Elevator Constructors No. 1, of Minneapolis, in which we were apprised of her organizing another local of Lady Elevator Constructors. The new local, which we will call No. 2, was formed in Atlanta, Ga., Mrs. H. H. Hughes being the leading spirit. The new club will, no doubt, send in a write up monthly for the Journal. Owing to Mrs. Hughes' husband, Brother H. H. Hughes, having met with an accident on the 8th day of April receiving various injuries, it is necessary for her to devote her time and attention to his care. Brother Hughes had his hand caught in the chain of a chain driven machine, the index finger being cut off and the other fingers being badly mangled, both his hand and arm being broken. He also received a cut in the top of his head which necessitated seven stiches. We regret very much to learn of the injuries to Brother Hughes and hope that his condition will improve rapidly.

We extend our best wishes to the newly formed club and would be pleased to hear of the Lady Elevator Constructors No. 3 being formed at an early date.

THE EDITOR.

PHILADELPHIA, PA.

Human nature abhors monotony. No matter where it is found, it creates weariness. Variety is essential to man's peace of mind and highest satisfaction. If we move along in the humdrum occupation of every day toil too long, we lose ambition

and desire for anything higher or better. It is true in every walk of life that change and variety are essential to the greatest success. We find this principle is also true in nature. We have the change of seasons and variety of scenery from pole to pole. Change, incessant change, is constantly taking place in the world of nature on every hand.

This principle holds true everywhere, and should be regarded at our union meetings.

We have interesting meetings at No. 5, yet some of our members rarely attend. We endeavor to promote fellowship. We need more of that spirit which prompts men on entering the meeting room to seek out each other, grasp hands in friendly greeting and inquire after their welfare. The selfishness of the age has become proverbial, but our unions should be an exception.

There is an undercurrent of uneasiness at present in this city, caused by a strange cause; that is, prosperity. All lines of mechanical and manufacturing interest are busy; the mills and factories are filled. This rush of work causes many who formerly were employed in the mills, and during the dull season had secured employment elsewhere, to return to their former jobs. Their places at the less renumerative price are hard to fill, hence the dissatisfaction among the poorer paid. Even today the average errand boy, who must be over 16 years of age, will hardly consider a job that does not pay $6 per week.

Our members are enjoying a prosperous season, practically all working.

We believe in preparedness, and to this end a new agreement committee has been nominated, and will

be elected shortly to formulate our next contract with the manufacturers.

Practically all the noted pitchers of our national game strive to attain to the Hall of Fame by pitching a no-hit no-run game; others, not pitchers, make hits and become popular.

Brother McIntire never made any pretensions to being a pitcher, but he is a real lover of our national game of baseball. He became one of the famous by making a hit with the manager of the Steeple Chase Pier at Atlantic City. Brother Carnell had promised to have a wire cable spliced when Mac got on the job. He was the man of the hour, and after completing the job, which several witnessess declare was almost perfect, and the regular wages had been paid, the manager, to show his appreciation of such good work, gave Mac a season ticket for himself and helper, Brother File, to all the amusements on the pier.

We certainly are pleased to see local No. 8 again enrolled and Brother Poole on the job.

The boys of No. 6 enjoyed their Easter eggs and the Flower Show with the greatest pleasure, knowing that our agreement was signed for the next three years, giving us a nice increase in wages, both for mechanics and helpers; also the injection of some advantageous features which heretofore we have not enjoyed.

Our conference with the employers was a most agreeable one, and the treatment of the executive board by the employers was of the best. It was convincing evidence that all corporation managers and employers are not unmindful of the fairness and needs of their employes.

The executive board of No. 6 was tendered a unanimous vote of thanks for their success with the agreement, and the least we can say is that they deserved it, and more too.

Our "slogan" for the year 1919

agreement shall be, "All members must be mechanics. One class, and a mechanic's rate to all."

The Pittsburgh street carmen won out for an increase in wages in their 36-hour strike on May 1st. Many of our members hunted out all the short cuts through the city in walking to work. It compelled some of the boys to walk five or six miles. The jitney bus was very much in evidence, especially SO with their charges. Too much criticism cannot be placed on the methods this class of pirates practice on the public in times of stress. It's nothing less than highway robbery. Many of the stores and factories turned their delivery trucks into buses to transport their own employes.

The Westinghouse Company have a strike on their hands which has closed down all their shops in this district. The main point is from nine to an eight-hour day with no decrease in wages. The president (Mr. Kerr) desires to arbitrate with men of his own choice, but so far there is nothing doing. Here's hoping the men will stick until they win all their demands, for if they can't win now, they never will win. Everything is in their favor.

Elevator work has improved greatly since our last article. The boys are all working. Brother Wallace Stewart has charge of the Union Arcade Building and Brother Jake Pfeiffer has charge of the city county building. These are the two largest jobs in the city. Otis has the elevators and the work is progressing rapidly. The Standard Plunger are just starting the drilling on the P. & L. E. station.

Brother E. A. Johnston is at Sharon on a plunger job for the Otis Company.

Brother B. I. Burkhart has just completed the elevators in the Wm. Penn Hotel. Ben had his own troubles on that job, but stuck it out until there was nothing more to stick for, because they were feeding him on chicken and squabs.

Our new city inspectors, Brothers F. E. McManus and Ed. Knorr, have thrown a boom into the elevator repair business.

Brother C. W. Cooper has accepted a position as superintendent with the Elevator Construction Company here.

Brother W. W. Kidney, one of the live wires of No. 6, has got out of the rut and is putting in some licks for himself. It will be known hereafter as the W. W. Kidney Elevator Company, offices at First avenue and Short street. Brother Kidney is alive to the elevator business and we bespeak for him unparalleled success.

Brother Lighthill has found the sawdust trail too soggy for his liking, lost his meal ticket with his cook and returned to his old haunts on the north side (the Good Will Boat Club).

Report has it that Brother Jack Schultz has taken on a permanent helper for life. Hearty congratulations, Jack; we hope the partnership will be a prosperous and happy one.

A number of our helpers are out for advance to mechanics, and with a little coaching they are all going to make good.

Brother Lou Billings is improving and we hope by June 1st to see him back to the ladder and hatch again. Lou says home and the bed is O. K. but when a elevator man is compelled to stay there he is out of his natural element.

I trust the other locals of the I. U. E. C. were as successful with their agreements as was No. 6.

Respect follows closely upon the heels of fear and the consciousness of the minority who have so long ruled the masses that the day of reckoning is near at hand; hence this great solicitation for the welfare of those with the power to demand respect and a share of the emoluments of labor.

Legislators respect the wishes of the organized workers more and more every year in the introduction of laws beneficial to labor, which would have been considered treason in the mediaeval days.

The future emancipation of the man who does things is just beginning to dawn upon the privileged few, and why not? The best citizenry of the country is composed of the men who work. They are too busy to think of the little, mean things of life. They are the most God-fearing men of the nation. They lead the purest lives by their early to bed and early to rise habits. They seldom interfere with nature in the perpetuation of posterity. They develop the resources of the constructing and wealth of the nation.

country-always adding to the

"Holier than thou" officials of some of the States are cognizant of the initiative, referendum and recall laws. They know where the power lies if wakened from its lethargy. They know nothing will awaken that dormant power of the workers but organization and that is why organized labor is becoming "Somebody"; that is why the division of profits are more justly distributed at the present time than in years gone by.

The right of elective franchise properly handled by the organized workers in this democratic country would revolutionize existing conditions to such an extent that no man would have to work more than four hours per day; but experience has taught many a thinking union man that politics are dangerous firebrands to handle especially if allowed to become part of your union proceedings.

Union organizations respect organization of capital and are fully aware of the fact that organized capital is necessary to the accomplishment of great feats and is beneficial to the country, when not used as "Juggernauts" to crush labor or rob the masses, which has been a mode of procedure in their actions of the past.

Respect for the laws and the power of union men who can make more laws has a very deterrent effect on "pulling the cat's tail too much" by the sensible corporation magnate, and the final emancipation and restoration of the workingman to his just rights is being more realized, more an actual fact as the world becomes better.

The Labor Council of San Francisco sends a representative to the sessions of the legislature and his duties are to record just how each and every man there votes on all questions affecting labor, which is later printed in a book and sent over the State to all union men. His presence there is a great incentive to those seeking another term "to vote right," and you can readily see he is shown much consideration and respect by the legislators, for he represents the power that peacefully sleeps at home, which might possibly wake up before next election and pull him off his perch.

There was a social function given here that caused much merriment to the readers of the morning papers. It was to be a swell affair and the waiters The wore evening dress. high brows got them mixed up with the "gentlemen" and a sorry time they had in distinguishing the right brand, and the term, "respectful consideration of the workers," was a little overdone in that case and the story went around that some of the waiters made dates. Whether they were kept or not is matter of little importance here; but in the narration of this fact, I want to say social gatherings are things apart from the work-a-day world, and these social snobs, as referred to, are not composed of the economic societies with

which the workingmen have to deal; furthermore, society is no place for the average elevator constructor.

All the elevator constructors are seeking is a just respect and a rightful division of the exploitation of their labor. It has not reached the maximum as yet, but in many States the minimum rate of wages has been established for certain classes of labor-especially working women. Just think of a sovereign State of this Union respecting the wishes of organized workers to the extent of fixing a minimum wage for women and telling Mr. Cheap Guy, "Thus far and no further."

The Supreme Court of California respected the equity of rights due labor in a peaceful picketing controversy and decided in the favor of labor. This, a right of the sovereign States, is not universal, but it is now a law of this State, and it is all due to being represented in the person of judges respecting the rights of humanity and up-to-date organization of labor.

Labor with its creative genius commands the respect of the world, in this world's work, in this war of the nations of Europe, in the production of all things essential to life, and no part of the world's development is due to any other agency than mechanical ingenuity and the actual work that produces material results. Quotation by Kaufman: "Wizards of to-day wear BLUE JEANS instead of star-bangled banners and belong to the unions."

Natural evolution of the social and living conditions of men who accomplish material results will by the laws of economics continue to advance the standard of living of the workers. Workingmen are justly entitled to the best the land affords and the improvement of their conditions is going on and up, and who knows but what some of us may become real refined "gentlemen" and become social equals of some of the "drones" who live off the fruits of our labor.

Just a little mention of some of

the doings of a few of the 139 "Gentlemen" who belong to No. 8.

Brother Bothern, of Vista Granda, paid a social call on the members at their last regular meeting, April 21, 1916.

Brother Joe Leavitt, late of Denver, was among the visitors, and it was reported he was doing (dummy work) for Wigmore Company. This remark should not be construed that Joe was posing, but, rather, that it refers to those little elevators from which our “Vocalist," Brother Took, gets his breakfast the next morning after Brother Wallace Day gives one of those Oakland banquets.

Brother Wm. Cove with the assistance of Brothers Upphoff and Wolf have most or a large part of the World's Fair concessions moved over to the "Duck Flats" of Alameda and any members wishing to visit same will be accommodated by Brother Cove, as he is an expert oarsman.

Brothers Fred. Canning and Fred. Archer, our traveling flashlight men, occasionally drop in from the North

or South to tell us of the fine treatment accorded them by our sister locals.

Brother Dick Duval met with a serious accident at the Otis Company shops, when an electric crane nearly severed both of his hands and then he fell backwards off a ladder on some machinery and barely escaped with his life.

Brother Dave Harris was a visitor at the last meeting with his usual smile, which soon vanished when we started to pay a hundred dollar bill with eighty dollars; but it was explained that the interest would soon pay the bill.

President McGee has been very busy on the proposed inspection laws, which are now having a hearing before the State Industrial Accident Commission. Local No. 8 has spent much time and money in the furtherance of these laws, but upon their enactment No. 8 will receive a material benefit that will more than square our accounts. No. 8.

ED. POOLE.

UNCLE SAM PAYS LOW WAGES

Washington. Hearings by the House Labor Committee on the Nolan Bill shows that appropriations by Congress have increased from $457,000,000 in 1896 to $1,114,937,000 in 1916, but during this time wages have remained the same for thousands of government employes.

The Nolan Bill was introduced by Congressman Nolan, a member of the labor group, and provides that no government employe shall receive less than $3 a day. At the hearings it was stated that of 30,000 government employes in Washington, 25.6 per cent. earn less than $720 a year, or $2 a day. Outside of Washington 18 per cent. receive less than this amount. There are 106,590 government employes outside of Washington who receive $1000 or less per year. Of this number 30,600 get less than $720.