Show LABOR NOTES many important resolutions were adopted by the convention at ite session tn san francisco recently the convention voted to send a delegate to washington immediately after its adjournment to promote it possible tha passage of various legislative measures A resolution urging the passage 0 the bill prohibiting the towing at sea of more one barge at a time was adopted also a resolution urging passage by congress of the bill prohibiting the towing of log rafts on the pacific ocean other resolutions follow urging the enactment of leei prohibiting the use of elsh traps or fish wheels and requiring tha operation cooperation co of packers to that end asking congress for the passage of a law abolishing the punishment by imprisonment of seamen for desertion in foreign ports urging upon congress the passage of the bill io amend the laws relative to seamen to prevent the of american vessels and to encourage the training of boys in the merchant marine the Work mens compensation act recently passed by the british parliament has caused an appreciable increase in pauperism as employed emp loyes now refue to retain old workmen who arc slightly deaf or shortsighted short sighted the journeymen stone cutters union of new york city has withdrawn its demands and is willing to return to work on the terms against which it struck the stone cutters against the unlimited use of the machine which throws 20 to 30 men out of work although they leave withdrawn their demands the employers who have organized as the employing stone setters association and joined the building trades employers association now say that the stone cutters cannot be employed unless they sign the arbitration agreement individually and join a new union of the stone cutters the thirty ninth annual convention of the bricklayers and masons inter national union will be held in francisco january 9 the strike of in the san juan col district has been declared off by the western federation of miners the companies having granted abo terms demanded namely an eight hour day and a minimum wage of 3 the strike began on september 1 1903 the U S civil service slon makes announcement that another batch of examinations will bo made for positions with the panama canal commission on jan S positions include places with salaries varying from lo 10 73 per month it is announced that each applicant must submit with his application an photograph of himself q recent date the date and place of examination the examination number and the competitors name was year in which the photograph was taken should be indicated on the backs of the picture from secretary harrison of the syd ney wharf laborers union wo learn that it has at the present time financial members and that things are so very slack on the wharves that only halt of the men are able to obtain wages enough to live on decently the others rub along somehow malel ly through the aid of their nates A blight betterment is expected now that the wool season has commenced an idea prevails that about two thirds of the membership would be quite sufficient to da all the work available the executive board 0 the western federation of miners has decided to carry the case of the center star mining company against the rossland R C miners union to the highest court an canada and it necessary to tako it before the privy council of england in order to obtain a reversal of the decision of the lower court awarding the plaintiff damages because of a strike of its employed emp loyes A class for the instruction of prospective railroad employed emp loyes la connection with the university of chicago lias been advocated by an advisory committee representing tho western railroads entering this city at a recent meeting a plan was developed for the instruction of employed emp loyes who desire to become station agents and traffic managers classes arc soon to start work with competent lecturers at their head the australian federal house of representatives will shortly discuss the question of withdrawing the restriction placed on alie entry of ja into the commonwealth on ground in the v oris of tho motion that they have placed themselves in the front ranks of nations luve granted religious freedom have established consulates and have became the honored ally of great britain in the leeds trades union congress was attended by delegates who represented societies unionists the leeds congress of 1904 was attended by 47 delegates representative of organized workers returns received by the british board of trade from certain selected ports at which SO per cent of tho total tonnage in the foreign trade is entered and cleared show that during september seamen were shipped on foreign going vessels a decrease of on the number shipped durings september 1903 an effort will be made to prohibit by law child labor in the district of columbia the french authorities have concentrated troops at lorient Lor lent brest and bonlon tonlon where arsenal workers are on strike representative adams of pennsylvania has presented a bill to congress which proposes to regulate the employment of labor it provides that any person or company employing journeymen mechanics laborers clerks or other help shall give preference to american citizens and the neighbors in the vicinity of alio place where tho ork is to be done no employer shall have the right to discharge an em aloye for a petty charge and any employer who refuses to give work without good cause to citizens in liis vicinity shall pay damages for such refusal unless a special agreement Is made laborers are to the highest pay of the vicinity where the work is to be performed alicie are a number of other provisions calculate il to improve the conditions of the laboring man A report of the united stales commissioner of labor shows that in occupations where labor was organized there was for the most part a steady increase in wages the new york state court of appeals recently declai cd unconstitutional ll 11 ie state eight hour law since its enactment in 1897 this statute has been almost continually before the court the labor law of illinois is now enforced in all the coal mines of the state under the interpretation of alie law made by factory inspector edgar T davis and sustained by the courts no bos under sixteen years of age are permitted to in the mines it Is estimated that the enforcement of the statute took 2500 boys from employment under ground it Is asserted on good authority that president john matchell Ml alce dent william lewis and secretary treasurer wilson of tho united mine will be rc january 16 at the indianapolis national convention ven tion with the advance in the price of pig iron blast furnace workers look for an increase in wages the first of the year they were given a reduction in lagoa of from 15 to 30 cent last year and it Is expected that heir wages will bo increased about 15 per cent A child labor bill patterned after the one in force in new jersey has been dratted by the minneapolis ann building trades council and will be presented at the coming session of the state legislature Twenty seven trades and labor councils bold charters from the canadian trade and labor congress as well as 24 federal labor unions three ot which wera issued during the year by may next the first union labor bank to be located in within the union loop district will from present prospects bo open for business there are strikes in germany at present on a largo scale among the cabinetmakers and brass workers thousand mw are now seven twenty emad at the krupp works at Es tho highest number ever employed ahw the secretaries of nua that there bave abo mat year issued during t been charters ci 3 the charters surrendered were locals of international unions and 1234 affiliated direct with tho american federation of labor of tho latter number were suspended for nonpayment ot per capita tax were ordered to join acly formed international organizations disbanded and 6 charters were revoked miner in scotland have agreed to accept the of alio conciliation board as to wages building laborers international will meet in annual convention at minneapolis minn in january there are nearly clerks in tho united states miners and iron workers of nova scotia have started out to get into parliament in earnest they have launched a new weekly paper to be known as the provincial workman official organ of the P W A the miners labor organization the association has also called a miners convention for the purpose of nominating labor candidates there Is practically a labor government in new zealand a labor government in queenland another in western australia and labor is the constitutional opposition in the federal parliament also in the state parliament of victoria and new south wales labor is coming into its own throughout australia A proclamation has been issued by gov goolo of montana declaring the adoption of the amendments to the state constitution relating to child labor and the eight hour law voted on at tha recent election and those are now in force the new york central federate union has decided to mako a barong effort to combat the open shop crusade in that city and to assist organizations outside of new york to do so FRIENDS OF MR BLAIR TESTIFY st louis dec 23 the testimony of thomas F for many years an intimate friend ot the late james was the feature today of the testimony in the brought by a new york life insurance company to annul a policy ca the life of beatr told of the prominent part taken by blaar in all movements move cents for the betterment of civic conditions and declared that ho often aroused public sentiment at the risk of personal criticism the witness rehearsed the story told by blair that a brother had involved him in financial ties and said that he had called a meeting of beairs blairs friends to see it something could not be done tor his relief later according to testimony a note given by blair became due and when a local bank became insistent and blaar had told that he could not raise the fund went to ten of beairs blairs friends and secured the money with which to take up taci note david R francis president of the louisiana purchase exposition company was also a witness mr francis told of a meeting of tho board of directors of the worlds fair directly after the publication of tho alleged eions of blaar who was at that time general counsel for the worlds fair company at which it was intimated bv one of the directors that from personal knowledge he knew that blaar was guilty and that when blaar heard of the accusation he offered to resign after demanding to know the name of the man who professed to know of his guilt president francis said that be te fused to tell the name to blair and ho also refused to disclose th identity of the director when requested to do so at the hearing today |