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Show FEDEUATION OF LABOR. President Samuel Gompers Delivars an Address on the Labor Situation to an Enthusiastic Assemblage. BEDU0T10N OF HOURS OF LABOB. Laboring Classes Have Become 0 invinced of the Nece&sity of Joiuinj in One Grand Phalanx. Detroit, Mich., Deo. 8. Special. The ti nth annual convention of the American federation of labor was called to order today by Samuel Gompers, Gomp-ers, president of the organization. The convention is large and enthusiastic. Mr. Gompers was cordially greeted when he rose to deliver his annual address. ad-dress. He said that tho recent movement move-ment began to reduce the hours of labor has been crowned with such me-eess, me-eess, the'wholo column has advanced with such rapid strides for improved condition, and the trade unions have received re-ceived such an impetus from surrounding surround-ing circumstances that the toilers of the country have beci mo more and more convinced of tho advisability and necessity ol a gattienng witniu tne iota of labor organizations. It is barely a quarter of a century since the craftsmen crafts-men of the United States first began to organize. Today it is estimated that tho various unions aggregate fully a,400,000. This is merely of tho craftsmen crafts-men who have specific trades The different organizations of farmers and farm laborers would add in the neighborhood of 8.000,000 more to the army of workers. What is more every possible step is now being taken to push the work of union. It is not unlikely un-likely that within the next ten vears there will bo a federated body of different differ-ent crafts aggregating upward of 5,000,-000 5,000,-000 men. The questions to be debated during the convention are "Average wages in Trade October 1, 1800," "Average Hours of Labor in Trade October 1, 1HSI0," "How many Strikes have occurred oc-curred in Your Organization during the year ending Ootober 1. 1110?" "How many were Successful?" "What is the Total Reduced Number of Hours of Labor, La-bor, and What the Total Increaso of Wages that Your Organizations have Secured since October 1, 1SHH." The object of this is that all the delegates may the better got an understanding of the' status of labor at the present time and conclude as to what legislation it should undertake to improve the condition condi-tion of the wage-workers. |