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Show p Doing 1 (JUtfc bABOfc f NH lino of accomplish-l' accomplish-l' merit In which the Unit- IwsVrl etl 8tutcB government liWvljK lmn Rono n'1Gau mightily WjmNi In recent years Is In the N$2555!!' help that Has been rcn-l3K"S$?fwY rcn-l3K"S$?fwY dered to the cnuso of la-reyffi) la-reyffi) uor' Moreover tho aid that has been given to tho working classes of tho country coun-try hns not by any means been confined to those conspicuous services with which the public Is familiar, such as the settlement ot the anthrnclto coal strlko, tho enforcement of tho eight-hour day on government work and the establishment of labor's own branch of public service tho depa-t-mont of commerce nnd labor. Undo Sam stands ready, of course, to step Into tho breach wherovor occasion oc-casion demands In an effort to Bccure n "Bquare deal" and living wages for tho tolling masses but oven when there aro no clouds on tho horizon of the relations between capital and labor -this paternal government Is busily engaged en-gaged with tho problem of promoting tho welfaro of those who labor with hands or brain. A number of different differ-ent branches of tho government aro contributing to this policy but In tho main tho work devolves upon the bureau bu-reau of labor at Washington, which Is, In effect, tho labor division of the department de-partment of commerco nnd labor. Newspaper readers hear of tho bureau bu-reau of labor when Its head, the commissioner com-missioner of labor, steps In mid attempts at-tempts to arbltrato some strlko or threatened strike, as for tnstnnco tho recent difficulties of tho telegraphers ot tho country, but there Is not ono citizen In a thousand who haB any Idea of tho scope of tho everyday work of the bureau In acquiring and diffusing diffus-ing useful Information on subjects connected con-nected with labor In tho most genernl and most comprehensive sense of that word. Is Doing Good Work. By means of nn energetic "field forco" and a cnpablo corps of experts In tho home offlco at Washington this branch of the government Is continually continu-ally Investigating In all parts of the country such subjects as the relations of capital and labor, tho hours of labor, la-bor, tho earnings of laborlug men and women, nnd other similarly fruitful topics. Wlint Is more, this public Institution In-stitution Is continually striving to pro-moto pro-moto tho material, social, intellectual and moral prosperity of tho workers. Of courso these government scouts In the labor field cannot work In n rut. Indeed tho forco Is so mobllo nnd the Individual workers so vcrsatllo that when n serious dispute arises between employers and employes 'or there Is a controversy bucIi as that some tlmo ago regarding conditions In tho moat packing Industry nil other work at tho bureau can bo dropped nnd all hands conccntrato their attention upon tho causes and facts ot tho crisis of tho moment. Tho lato Senator Hoar of Massachusetts Massachu-setts Is perhaps entitled to bo considered con-sidered tho father of tho movement to have Undo Sam systematically aid tho causo of labor. It was In 1871 that Mr. Hoar, then a member of tho United Unit-ed States houso of representatives, Introduced In-troduced a bill providing for tho appointment ap-pointment of a commission to study tho subject ot wages and hours ot labor and tho division of profits between be-tween labor and capital In tho United States. The bill did not pass but tho ball had been started rolllnc nnd final ly nftor much agitation congress In 1884 niadu provision for n bureau of labor ns n part of tho Interior department. depart-ment. When tho department of commerco com-merco nnd labor was organized In 1903 tho bureau of labor was taken tindor Its wing an ono of Its principal branches. Powers of Commissioner. Congress has conferred pretty brpad powers upon tho commissioner of labor. la-bor. Ho can undortako at his discretion discre-tion any Investigation which In his Judgment relates to the welfaro of tho working peoplo of tho country and ho can employ In this quest far Information Informa-tion nil tho means at his disposal nnd tho corps of statistical experts, special agents, clerks, etc., carried on tho pay roll of, the bureau of labor. Undo Sam's labor commissioner may, If ho chooso, simply mako a report to con-gross con-gross onco a year on his Investigations but of lato years special reports havo been Issued monthly or even nftenor, and on n number ot occasions tho president has called upon tho commissioner commis-sioner ot labor to mako special Inquiry In some field nnd communicate his findings as quickly as possible. Tho bureau of labor Is In reality a great "Intelligence office" that pours out Information through four different channels, Tho first of tlieso Is made up of tho results of original Investigations Investiga-tions conducted by tho bureau or Its agents and experts. Secondly the labor la-bor bureau gives tho wholo country a digest of state labor reports, thus bringing to tho attention of tho goneral gon-eral public many mat tors relating to conditions In tho different stutoa of tho union that might not otherwlso become matters at common knowledge. Has Wide Scope, Thirdly, this bureau of labor Information Infor-mation reviews exhaustively for tho benefit ot Its millions of Amorlcan clients cli-ents tho labor nnd statistical documents docu-ments of all foreign count i lea and when anything Is discovered that has a bearing on labor Interests In Yan. kecdnm It Is promptly brought to tho attention of tho people concerned. Fourthly, tho bureau fulfills Its function func-tion os public servitor by publishing and sending broadcast all now laws that nro passed affecting tho Interests of tho working people No matter whether n law bo passed by tho national nation-al congress or by the legislature In somo one of our two score states It Is no sooner on tho statute books than the labor bureau sends tho tidings to tho tollers who will bo affected. Finally Final-ly thoro Is a similar Bystem for tho distribution of news relative to court decisions Interpreting labor Inwss or other happenings nffcctlng tho relations rela-tions of employer and employe. Most Interesting and most Important of tho undertakings of tho jurcau of labor nre tho special Investigations conducted by Its own experts. These .iavo covered a very wide rango of subjects. It Is, of course, Impossible to onumernte them at length but Just to convey an Idea ot tho fields that havo, been explored thcro may bo cited cit-ed such subjects as Industrial communities commu-nities at homo and abroad; co-opera-tlvo distribution; railway relief departments; de-partments; tho padrono system; condition) con-dition) of negro workers; building nnd loan associations ; the Inspection ot factories and workshops; tho trade-union trade-union label; protection of worklngmen In their employment; child labor In tho United States; wages aud cost of living, liv-ing, etc. Deals Only In Facts. In tho earlier years of tho work peoplo peo-plo did not, In many Instances, tnko kindly to the Idea ot having their prlvato prl-vato affairs probed for tho benefit of tho public, but latterly this spirit has largely disappeared. Nowadays If tho special agents, of tho bureau ot labor aro refused Information by ono manufacturer manu-facturer they usually have no difficulty In discovering somo other establishment establish-ment whero the needed data may bo obtained. Tho government labor experts ex-perts havo won confidence by never allowing tho names of parties furnishing furnish-ing factB to bo given In Its reports, although, al-though, to bo sure, they take every possible means to verify all tho Information Infor-mation gathered. The bureau will havo nothing to do with estimates or hearsay statements nbout labor conditions, con-ditions, it novcr makes any stato-mentn stato-mentn unless It has positive factB to back thrm up. At tho outset tho government labor exports thought that they could carry on their Investigations largely by mall, but It was soon found thnt fow peoplo would respond satisfactorily to queries thus transmitted and so tho bureau ot labor had to organize a corps of special spe-cial agents who aro continually "on tho wing" securing Information nt first hnml nnd recording It on carefully prepared pre-pared schedules. Tho policy of tho bureau of labor In looking Into labor conditions and tho problems of llfo nffcctlng tho working people Is seldom If ever to nrgtio a point. It simply secures all tho facts In tho enso nnd then lets tho Intelligent labor man decide de-cide what Is best for htm from tho Information In-formation set out for his benefit. Tho bureau of labor Is particularly fortu-nnto fortu-nnto In Its directing heads. Tho commissioner com-missioner of labor, Dr. Charles P. Nell, formerly ono ot the faculty ot tho Catholic university at Washington, Is a man who has a wonderful faculty for cleur-Blghtcd Investigation nnd tho chief clerk of tho bureau, Mr. G. W. W. Hanger, has been fitted by long experience experi-ence for work In behalf of tho causo of labor. Employment Bureau. Undo Sam has also Inaugurated another an-other aid to labor In tho form of tho largest employment bureau in tho world. This Ib an adjunct ot tho bu-rean bu-rean ot Immigration, and Is In chargo of Tcrcnco V. Powderly, at ono tlmo a recognized leador of union labor throughout tho country. It Is tho function func-tion of this now bureau to Inqulro as to tho factB about tho reported demand for labor In nil parts of tho country. Mr. Powderly has opened correspondence correspond-ence with responsible unicorn In overy state lu tho union concerning tho need for Inbor and tho opportunities, for employment em-ployment In each stato and when any worklngmnn desires to mako u chango of locution all ho has to do Is to Inqulro In-qulro of Undo Sum as to tho prospects In any section In which ho would llko to And employment, |