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A UNIQUE DISTINCTION.
Not a Printer In Stripes In the Vir
ginia Penitentiary.
The interesting statistical fact was
recently developed that among the
1,200 or more convicts in the Virginia
penitentiary there is not among them
a printer. It seems that the editor of
a weekly newspaper recently wrote to
Governor Mann, making inquiry on the
subject with a view to giving the man
employment. The governor sought in
formation at the penitentiary with the
result that not a printer could be
found among the felons in striped
garij.
It might be asserted that this is a
mere curious accident, inasmuch as
there have recently been preachers,
lawyers, physicians and men of every
vocation among this large criminal
class, and perhaps the condition is
unique. There is a reason, however,
why more printers are not criminals.
In the first place, the trade or art is
one in which a man need rarely re
main long unemployed. The demands
for printers is still great, even sine
the invention of several typesetting ma
chines. The hand compositor cannot
be dispensed with yet, and there is
scope for much taste and judgment in
the business of hand composition. In
the first place, the printer is seldom a
loafer. If he loafs" or sprees for a time
he goes back to work again. Another
reason for this immunity from crimi
nality is the fact that the printer who
has been at the business for any length
of time is usually intelligent and well
informed. Not a few men have ac
quired practically all the education
they have at the case. They think as
they work and read. Indeed, no man
will become a competent printer who
does not soon begin to understand
what he reads. Geuerally the ability
. to speak and write correctly and flu-
ently comes to the man who "stands all
day picking up type and aligning theni
in a "stick." Life would be a dreary
monotony to him if he did not com
prehend what he was putting intp typ.
Intelligence, education and employ
ment are antithetic to crime, just a
Ignorance and idleness are contributory
to it. All honor to the calling whose
thousands have no representatives in
the felon class. May the vocation
maintain its present high standard
and prove an example and an inspira
tion to future apprentices to main
tain the ethics of the "art preserva
tive of all arts." Danville (Va.) Bee.
v
CONVICT LABOR RUINOUS.
Prison Made Goods Drive Manufac
turers to the Wall.
In a brochure just published, dealing
with the convict labor problem, the
following excerpt is of interest:
"Reviewing the general question of
convict labor as a competitive factor,
it may be said that manufacturers
consider such competition unfair and
ruinous, demoralizing to markets and
business stability, compelling the re
duction in prices below a fair margin
of profit and often even below the cost
of production. Wages are forced to
the lowest limit in a vain effort to
lower the . cost of production to that
of the prison contractor. In some
cases a deterioration of quality of ma
terial is used, and in others an entire
abandonment to the prisons of the
manufacture of certain grades of
goods has become necessary.
"In the boot and shoe industry the
testimony of manufacturers is that low
cost of production of prison made
goods a cost decreasing steadily with
the increasing efficiency of the convict,
through the equipment of prisons with
improved machinery is enabling the
prison manufacturer to drive tb em
ployer of free labor out of the 'market
or force on him a reduction in the
regular prices of many lines of goods."
A Union's Good Showing.
W. D. Mahon. president of the Anial?
fcamated Association of Street and
Electric Railway Employees, compiles
in his latest year book many interest
ing facts. It shows that .FG0.612.42 was
paid out during the year 1010 for sick,
disability and death benefits. The
number of agreements with traction
companies in force in 1910 was 151 as
compared with 123 the year previous.
Reports from 159 divisions show that,
nine employees were killed on running
boards of ears, the number injured be
ing seventy-six. These same 139 di
visions report forty-seven members
killed.
Trade Union Briefs.
The Canadian trade and labor con
gress will hold a convention at Cal
gary on Sept. 11.
Twenty years ago there were two
or three trade unions in Los Angeles.
Today there are ninety-two.
The age limit at which a man may
obtain employment in any department
of the Erie railroad is now thirty-five
years.
The nine hour law for women in
the state of Ohio, commonly known as
the Green law. is to run the gamut
f the courts.
T. V. O'Connor, president of the In
ternational Longshoremen's associa
tion, has been re-elected to that posi
tion by acclamation. , -v
The semiannual report of the
United Hebrew Trades in New York
shows that ten new local unions were
formed and fifteen strikes assisted,
only three of which were successful.
' Reject Socialist Resolution.
A resolution introduced at the annual
convention of the longshoremen at
Toledo, O., calling for the adoption
of the principles of the Socialist party
by 'organized labor was defeated by a
tote of four to one.
Trade Union Notes.
Samuel Gompers will be the orator
of the day at the San Fraucisco Labor
day celebration.
In 1898 the total number of railroad
employees in this country was 874.558.
Last year the total was 1,451,000.
The city council of Murphysboro,
111., passed a resolution giving pref
erence to union labor on all city work.
Organized labor cannot be crushed,
go long as there is injustice there is
work for organized labor to do. Gom
pers. The Danish parliament has passed
a bill whereby absent seamen are en
titled to participate in the. elections for
parliament by power of attorney or by
sending in their votes.
T. J. Duffy, president for many years
of the National Brotherhood of Op
tative Potters, has just been appoint
ed a member of the employers' liabil
ity commission of Ohio.
Charles Dold, for the past thirteen
years president of the Piano. Organ
and Musical Instrument Workers' In
ternational union, has been re-elected
to that position for the ensuing four
years.
The workers In the Amsterdam dia
mond industry have a compact organi-.
zation. According' to one of Its rules,
no one can learn the diamond trade
without the consent of the organiza
tion, and only children of workers or
of jewelers are eligible to become p
tils. '