a cocoanut or banana grove or rice field and procure all he wants to eat. This, of course, encourages laziness, and to pass the time away the native young man sometimes engages in war. If there were more mining enterprises in operation, more young men would be given work, and the warring elements would, in time, cease for lack of fighting material. Therefore the military authorities of the islands are doing all they can to encourage the establishing of mining and general manufacturing enterprises, and if any capitalist were to start mining here he would find that his property would be amply guarded by the military. The Telegraphers' Strike. ST. LOUIS, Mo., May 7, 1900. Editor Locomotive Firemen's Magazine:-In compliance with your request that I give you a statement of the causes that led up to the strike of the telegraphers on the Southern Railway, I beg to submit the following: In this case, as in most others, the primary cause of the trouble is long hours and short pay. The telegraphers and station agents on that System clung to the individual idea so long that wages at way stations were forced down to $18 per month in a great many instances, and a position paying $35 per month was looked on as a prize only to be won by years of conscientious endeavor. For such princely remuneration the men were supposed to attend day and night trains, which practically kept them on duty continuously. In addition to their regular station duties, they were expected to clean and at tend to switch and semaphore lamps, setting them out in the evening and bringing them back in the morning. In fact, a ceaseless round of drudgery without anything like adequate recompense. Perhaps nowhere else in the world are there men with sufficient ability to read. write, telegraph, sell tickets, check baggage, salaries as are paid by the Southern Railway. keep books, etc., etc., who work for as small The men at last endeavored to try the virtues of organization. The officials did everything in their power to prevent it, sending detectives to shadow organizers and bullto be circulated among the men decrying the doze the employes, causing fictitious letters Order of Railroad Telegraphers and its officers. The men organized in spite of all the schemes of the officials in their efforts to frustrate the plan. It took years to do it, but to the credit of the men it was done. When the General Committee was convened its members were discharged from the service of the company on various pretexts. The committee was rejuvenated from the ranks, but the officials steadfastly refused to give them an audience or listen to their complaints. As a last resort, after every other means had been attempted to gain a peaceable settlement of the questions at issue, a poll of the system was taken and 685 station employes voted to strike, while 131 voted against it. After this further negotiations were attempted without avail, and on April 12th President Powell approved the strike, which took effect at 11 o'clock, a. m on that date. The telegraphers quit work with the object of First. To secure the reinstatement of its members who were discharged by the Southern Railway without just cause. Second. The right to be heard through committees in the adjustment of their individual grievances. Third. A set of rules and rates of pay to govern train dispatchers, telegraphers, agents and other station employes, in their employment, discipline, etc. Fourth. Twelve consecutive hours' work per day where one or two telegraphers are employed, including one consecutive hour for dinner; ten consecutive hours, including meal hour, in all relay dispatchers' offices and offices where more than two telegra phers are employed, except that this rule will not make working hours more than those that may now be effective. Fifth. Eight consecutive hours for train dispatchers. Sixth. Pay for overtime for telegraphers, dispatchers and others in excess of the above hours pro rata on stated salary, but nothing less than twenty-five cents per hour. Seventh. To abolish the practice of compelling agents to load cotton, to care for and put out switch lights, to hire additional help and pay for it out of their already meagre salary and the performance of other menial labor. Eighth. A minimum wage scale of $45 to $50 per month, according to territory or location, and the raising of individual stations to conform to the amount of work performed or the responsibility of the service. Ninth. One hundred and twenty dollars per month for trick dispatchers. The Tenth. The securement of fair and equitable rules regarding promotion. present intention of the men is to declare the strike perpetual and boycott the road with what help they can get from organized labor throughout the country. The ticket and freight agents of other roads who are, or have been members, of this Organization and others who are sympathisers with the cause of the oppressed will make their influence felt in a manner that it is hoped will cause the holders of Southern Railway paper to order their officials to make terms. Thanking you for the opportunity of placing this matter squarely before the Locomotive Fireman, I am, gency requiring concerted action; but it will stimulate the weak-kneed brethren, if any there be, who are too timid to openly proclaim that they wear no master's collar, but stand for freemen's rights. We desire to express our thanks to the organizers of the A. F. of L. for valuable services rendered in bringing our Order prominently before the trackmen in sections which had not been visited by our own organizers, thus paving the way and making easy the work of the men who have followed and are still to follow them in the interest of the B. R. T. of A. Enforcing Labor Laws. The Toronto Globe, of April 13th says: · After eighteen years of continous service as Secretary of the Executive Committee of the Trades and Labor council (of Toronto, Ont..) Mr. D. J. O'Donoghue handed in his resignation at the regular meeting of the council last night, his reason being his appointment as special officer to see to the enforcement of the recent resolution of Hon. William Mulock, passed in Parliament, to prevent subletting of Government contracts, and to secure the payment of such wages as are trade for competent workmen in the generally accepted as current in each district where the work is carried out." It is to be hoped that the working men of Ontario will be more successful than are those of New York. A larger part of the serious strikes in that state within recent years have been for the purpose of enforcing the laws. It seems to be the habit of the legislature to throw out as a political sop to workingmen certain laws regulating hours of labor, shop practices, etc., and then make no proper provisions for the enforcement of such laws. These laws only incite strikers and their friends to riot. They are justly indignant at the fact that the state furnishes soldiers to prevent strikers enforcing laws that officials refuse to enforce. When a striker knows that he is only contending for that which is guarantee ignored by employers and guaranteed him by law, and sees that state officials, he is ready for anything desperate. Whose fault is it? |