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no contract miner (sweating system) to be permitted to have more than one working place, a more equitable and uniform selling price for mining supplies to miners, more equitable agreement for weighing coal mined on the car basis, the readjustment of the machine mining scale, detailed wage scales, and settlement of internal questions to be referred to the representatives of the operators and the miners of each district for settlement.

Immediately the mine operators objected to these demands of the miners and then "took the public into their confidence" in the adroitly worded advertising matter which was intended to give "the crowd," to use Ivy Lee's terms, the impression that the mining companies have been making so little profit that they were practically operating their mines for the public good.

The demands of the miners mean better opportunities for life and freedom, better conditions of work, greater safety, greater compensation, and better organization of the industry.

Each of these results is of tremendous human importance.

Higher wages mean proportionate ability to purchase food, clothing, shelter, and the things that constitute environment. Higher wages mean better health, longer life, the physical vigor that is the dynamic power of living.

These efforts are augmented by better and safer conditions of work. Yearly more miners have been killed to secure our coal supply than any other country. Lives of America's workers have been needlessly, aye ruthlessly lost, and yet the coal operators have not been made to feel their responsibility for the rights and lives of the men engaged in the service so necessary to society. Preventable coal mine disasters are part of the slaughter of peace-just as deplorable though less dramatic than the slaughter of war.

Coal mining is one of our fundamental industries-it furnishes the power utilized in every relationship

of our closely interdependent society. For many years to come, coal will be a chief dependence for power and heating. It is of national concern that our coal mines be conserved and operated most wisely-in preparedness for peace or for war.

It follows then that there must be the best organization—not only of the operators and coal supplies but of the human beings who are indispensable to operating the mines.

There cannot be co-ordination of national resources and power without organization. The part the miners have in coal production they can best tell the world.

The miners have earned the right to recognition of their servicesearned it by torn and mangled flesh and blood spilled, bodies drugged with weary toil and worn out before middle age is reached and all too often their lives snuffed out.

There must be the means for these workers to express the needs and ideas of justice-an agency that will enable them to control and live their own lives. This agency is the miners' union. It exists-only the blind can fail to recognize it.

There is hope, ambition and energy in every living person which will sooner or later find expression in efforts for betterment. The ideals and concepts of the miners must be taken into consideration. If the coal operators are wise, they will do this by establishing necessary normal relations with the voluntary organizations of the miners. If they are not wise, they will be forced to learn this even as they were forced to learn that the coal mines were not entrusted into their keeping by an all-wise Providence.

They need not hope to evade fundamental issues by the trickery of attempting to prejudice the people against the normal rights and the ambitions of the miners. After all, their advertisement declarations are only a preparedness campaign-to prepare coal consumers to submit to a raid upon their pocket-books or to in advance prejudice the people against

the miners should a strike be forced upon them in the effort to secure the rights so justly due them. If the coal operators attempt to shift their responsibility or fail to improve managerial methods, the coal miners are not responsible. They should not and will not be made the scapegoats.

they have a decent regard for the men who have given them such valuable service; if they have the proper regard for the obligation they owe the people generally who have permitted them to have the use and the profits of the coal-mining industry they will avert it.

But strike or no strike, the just demands of the miners must be

A strike of the miners must be avoided, if possible. It is in the power of the operators to avert it; if secured.

President's Cabinet Meets Trade Unionists

Washington, D. C.-Members of the President's cabinet and Secretary to the President, Mr. Tumulty, together with the executive council of the American Federation of Labor and A. F. of L. department officials, were luncheon guests of Secretary of Labor Wilson, last Wednesday.

The members of the executive council are in the city attending their regular quarterly meeting and the first representative of organized labor in a President's cabinet took occasion to have his present colleagues meet his old-time associates in the trade union movement.

Secretary of Labor Wilson seated his guests as follows: On his rightPresident Gompers, Secretary of the Treasury McAdoo, A. F. of L. Treasurer Lennon, Postmaster-General Burleson, A. F. of L. Vice-President Valentine, Secretary of the Interior Lane, A. F. of L. Vice-President Perham, Secretary to the President Tumulty, A. F. of L. Vice-President Green, President Williams, of the A. F. of L. building trades department, and President Lord, of the A. F. of L. mining department.

On Secretary of Labor Wilson's left were seated: A. F. of L. Secretary Frank Morrison, General Hugh L. Scott, Secretary of War at interim; A. F. of L. Vice-President O'Connell, Secretary of the Navy Daniels, A. F. of L, Vice-President Alpine, Secretary

of

Agriculture Houston, A. F. of L.

Vice-President Frank Duffy, Assistant Secretary of Labor Louis Post, Secretary-Treasurer Spencer, of the A. F. of L. building trades department; Secretary-Treasurer Berres, of the A. F. of L. metal trades department, and President Wharton, of the A. F. of L. railroad employes' department.

Two members of the A. F. of L. executive council were not presentVice-President Duncan, who was detained at his office in connection with important business connected with his trade, and Vice-President Hayes because of illness.

OF INTEREST TO THOSE WHO

WORK IN THE HATCH

The American Society of Phrenologists at a recent meeting put out a list of terms as synonyms for the expression, "hit on the head." Believing that you are tired of the old way of saying it, we append the list:

Drubbed on the dome.
Bammed on the bean.
Tapped on the conk.
Bumped on the beeler.
Biffed on the coco.
Busted on the cranium.
Whiffed on the skull.
Cracked on the nut.
Nailed on the knob.
Slugged in the belfry.
Lammed on the peak.
Dinged on the brain-box.

State Employes Progress

Chicago, Ill.-Hospital nurses and attendants employed by the various State institutions have formed a State organization. These employes are organized in unions affiliated with the American Federation of Labor. While men and women doing similar work in other States have pleaded with lawmakers for relief, the Illinois State hospital nurses and attendants organized about two years ago and now have the eight-hour day, one day rest in seven, equal pay for men and women and have secured an arrangement providing for automatic wage increases.

The advantages of organization have so impressed the State board which manages these institutions that recently the board issued an order to all superintendents to "keep hands off" these unions. To impress upon superintendents the fact that workers have the right to organize, the State board later issued another order to the same effect, and superintendents were also instructed to place the order on the bulletin boards of their respective institutions and notify the board that they had received a copy of the order.

To the Attention of Elevator Constructors

Elevator Constructors are thoroughly aware that wire rope is a very important part of any elevator installation. Accidents can be reduced to a minimum; the factor of safety raised to a maximum if the right rope is a part of your equipment. It is therefore to the advantage of any elevator constructor or engineer to purchase or specify only that rope that is dependable and of long life. We therefore call to your attention the fact that Roebling elevator ropes are special ropes undergoing special processes of manufacture in heat treatments, tests, etc., and subject to most skilled workmanship. Roebling chemists, metallurgists and Engineering departments analyze most carefully our various standard types of elevator rope. Strength, uniformity of structure, flexibility, dependability, and long life are a few of the many qualities that make Roebling Elevator Ropes so universally used.

Further information will be gladly furnished on request by

The John A. Roebling's Sons Company

TRENTON, N. J.

Philadelphia Pittsburgh
Los Angeles

BRANCHES : New York
Atlanta

San Francisco

Chicago
Seattle

Cleveland
Portland, Ore.

An Appeal From The Collar Makers' Union

To Organized Labor:

Some time ago we sent an appeal to union men to support our cause by purchasing union-made collars, and up to the present time we have received but very little support.

We are very much surprised at the attitude union men have shown toward this union-made collar. Perhaps if you knew that only seven girls are kept busy but part of the time you will see that the two million union men in this country are not remembering the obligation which they took when joining organized labor to support union-made goods. We remind you by not supporting us you are perhaps encouraging sweat shops, and a class of labor which does your cause of unionism a decided injury.

We are not seeking anything which we are not entitled to ask for, because we know that the quality of the

collar which we make for the Union Label Collar Company, of 137 Hamilton Street, is the equal of any collar now on the market.

Again we urge you to insist on being furnished with the only collar which bears the union label, namely, Bell Brand, thereby fulfilling your obligation to organized labor, and assisting us in our efforts. We are not asking for charity, because, as we have stated above, you receive full value for your money. If your dealer will not handle them write the Union Label Collar Company, 137 Hamilton Street, Albany, N. Y., and they will furnish them to you gladly. We remain

Fraternaly yours,

LOUISE LANTZ, President, 50 Watervliet Ave.

PEARL MATSON, Secretary, 39 Second Ave., Rensselaer, N. Y.

What The Unions Have Done

Hannibal, Mo.-In an address at the dedicatory ceremonies of the new trade union headquarters in this city, President Wood, of the State Federation of Labor, said:

"Organized labor has cleaned out thousands of sweat shops, made sanitary conditions for the workers to live and work in. They have lessened the fatality and bettered the condition of the tubercular, so prevalent among workers of this and other nations. Their safety appliances have saved the lives of thousands of men. The factory inspection law in almost every State of the Union, which is doing so much toward bettering con

ditions in the factories and shops of the States. All these things have bettered conditions of the entire citizenship which comes under its influence. Bettered it financially, physically and intellectually. Where they used to work from 10, 12, 14 and 16 hours a day, they now work eight and nine and that has made it possible for them to seek recreation, given them time to develop their minds after work hours.

"We have done more than any institution on the face of the earth, because we have grappled with the situation as we have seen it-as it has confronted us."

Prospects Bright For Coal
Agreement

New York, March 10.-The joint sub-committee of four anthracite operators and four representatives of the United Mine Workers, to which the general conference has given the task of considering the miners' demands to an agreement acceptable to both sides, held another long session to-day.

The sub-committee resumed the discussion of the miners' demands. The conference ended with a pronounced air of optimism on both sides.

Although the meetings are held be

ዘጸ

hind closed doors, it was said by John P. White and several of the operators that there is little apprehension of a strike, and that they have every reason to look for a peaceful settlement. Alvan Markle, of Hazleton, Pa., an operator, presides, and James A. Gorman, secretary of the Coal Conciliation Board, is secretary of the conference.

No information is available as to when the conference expects to finish its work, but it is intimated that the discussions will not continue more than two weeks.

A GOVERNOR'S ADVICE

In an address at the Dallas (Tex.) labor temple dedicatory ceremonies, Governor Ferguson, of that State, said:

"As I have done before, I advise every laboring man to join some union. If you think you are smarter than the average laboring man, join the union and help improve it. If you think you are not as smart as the average union man, then come into the union and let the union take care of you."

SAFETY FIRST SHOW OPENS

Washington, D. C.-A safety first exhibition has been opened in the United States National Museum. It is the first exhibition of its kind ever held by the government and shows what the various government departments and other organizations are doing in the way of the safety first movement by rendering less dangerous many industries, making travel on land and by sea less hazardous and in general instructing the public in the essentials of the movement.

Elevator Signaling Systems Accessory & Safety

Norton Elevator Door Closers

ELEVATOR SUPPLY & REPAIR COMPANY

NEW YORK

CHICAGO

SAN FRANCISCO

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