Show NOTES OF THE WORLD at scranton pa 92 per cent of the men in the building trades of the city are organized the common council has passed an eight hour ordinance the contractors were defeated in their efforts to have school houses built by contract movement Is on toot to abolish contract labor entirely in all municipal work common laborers employed by a moline concern now get a day as a minimum those who received a day now receive those who received will now ro calve A minimum been established at a day the trades union movement la general in one year ago there were not 25 union men in the city the depression in the cycle trade in england deepens with abo advance ot the year in birmingham there are between 2000 and men out of employment and the society officials report great want of employment a coventry liverpool limerick cork nottingham reditch and wolver bampton the cause ot tho depression la given aa overproduction and german competition federation ot labor organizer doughty of waco reports that they have succeeded in organizing the printing pressmen retail clerks laundry drivers and dinners during tho last few months with all other unions strengthened in membership they have secured the insertion 0 clauad by the city council that in future all contracts let by the city shall be done by union labor the program of the trades union congress which will be opened at bristol england on aug 29 la shorter and lighter than any congress in recent years there will be a proposition before the congress providing tor the sending of delegates to the irish and scottish trades congresses this may be taken as an evidence 0 the Britis hers adopting a more reasonable attitude toward the trades unionists of ireland says the dublin herald labor day was first proposed on may 8 1882 and first observed sept 5 of the same year in new york city congress passed the law making labor day a legal holiday for the territories and the district of columbia june 28 1894 the pen with which the president signed the national labor law was at the time presented to the president of the A P of L organized labor of europe adopted a labor day at the suggestion of the A F of L it is may 1 it Is usually observed on the sunday nea the evening of that day at the last meeting ot the new york central labor union george warner the delegate of the machinists union said that george IL a machan i ast 1st on board the merrimac with naval constructor hobson had not been sufficiently rewarded by the government tor his services he declared that phillips had performed exceedingly valuable and hazardous services in the sinking of the merrimac at the entrance of santiago harbor and that he had been promoted from a first class machinist with an advance of 15 a month in his salary on motion the secretary was instructed to write to the president and the secretary of the navy requesting them to further reward phillips for his services |