. Jennings,
secretary-treasurer of the joint coun
cil of Hudson county, International
Brotherhood of Teamsters, Chauffeurs,
Stablemen and Helpers, conferred
with Mayor Hague, of Jersey City,
and told him that the sweat shops
must be driven from tne city. The
union representatives also informed
the mayor that the ,-tate labor de
partment had failed to eliminate the
sweat «hops.
Mayor
Orders Drive
After hearing the committee,
Mayor Hague called in his chief
health inspector and instructed him
that he was to act under the direction
of Mrs. Smith in a campaign to close
the sweat shops. He further directed
that the school nurses and the board
health doctors be used in the i
wstigation and campaign
Already more than a thousand
sweat shops, employing little children
a? a mere pittance, have been found
Jersey City and closed. Proprie-
an«!
1
lie umking time twelve hours
per day, \w tind that almost without
exception our labor cost per ton
lower than in the earlier period.--.
"Furthermore, whenever the qu
tion of change made in the length of
the working day has come up for
discussion between officials and em
ployes' representatives, satisfaction
with the change has been expressed
by the employes. It is obvious, there
fore, that our change from a 12 to
an 8-hour day was practical and has
been successful."
/'I.-
Sf
't
ife:l
1
NEW JERSEY TRADE UNIONS
LEAD IN FIGHT TO DRIVE
SWEAT SHOPS FROM STATE
1"
tors of several convicted of employing
child labor have been fined and sen
tenced to prison.
It has been found that thousands
of manufacturers of clothing and
other goods have been "farming out"
work to be done by women and chil
dren in their own homes. The manu
facturers have paid no attention to
the conditions under which the work
was done and in many cases the
women and children have worked
under vile sanitary conditions.
Powder puffs used by women on
their faces have been made under
conditions that are a menace to the
health of the users. Paper food con
tainers, dolls' dresses and clothes for
men, women and children have been
sent into unsanitary homes for fin
ishing.
Investigation Spreads
From Jersey City, the investigation
spread through Hudson county and
other parts of New Jersey, with the
result that the state department of
labor has been forced to begin an
anti-sweat shop crusade. Every avail
able inspector is now working to drive
sweat shops from the state. The aim
of the campaign is to put an end to
child slavery in home workshops and
to protect the general public from
the dangers of using articles manu
factured in unsanitary surroundings
and subject to contamination by
germs of disease.
Representatives of organized labor
believe that the investigation will
reveal more than 5,000 sweat shops
in the state. They are proud of the
lead taken by the unions in the fight
to end the evil and point out that
Mrs. Smith, who has taken a chief
part in the campaign, was appointed
her present position, that of voca
tional guidance counsellor under the
Jersey City board of education, at
the demand of organized labor. The
position was created for the purpose
of seeing that boys and girls who are
under 16 years of age and are start
ing out to work are properly em-
o e
CLERKS ASK INCREASE
Chicago. Increase in wages of
station and clerical forces of the Pere
Marquette and the New York, Ontario
& Western railroads is asked in a
submission filed with the railroad la
bor board by officers of the Brother
hood of Railway and Steamship
Clerks.
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