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Show UBDH CONGRESS i COIffiTOOil Status of Delegations From Central Powers Called Into Question. BY ARTHUR' M. EVANS. (Chicago Tribune .Special Service.) WASHINGTON, Oct. 2S. Tho status of the German aud Austrian delegates is not the least inlrresiing of the questions ques-tions confronting the international labor la-bor conference, which convenes at noon tomorrow in the Pun-American building under the terms of the peace treaty. The denizations from tho central powers are due to arrive iu tlie Vnitcd States November 3, aud the present plan of tiie organizing committee is to give them seals in tie conference, although al-though peace has not yet beou declared. Delegates now on the ground, especially espe-cially the Luropienus, appear to take tlv position Hint the purpose of the assemblage might be impaired if rei-og-uitiuu i denied the Germans and Aus-trians. Aus-trians. It is jioinled out tliat one impelling im-pelling motive that led labor at the Paris peace con iVrence to t't the iu-'orporn iu-'orporn I ion id' the labor plnuks in the peace treaty was a feeling thai, during the reeonst ruct-on period the race for the upbuilding of industry and commerce com-merce might i.-ud some of labor's established es-tablished advances a-gliiumeriug. The argument, in Paris was that Germany, Ger-many, trying to grab business might increase Hie hours of labor ami tear down reforms governing the employment employ-ment of women and children. Com-i'tiliou Com-i'tiliou then, might lea. I to similar rid rogres-ion from established standards stand-ards in Lnglaiid, I'rani-e, Italy and cVe-i cVe-i here iu 1'uropu unlil, in the race to get highest output at Inwri co-.l of prodilctinn. labor iu tlo-se ronnlries would eventually find its-lf back where it. was ye ars ago w le u the S iiour , for instance, was nothing 1ml a dream. So the fueling l.rc is; that whntovr inlermithuiel principle s: a;e taiien up in tiie cuulVr.-nrr nn,-; (-u;mie.'d mi German-, as wi-ll as on all olln'r uaii.ois possibh' if they are ) be wnjl!, any-I any-I hi ng, and !; (io t ha t the cr alia! pe,v-'n pe,v-'n lou-t be i', .-!) j.i.rl Vipn! inn. ' e sin, p! v ,; ,; iva a t ( .ernian v to Im-.!iio a :..:,' f...-..r." ::, ! ' u : r 1 o K"V. sninuiiug i j) ;!n.. ai-u 1 men:. . " j l!-r,v is ihu- if tiie rinl.al CCoiitiiiucd on Page l.r,. (Joli.mn 4.) of the arranging commit foe, will take charge, and after the program has been settled upon the ileitis upon the agenda will be divided among committees which will settle down to discussion. This will take several weks. in all probabilily, and by that time the pence treaty may have been ratified and the conference will be ready for final action, ac-tion, but if the treaty is still up in the air the conference will wait before taking tak-ing a vote on its findings. Permanent Perma-nent organization also may bo held up until peace is declared, the conference meanwhile proceeding under temporary organization. Each country pariicipafing lias scut : four delegates, two of them government govern-ment delegates, the other two being representatives of employers and workers. work-ers. Each delegate may have not mure than two expert advisers for each of the five ifems on tho agenda so countries coun-tries which have full deputations are represented by quite an imposing array. When the conference meets tomorrow tomor-row about 100 delegates and some 300 advisers are expected in the Hall of the Americas. The agenda or program, set forth in the treaty includes: 1 Application of the 8-hour day or 48-hour week. 2 Prevention of unemployment. 3 Woman Js employment. 4 Employment of children. 5 Extension of the Berne convention of 1P06 prohibiting use of white phosphorus phos-phorus in match manufacture. LABOR CONGRESS CONVENES TODAY (Continued From Page Ons.) countries were left out in the cold Germany Ger-many would proceed to work up an industrial entente with respect to certain cer-tain conditions of employment with adjacent ad-jacent nations. Russia, it is held, might line up and part of the Scandinavian .countries likewise, whilo certain portions por-tions of labor in Italy, with which the government is having trouble, might fall in also. It's all theory, but it's part of the general talk among the delegates. Remembering how the Amsterdam labor conference had bitter controversy over the sub.iect last summer, the committee com-mittee sees some prospect of dispute over the Germans and Austrians. They had not been invited to the conference, confer-ence, but out of the Amsterdam meeting meet-ing came the decision of the supreme council that central nation delegates might come to America. But the matter mat-ter of their participation will be allowed al-lowed to take care of itself quietly if objections should be raised, the committee com-mittee will not try to do any forcing. The conference itself is in considerable consid-erable doubt as to its own status, due to the peace treaty situation. Secretary Secre-tary Wilson will call it to order and offer it the glad hand, after which the United States' part in the proceedings stops. Arthur Fontaine of France, chairman |
