The Connecticut labor news., May 27, 1921, Page Four, Image 4

About The Connecticut labor news. (New Haven, Conn.) 1921-1925

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Four
LABOR (Connecticut) NEWS
3
V
THE
Published Weekly by the Ornburn Press, Inc.
286-288 York Street, Telephone Colony 1082. New Haven, Conn.
Presenting to the workers and the public the facts concerning matters
affecting labor and the wage earner's interests at large. Constructive in policy
and non-partisan in politics. Fret from domination by any interests or factions,
either within the labor movement or without.
An exponent of justice to all, a square deal to employer and employee
alike, wtih a desire to serve the best principles of trade unionism and at the same
time create a better understanding and co-operation between capital and labor.
Entered as second class matter December 2, 1916, at the postomce at New
Haven, Conn., under act of March 3, 1879.
'tgggss4- $1.50 per Year
FRIDAY, MAY 27, 1921.
Three Cents per Copy
NEW HAVEN, CONN.,
STATE INSURANCE MUST COME
Organized labor in Connecticut may have lost out this year in
its efforts to have "compulsory state insurance of workers" included
in the laws of the state. But its efforts will not have been in vain
for "Compulsory State Insurance" is coming just as sure as the debt
of the state has risen. If any more evidence of why and how it is
coming were needed than the arguments made by Labor's repre
sentatives before the present General Assembly, then we would re
spectfully refer those seeking it to the address made by State Sena
tor Warren E. Tarbell of Worcester before the Massachusetts legis
lature and published in THE LABOR NEWS last week.
Senator Tarbell's speech was reprinted from the Boston ReviewT
and much credit should be. given to the Review for putting it before
the public. None of the "great" dailies of the Commonwealth did
so and the only regret of THE LABOR NEWS is that space did not
permit its republication in full. For if there was ever a real, good
s-ound American argument as to why the several states should insure
their own workers, make a common and just bond between employer
and employe, then Senator Tarbell made it. If for no other reason
than "Americanization" state insurance should be adopted univer
sally, Mr. Tarbell argued and proved.
It was an entirely new angle to the argument that he took up.
He showed by figures from insurance actuaries, that millions of dol
lars each year were being paid in by American employers to insure
American workers and being sent abroad to pay the upkeep of for
eign financiers who owned or controlled supposedly American in
surance companies. In Massachusetts alone last year he showed how
manufacturers had paid out more than '.12,000.000 more than had
been paid to workers in insurance benefits and every cent of this
excess had gone abroad to support in idleness some persons who were
using American business men as their dummy directors on these in
surance boards, and thus masquerading under the guise of "Ameri
can companies."
If they were not proved by facts and figures some of Senator
Tarbell's statements would be almost beyond belief. For instance,
he showed up where foreign-owned companies were "run" by Ameri
cans holding $5,700 worth of stock in companies rated at $750,000
and still they are "American" although all the rest is owned abroad.
Another company had American directors running it who held
$6,500 in stock out of a million and simply had jobs to see the
revenue was sent across seas.
Even that might be all right but as Senator Tarbell showed
again the situation abroad is such that many of these foreign com
panies are on the verge of bankhruptcy and only American millions
poured into them keeps them going and he hesitated to say how long
even that flow of gold would be able to keep them afloat. What is
oing to happen to the American manufacturer who pays this flood
of money or to the worker who is supposedly protected under it in
the future Senator Tarbell asked.
If for no other reason than pure Americanization, such as is
being preached just now by the employer everywhere then every
state should adopt the state insurance plan and keep this money at
home, protect the employer and employe and be "real Americans to
gether" Senator Tarbell argued. Anyone who read his remarks
must say "Amen" to them and pray for the day that will give legis
lators light to see it as he does.
WHO IS THE CITY MANAGER?
After months of study those behind the proposed City Manager
Plan for New Haven profess to have given to the subject, it cer
tainly appears to the average voter that they also must have given
much study and have in mind a suitable candidate to fill that ex
alted position.
WHO IS THAT FELLOW ? WHERE DOES. HE COME FROM 1
WHAT CAN HE DO AND HOW MUCH DOES HE WANT FOR
DOING IT?
Certainly the proletariat, the wage earner, who isn't going to
run the affairs of his city any more if this new plan goes through, is
entitled to know something about the fellow that is going to run it
for him. It can't be possible that the learned men and women, fair
minded men and women also, who are promoting this scheme are
going to trust to the proletariat to elect a council of nine in October
who might upset their plans entirely as to the city-manager elect.
Just think that proletariat might turn about and elect nine of their
own kind and then what would become of the city manager already
selected.
It's just possible that those behind the plan think if they get
the scheme over at the special election everything will be lovely for
them in the fall election. But wouldn't it be just as well to tell us
now who is the "Chosen One''? The proletariat might like him at
that and put the whole thing over with a great hurrah.
Of course, if it is a secret, we do not want to pry in but honest
now tell us, is he the fellow that has increased Dayton's tax rate
$12 per thousand in the last six years?
STATISTICS JUGGLED IN WAGE CUTS
Lower food costs is being capitalized by cheap wage employers
to enforce a living standard below prewar times.
p These emloyers talk about wage increases of 80, 90 and 100
per cent over prewar times, and would convey the impression that
prewar rates were ideal. Wage rates, based on prewar standards,
are valueless, because these rates did not assure living standards.
A family's food bill approximates 40 per cent of the bread win
ner's income, according to the United States bureau of labor statistics.
This means that a worker who is paid $7 a day, for instance,
spends 40 per cent, or $2.80, for food for his family.
If food costs are lowered 20 per cent, he "saves" one-fifth of
this $2.80, or 56 cents a day.
This "saving," which is eaten up, and in some cases exceeded,
by increased rents, fuel, light and other necessaries, is a pretext by
emloyers to reduce wages 20 per cent, or to cut the rate of $7 a day
to one-fifth of that amount $1.40.
The worker now finds that he is paid $5.G0 a day, with the few
pennies that he saved through less food costs taken over by other
profiteers.
The most superficial thinker must see that the worker is worse
off than before, and that every wage cut extends the "buyers'
strike," which cheap-wage advocates deplore.
Self preservation is behind labor's fight against wage reductions.
The workers are not impressed by awesome contributions on
frozen credits, stock dividends, liquidation or foreign markets as rea
sons why they should accept lower wages.
They know their standards are being lowered, even below pre-war.
They know they have produced to excess and that the charge
that they are slackers is an untruth, uttered by men who are either
ignorant or dishonest.
The workers are not responsible for present conditions. They
carried the burden of the war while the men who now talk of wage
cuts were ignored.
No one paid any attention to these intellectual bankrupts and
profiteers who reaped untold riches during the war, and who now
emerge from their cyclone cellar, peep around to be assured of per
sonal safety, and then insist on wage cuts.
Statistics are juggled to this end and every force at the com
mand of greed is used to conceal waste, excessive charges, inordinate
profits and incompetent management.
D. L. & W. SHOWS $16.17
INCOME PER SHARE
New York, May 27. The annual
report of the Delaware, Lackawanna
and Western railroad for 1920, made
public this wek shows a net income,
after taxes and charges, of $i.?7.S,
100, eiial to $16.17 share (par value
$150) as compared with $10 a share
in 1919.
RAIL BROTHERHOOD
CHIEFS TO DISCUSS
WAGE CUT ORDERS
Six Hundred General Chairmen
Called To Meet in Chicago
on July 1
Approximately Goo general chair
men of the four b'g brotherhoods
and the Switchmen's Union of North
America will attend a joint conference
in Chicago, Friday, July I, to con
sider and pass upon the wage award
made by the United States Railroad
Mqard, which becomes effective on
that date.
This action was decided upon after
a two days' conference of the rail
road brotherhood chiefs at which was
considered the labor board's an
nouncement of last week of its inten
tion of revising downward the wages
of more than one million unskilled
rail workers.
The board's announcement said the
amount of the decrease, effective July
1, will be made public June 1. At the
same time the board announced that
it would hold hearings June 6 regard
ing proposals by the railroads to de
crease the wages of "other classes of
employes" and would also make its
decision in these cases effective on the
same date.
The call for the joint conference
was signed by Warren S. Stone, grand
chief engineer of the Brotherhood of
Locomotive Engineers; W. S. Carter,
president of the Brotherhood of Lo
comotive Firemen and Enginemen;
L. E. Sheppard, president of the
Order of Railway Conductors; W. G.
Lee, president of the Brotherhood of
Railroad Trainmen, and T. C. Cash
en, newly elected president of the
Switchmen's Union of North America.
The call for the joint conference is
in part as follows:
"It has been decided to convene all
general chairmen of the four big rail
road brotherhoods and the Switch
men's Union of North America in
Chicago, Friday, July 1, next, to con
sider and pass upon the award made
by the United States Railroad Labor
Board.
"This is authority for general chair
men to immediately make request up
on their respective managements for
transportation to Chicago and return,
in order to attend this meeting.
"For the information of all con
cerned, this meeting has been called
as a result of a resolution adopted by
the United States Railroad Labor
Board, as reported in the public
press, and which in part follows:
"l. That this board will on June I,
1921, announce its decision covering
the disputes as to wages between car
riers and their employes who have
been heretofore heard by the board,
to become effective July 1, 1921.
"2. That Monday, June 6, 1921, be
set as the date when this board wilt
hear the representatives of the parties
to disputes filed since April 18, 1921,
or which may yet be filed and dock
eted prior to June 6, it being the pur
pose of the railroad labor board to
make its decision of the dispute heard
June 6, 1921, effective July 1, 1921."
HARTFORD CHAMBER
RAPS LEGISLATURE
IN OFFICIAL ORGAN
Calls House "Silly" and Suggests
Fewer Legislators and Shorter
Sessions
Hartford, May 27. The May number
of "Hartford" official organ of the Hart
ford Chamber of Commerce, issued
Wednesday, characterizes the attempt of
the House of Representatives to pass a
standard time enforcement act as "in
line with the general silliness of that
branch of the Legislature."
"There had been little expectation,"
continued the article, "that the Senate
would fail to register popular opinion
and not the viewpoint of Canaan, Union,
Salisbury, Cornwall and Farmington, al
though subjected to editorial guns of con
siderable caliber." The article is one of
three on the subject and bears the cap
tion : "Back to Sanity."
"Hartford will continue on 'daylight
saving,' says the concluding paragraph
of another article, "will possess its char
ter and the rural representatives may
continue on standard time, or adopt
Hartford's practical plan, just as they
please. Hartford doesn't care."
Another detached item says : "Hart
ford is on 'daylight saving' time. The
General Assembly is still grinding along."
The leading editorial suggests that
Conecticut could get along with fewer
legislators and shorter sessions. It
says :
"The New York state Legislature
contains 201 members. New York has
a population of 10,000,000. Connecticut
has a population of, perhaps, 1,500,000.
The Connecticut Legislature has approxi
mately 300 members. New York's Legis
lature began work the first week in Jan
uary. Connecticut's got started the same
time. New York's adjourned the middle
of April, Connecticut's is still coming
into town three days a week. Is is not
possible that Connecticut could get along
with fewer legislators and shorter sessions."
The City Manager Plan
In order that both sides of the City
Manager Plan suggested for New
Haven, and on which the voters will
register on June 14, may be discussed,
THE LABOR NEWS will publish
the views of either side, without
prejudice or taking any responsibility
lor the arguments contained therein.
Communications are, because of lim
ited space, expected to be brief and
to the point.
To the Editor of The, Connecticut
Labor News.
Dear Sir: There are one or two
things in your paper of last week to
which 1 wish to call attention. On
the first page you quote from the
Dayton Labor Review an attack on
the school board of Dayton. I am
not surprised at this attack or at the
condition which exists in the Dayton
Department of Education because it
is not at all under the control of the
council or the manager of Dayton.
The members of the Dayton school
board are elected by the people at
large apart from the other elective
offices of the city administration.
This is required by the Ohio state
law which makes the educational sys
tem of Dayton a thing apart from and
independent of the city government.
In view of this you can hardly lay the
shortcomings of the school board to
the city government.
A quotation is also given in regard
to the city government in Los An
geles, California, and according to all
the records which I have in regard
to the council manager form of gov
ernment in the United States, Los
Angeles does not have this form of
government. The quotation states
J there is no city manager city char
ter, so tar as 1 know, under which
the manager of the city is elected.
What form of government they have
.11 Los Angeles 1 cannot say but I
am sure it is not the council manager
form which is in existence in so many
cities in the country.
1 was disappointed to see that in
your editorial you quote three or four
words from one of my statements
and from this brief quotation, with
out giving the rest of what 1 said,
try to show that I believe the council
manager form of government will
take the control of the government
out of the hands of the people at
large. What I said was as follows:
"The advantage of the plan however
is not solely financial. It is a demo
cratic form of government.
"If by democracy one means 'dic
tatorship of the proletariat,' then the
city manager plan is not democratic.
The ideal which it does serve is gov
ernment by the whole people.
"Class government, whether it be
by the business class or the working
class is contrary to its spirit; never
theless whenever organized labor has
sought a more definite representation,
it has been accorded.
"For instance, in the first commis
sions in Dayton, Dubuque, Sandusky,
Springfield, O., and . various other
cities, there were representatives of
organized labor. In fact, labor's lead
ership was taken in on the ground
floor and given a voice in the fram
ing of the charter; a condition which
has been repeated in many cities.
"Sandusky, O., elected a mechanic
to its first commission. As a member
of the council, he contributed his valu
able viewpoint to the joint discussion
of municipal projects."
DONALD A. ADAMS.
BELIEVE INJUSTICE
WAS DONE MOONEY
District Attorney Tells Court
That He Didn't Get Fair
Trial
San Francisco, May 27. A state
ment that the district attorney "be
lieves that an injustice was done in
the conviction of Thomas J. Mooney,
for a 1H16 Preparedness Day bomb
murder, and will present to the gov
ernor evidence substantiating this be
lief that will compel him to act," was
made by Milton U Ren, assistant dis
trict attorney, in opposing a motion to
release Mooney under a common law
pleading.
"When Governor Stephens com
muted Mooney's sentence from hang
ing to life imprisonment it demon
strated that there was a doubt in
mind as to the defendant's guilt,"
U'Ren said.
When U'Ren said there was, "No
remedy at law," for Mooney, Mrs.
Rena Mooney, wife of Mooney, rose
and cried: "Why don't you find a
remedy ?"
The district attorney was compelled
to oppose the present action on be
half of Mooney on the ground that if
the common law writ was granted it
could be invoked successfully by every
criminal, U'Ren said. The action is
an effort to obtain Mooney's release
on a writ designed to obtain relief
from fraudulent judgments under the
Basic law. Mooney's counsel contend
ed that his conviction was brought
about by perjury and that all relief
under the statutory law had been de
nied him.
The court took the motion for the
writ under advisement.
it
THE OPEN SHOT"
George L. Fox has now become a
mimeograph. He had letters in the
Hartford, New Haven and way sta
tion papers all at the same time on
Tuesday night. Yep, he was kicking
about the state expenses.
William Howard Taft, our distin
guished citizen, seems to have another
job coming, according to the prognos
ticators. Well, one good turn deserves
another. He gave the late Chief Jus
lice White to the country and in spite
of Taft's recent affiliations, we be
lieve, if left alone, he won't be far
from following in White's legal foot
steps. If Edison was to put up an exami
nation for those fellows who are try
ing to put the City Manager plan over
on New Haven, we have no doubt but
that all would pass. That charter they
have propogated is just about as clear
as Edison's questions to the average
layman to say nothing of the college
fellows.
I'.y the way, speaking of that charter
don't fail to read how the Dayton
tax rate has gone up. It's on the first
page and Dayton as you know is
the father of all city managers.
I 'lease buy your winter coal now.
The daily papers are urginsr you to do
it. I'v so doing you may save some
poor devil of a coal operator and his
left brother, the local retailer, from
going to the poorhousc next winter.
Then you'll HAVE to keep them
warm.
Many a widow in Connecticut will
be glad that Col. Bob Eaton has been
appointed again internal revenue col
lector. No, not because she can pay
her internal revenue tax but because
someone may get Bob's state job that
will really see to the widow's pen
sions. If the board of alderman doesn't
support Mayor FitzGerald and Direc
tor Lane in their efforts to support
the unemployed and benefit the city,
we're going to vote for the City Man
ager plan.
Gov. Lake certainly knows how to
swing the axe. He swune it at the
he
" 1 . 1 111 . .
ounuay oaseDaii crowd and now
swings it this week at a lot of ap
propriations. Must have heard from
Washington that Sen. G. P. McLean
is better physically than ever and
rcad- for another term.
At last we know vh
of the trolley company,
gist bv profession and
Storrs is head
1 1 e's a geolo
if ever he had
a bunch ot rocks to sample he s had
'em here. He finally got the state to
try to mill them for six years and see
if there is any "pay dirt" included. At
4 1-2 mills at that.
SENATE KNOCKS
HOLES IN STAT E
PROHIBITION BILL
Refuses To Go Volstead "One
Better" and House Accepts
the Ruling
The prohibition forces in Connec
ticut get little satisfaction in their
efforts to foist upon the state a pro
hibition enforcement act more drastic
by far than the federal Volstead act,
for when the state Senate got through
Wednesday kicking holes in the bill
as prepared and urged by the pro
hibition forces, any old kind of a
bootlegger could walk through them.
Then to make matters worse the
House, where the "dry", farmer vote
was depended on to put the matter
over adopted the bill with the Senate
amendments and the Connecticut Vol
steaders will have to wait another
two years. The policy carried out
was in line with Connecticut's refusal
to ratiy the 18th amendment and a
decision reached some time ago not
to interfere in any way with the law,
either to go it one better or try to
amend it. In line with the latter idea,
both branches also during the week
refused to memorialize Congress ask
ing for modifications to permit light
wines and beers and so with the ex
ception of removing some old and ob
solete excise laws, little was gained.
Senator Brown of Norwich, who
has removed from politics by recently
being appointed a superior court
judge, led the fight for adoption of
the drastic bill.
Senator Bakewell of New Haven
said the Volstead act was by no means
a final interpretation of the 18th
amendment and in view of that fact,
he believed it unwise for the state to
lake any action which might put
greater restrictions on Connecticut
people than are on people under only
a federal law in case the latter should
be modified.
Senator Seymour opposed the gen
eral principle of state enforcement
of the prohibition amendment. If he
had his way, he said, every grocery
store and drug store would be allow
ed to sell beer and light wines. Sen
ator De Laney objected. It would de
feat one ot the principal purposes of
the bill, he said, and it contravened a
federal law.
Senator Seymour asked why this
bill was necessary in view of the fact
that there was a federal law on en
forcement. It was to lend the state
machinery to the giving of such as
sistance in the enforcement of the law
as it was able to give, replied Sen
ator De Laney.
Senator Banks pointed out that the
amendment would be in violation of
the constitution. He wanted to see
the prohibition amendment so vigor
ously enforced as to "force people
back to sanity."
Senator Bakewell said, that, if any
thing was to be done, it would have
to accord with the Volstead act. He
expressed the opinion that three
families out of five were violating the
Volstead act perhaps four out of
five. He called the state bill "hum
bug legislation." "If we are n all
sincere in the effort," he said, :'the i
measure ought to be much more dras
tic and it ought to carry a big appro
priation." Senator Seymour hoped the 'bi'i
would be killed and said his bores
would be realized if only those wi:
have not violated the Volstead act
voted for the bill. It was one of
those laws that could not be enfori i
because they lack public sanction, he
said.
COL. C. M. JAR VIS
DIES IN JERSEY
Hartford, May 27. The death in
Atlantic City, N. J., of Colonel
Charles M. Jarvis, former president
of the American Hardware Corpora
tion occurred last Saturday.
Colonel Jarvis was born April 16,
1856. Three years ago he suffered
a physical breakdown. He was at
that time president of the Berlin Iron
Bridge Company, a position he held
for many years. He was financial
secretary of the Federal Adding Ala
chine Company and a vice-president
of the P. & F. Corbin Company of
New Britain. He was also a colonel
on the staff of former Governor
Woodruff of this state.
He is survived by one daughter.
His funeral was held in Atlantic City,
Monday, and the body cremated.
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144 CONGRESS AVE.
New Haven, Conn.
Model E 2, was $125, Now $85.
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1 FOR YOUR FUTURE 1
If you wish to make certain of future prosperity
you must save today. '
Deposit regularly some fixed amount each week or
month with the Connecticut Savings Bank and the inter
est which we pay will help to increase your fund of
readily available cash, or will serve as a steadily grow
ing addition to your income.
One dollar opens an account and vou get the pro
tection of our $2,000,000 surplus fund.
Established 1857
47 Church St. New Haven, Conn.
Member New Haven Trades Council Co-Op Campaign
Iili:iilllli!l!illllllllilillllll!llllilli:ill!lllllllll!INIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIll
A SAVINGS ACCOUNT
FOR YOUR CHILDREN
You desire your children to grow into prosperous
and successful men and women, to be prepared to fight
life's battle in competition with the rest of the world.
Teach them early in life the value of money, for
then, is the time they form little habits that grow as
they grow older. Teach them to save.
Start a Savings Account for your children in our
bank. It will earn 4 interest compounded and cred
ited quarterly increasing their savings while they save
more. Teach them to deposit part of their spending
money regularly to be thrifty.
$1 starts the account.
On Savings
Accounts
"SERVICE THAT SATISFIES"
MERCHANTS
NATIONAL BANK
CHAPEL AT STATE
Member of the New Haven Trades Council
Co-Operative Campaign.