BUREAUOF LABOR.
Was Established Twenty-seven
Years Ago. .
REPORT MOST INTERESTING.
Carroll D. Wright First Commissioner
of Labor Industrial Depressions and
Wags Variations Investigated and
Remedies Suggested.
The United States bureau of labor
was established by aet of congress,
approv.d June 27, 1SS4. This act
provided for the appointment of a
commissioner of labor by the presi
dent a.!l a chief clerk, to be appoint
ed by U.e secretary of the interior, and
such employees as might le necessary
to couduct the work. No officers were
appointed until January. 1SS5. when
Carroll IK Wright received a commis
sion from the president and assumed
the duties of commissioner on Jan. 31,
lSSo, and on Feb- 3 Oren W. Weaver
was appointed chief clerk. The first
work attempted by the bureau was to
collect Information relative to the in
dustrial depressions, the investigation
comprehending a study of their char
acter aud alleged causes, whether eon
teiniHraueous in the great producing
oouutries of the world and whether
as to duration, severity, ieriodicity,
they have been similar in such coun
tries. The foreign countries selected for in
vestigations were Great Britain. Bel
gium. France, Germany and, to some
extent.. Switzerland aud Italy. Five
agents were employed in the foreign
countries and fifteen in this.
The first annual report of the United
States bureau of labor was transmit
ted to the secretary of interior. L. Q.
C Lamar, on March 17. ISStt. The
subject of industrial depression cov
ered the years from 1S37 to 1SS0.
Among the many remedies suggest
ed to correct the then existing evils
were many that are intensely interest
ing. These remedies were suggested
by citizens in "all walks of life as glean
ed by the bureau's fifteen agents in
their field work, as follows: Legisla
tion that will " prevent the consolida
tion of large bodies of capital; indus
trial co-operation: erection of central
factories to compete with the sugar
factories of Germany aud France; ex
tend the system of profit sharing; re
duce the hours of labor; to compel
manufacturers to be content with less
than 10 per cent; organization of la
borers; organization of employers; for
congress to cease framing laws fcr the
industrial interests of the country; re
strict immigratipu; better education for
the people; giving opportunity for the
self improvement of the workingmen;
allow no man to own more html than
he can use himself; establish industrial
schools; teach laborers and employers
that the decrease of wages and profits
me. ns fewer luxuries; boards of arbi
tration to be created by legislation to
settle differences between capital and
labor by dividing profits of the busi
ness, above interest, equally between
them.
Prior to the establishmeut of the bu
reau of labor three congressional com
mittees had under discussion matters
"pertaining to the general welfare of
the people of the country, and in the
hearings which were held there were
brought out, in addition to the above,
other suggestions, such as the protec
tion of children against the avarice of
parents and employers and not to be
employed under fourteen years of age,
publie ownership of coal, to give the
franchise to women, to withdraw all
inducements held out to immigrants,
to i absolutely .prohibit Chinese, advox
catmg01e piiUIIc "ownership of Iron
lands, to make six hours a legal day's
work, to reduce the working time of
labor until all found employment and
government ownership of telegraph
and telephone.
In the concluding portion of the re
port, speaking directly of the lawmak
ing power," nnder the subhead of "Re
medies," the following suggestions are
made:
"It can stimulate the growth of the
principle of industrial copartnership
through methods of profit sharing by
wise, permissive laws. Public senti
ment can encourage the perfect or
ganization of the forces Involved, to
the end that each shall treat with the
other representative and that produc
tion shall be regulated by the demands
and not by the ill advised eagerness
of men who push their work individ
ually to the detriment of others: that
there may come the universal adop
tion of shorter hours of labor, and de
mand that after capital and labor shall
have received a fixed and reasonable
compensation, each for its Investment,
the net profits of production shall be
divided under profit sharing plan or
method or through Industrial copart
nership, to the end that all the forces
of production shall be equally alive to
tautuaj welfare. It can ask that the
contracts of labor be as free as the
contracts for commodities under fair
agi-eement for services rendered, to
the end that the workman shall not be.
obliged to make contracts on terms not
acceptable to him. and It can hold the
party which declines to resort to the
conciliatory methods of arbitration
morally responsbile for all the III ef
fects" growing out of contest. These
remedial agencies or remedial meth
ods, alleviatory in their design, are all
possible by the reasonable acts" of
men. They are not chimerical schemes,
but measures adapted to practical
adoption. They demand simply a fair
reeognitlon of a part only of the truth
bound up In the rule which Insists
that all men shall do unto others as
they would have others do unto them.
The A. F. of 1 Convention.
The next American Federation of
Labor convention will be held In At
lanta. Ga.. during November, and then
we shall see just how much strength
the so called "progressives have ac
quired In the past twelvemonth. The
progressives have a distinct leaning
toward the "Industrial unionism"
which Is a part of the Socialist propa
ganda. The convention will also take
up the various Jurisdictional fights
that to some persons seem so foolish
and make probably satisfactory settle
ments. Central unions, too. will very
likely be put on a plane of strict ac
countability In the matter of living up
to the laws. On the whole, the con
vention promises to be one of the most
enlivening in the history of the feder
ation. Brooklyn Eagle.
TRADE UNION GOSSIP.
Since May 1. 1911. 500 carpenters
have joined the Carpenters union of
Los Angeles, CaL
The United Brotherhood of Opera
tive Potters will receive an Increase of
one-half per cent beginning Oct. 1.
Jews In almost every large city in
the country are giving financial aid to
Cleveland's 6,000 striking garment
workers.
Insurance against sickness is com
pulsory in Hungary for all persons em
ployed In industrial undertakings and
whose earnings do not exceed $500 a
year.
Timothy Healy of New York has
been elected president of the Intema
tlonal Brotherhood of Stationary Flre-
men?or the fourth consecutive term of
two years.
The San Francisco Housesmlths un
ion defeated the proposed amendment
to its constitution that would have
compelled all members of the union to
secure work only through the business
agent.
A resolution introduced at the an
nual 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
vote of 4 to 1.
Los Angeles Picket Ordinance.
L. W. Butler, secretary-treasurer of
the Central Labor council of Los An
geles, makes the following report in re
gard to the working of the Los Angeles
picket ordinance:
"The antl picketing ordinance passed
by the so called good government ad
ministration resulted In the arrest of
300 members of organized labor for al
leged violations of the law. The legal
battle has been waged during the en
tire term, the results of which are giv
en in the following figures: Arrests.
300; convictions, 5; acquittals. 4; dis
agreements. 4: dismissals. 247: cases
pending. 4a This does not Include the
thirty-five men arrested on a charge
of conspiracy to violate the picket or
dinance. The Jury In this case dis
agreed, and the charges against the
men were dismissed after the trial.
THE OPEN SHOP.
The opi shop means only an
open doot through which to turn
the union mau out and bring the
nonunion man In to take his
place.
The very reason that keeps
men from joining the unions of
their crafts makes them more
servile and cringing to their em
ployer, makes them ever sub
servient to his demands.
To prevent trade unionism
from being conquered in detail,
to save its members from being
thrown out of the open door to
make room for the servile and
the weak, to maintain In shop
and mill the best compositions
that unionism has won and to
look forward to others better
still, to save the workman from
sis once long hours of toil and
to provide a day shorter yet
needs every effort of every union
man. and without the right to
protect themselves by refusing
to work with those whose weak
ness or stupidity makes them
recreant or unfaithful to their
class trade unionism can neither
hold that which it has won nor
look forward to greater victories
BtllL Clarence Darrow.
Pork Favorite Chinese Food.
The Tiinese eat little or no beef.
The beef consumed in the empire is
chiefly the food of foreigners. But
the natives are exceedingly fond of
pork and consume vast quantities of
It. Not only is the native article an
excellent grade, but Chinese pork Is
retailed at a price far lower than the
mere cost of production in this coun
try. American pork could not com
pete with that of China, even if there
were no question of transportation.
Oidnt Land as He Expected.
"I did not expect to come down this
way," was the only remark made by
Joseph Klnward, of Tarrytown, New
York, after falling from a height of
150 feet, striking a guard wire, turn
ing a complete somersault and landing
on bis feet.
How He Voted.
At a church court a pastor had to
vote on a delicate question. Either
way would estrange some of his flock.
So he voted "non liqult," which Is
equivalent to asking to be excused.
The next day a country delegate "was
asked how this pastor had voted on
the vexed question. He said: "The
man did not seem pleased. In fact,
he voted that he did not like It"
Goat's Milk Highly Valued.
There are scores of foreign writers
and medical experts who advocate the
use of goat's milk for Infants and In
valids. In fact there are sanitariums
in France and Switzerland that give
goat's milk a prominent place in their
systems of care. The milk Is special
ly recommended for Infants because
of its similarity in composition to
mother's milk.
Pony vs. Horse Intelligence.
I have been asked a great many
times if ponies are really more intel
ligent than full-sized horses. They
certainly appear to be. But the In
telligence of any horse will develop
under petting and human companion
ship, and there Is no doubt that other
horses. If given the same privileges
that ponies enjoy and If their size
admitted of their being bandied and
managed In the same way, would
prove equally Intelligent. Outing.
British-Capital -for Turkey.
Gold, iron, copper, sulphur, coal,
chrome, etc, are known to exist In
different parts of the Turkish prov
ince of Hodeidah, which. In the opin
ion of the British consul there, will
be thrown open to foreign exploita
tion in the near future, especially aft
er the proposed railway is completed.
This may, in time, provide an opening
for British enterprise.
As You Go.
"Clear up as you go" Is an excellent
text to work by a parallel to "Nev
er put off till tomorrow," &c and
one th'at many a mother would do
well to keep over before her and live
up to. It is the puttlng-off habit that
leads to accumulations, to hurry, and,
consequently, to 'badly done work. If
clothes need repairing, let them be re
paired at once; if things are out of
their proper places, put them back
again, where they ought to be; before
they are Irretrievably lost.
The Rent Sheepskin.
The president of a college near Bos
ton tells me that he received today a
letter, the writer of which, a graduate,
asked for a second diploma, He said
that he had been engaged but that
he and the lady of his choice had a
falling out. The lady showed her dis
pleasure by tearing his diploma into
bits. "I am afraid," said the presi
dent, "he will have to go through life
minus his diploma, but with a certified
copy. Boston Record.
New Idea In Judicial Lore.
The suggestion of a French judge,
who presided at a breach of promise
suit, has aroused the interest of Amer
ican men and women. The suggestion
is that when young people become en
gaged an agreement to marry should
be drawn up with a clause providicg
damages if It Is broken.
Silly Saying Still Lives.
The saying that fish Is the best
brain food comes of an old long
tongue windbag years ago saying:
"Thought is Impossible without phos
phorus." So a Swiss chemist, know
ing that fish contained phosphorus,
put two and two together and brought
forth a Baying that will never die.
