Daüuf Name Industrial Marker.l
Published Daily except Sunday
By Nome Mine Workers* Union, N'o. 240, International Union of Mine,
Mill and Sm elter Workers.
Subscription Price
Mae Tear _ .. ...... — — — — _ — — — — — —— — 110.0#
Mx Months____— - - --— - S10.00
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Entered as second class matter March 1, 1111, at the poet office at
Nome,'Alas xa, under the Act of March I, 1170.
All changes in standing adrertlaemeata must reach thla office at ate
•’dock each evening to Insure Inter Uon In the follovMng Issue.
Advertising rates made knoa* oa application.
"To secure to each laborer the whole product of his labor, or as
searly as possible, Is s worthy object of any good government”—
Abraham Uncoil
Address all Communications to Dally Nome Industrial Worker.
Box 210 Nome, Alaska. Phone, Black 1S4.
Nome, Alaska, August 24, 1017.
EXCESS PROFITS.
People have the happy faculty of
talking in generalities. They hit off
phrases which are meant to convey
a sort of general idea and become
satisfied with that. Excess profits
is such a term. It may mean exactly
what it is intended to mean or it
may mean no such thing.
Thus the turn over an industry
may display a profit net of hund
reds of millions, whereas the capi
tal and labor invested may have
actually reached that amount In
previous years. Or the turn over
may be well within the thousands'
and the capial and labor invested
have never reached tlie hundreds.
But both may be regarded in the
popular mind as excess profits,
when the excess is existing really in
the minds of the people from an er
roneous conception of what profits
really are.
Here is a plant paying high
wages and still malting millions.
Here is another making hut thou
sands but paying low wages, actu
ally the latter represents a much
higher degree of exploitation and
hence its excess profits is literally
highest.
Very fortunately for the people
however who find use for the ex
pression excess profits, there can be
cited very few cases where the ac
pitalization is very great in propor
tion to the net profits, and when
it is used in the question of tax
ation, excess profits as a general
term will right now apply generally
and correctly enough.
The proposal to tax excess profits
carries with it a contradictin. It
officially justifies that industrial con
dition wherein excess profits are
made. It legalizes excess profits,
when oftener than not such are due
to extortion, another name for graft
and the most intensive exploitation
of labor.
There is no aenying mat. anc yrom-o
which have been made during the
past few years have oeen enormous.
There is no denying too, that the
turn over has been based upon no
such thing as production costs, and
that for the product of the plants
which enjoyed sucli profits, the com
pany owning plant could ask and
receive whatsoever they wanted in
the way of a return. Dividends have
been soaring. The profits made from
industries related to the war, direct
ly and.Indirectly, have been enorm
ous. The values of the plants rose
accordingly.
Take a typical case: the steel
trust. The net earnings In 1914, a
rather favorable year during peace,
amounted to $23,496,768. In 19i6
this company showed net earnings
of $271,531,730.
The plant represented little or no
increased value, the raw material
for the greater part increased In
volume but not in value per unit of
volume, the labor to all intents and
purposes remained stationary. There
was more labor employed. From
1912 to 1916. according to the Un
ited States Bureau of Labor statis
tics, union labor, according to in
dex figures rose only 9 points, while
food . costs rose from 4 6 to
105 per cent during . the
past three years. In fact the aver
age worker has not shared in the
so-called war prosperity at all. He
has paid for it with his labor.
During the years that Uncle Sam
has been supplying belligerents with
war material, and we might as well
get it straight, it has been the ener
gy that was forthcoming from labor
in this country that produced that
golden wealth that came pouring
Into the country In return for the
product of that labor power.
What happened for labor was that
many more men wero employed:
there were not so many in the ranks
of the unemployed and that in the
estimation of those who do not work
ought to satisfy the workers. The
time had come when to use their
expression “there was no good rea
son why any man who wants work
should be idle". It is not without
its delicate humor that the “bettah
clawses” consider that when an idle
man is offered a job he should jump
at it and ask no irrelevant questions
as to the rate of pay.
From end to end of the country
there has been intense Industrial ac
tivity. Those excess profits were
no myth. Men became immensely
wealthy almost overnight. The cry
was for an increase in the technical
means of production tor more and
more rawmaterial. These with labor
could be r- lied upon to furnish the
profits. There was a market for all
this product of labor and the ma
chinery and plant owners got it all.
We suppose tew people but believe
the current fiction that excess profits
will make tlie rich bugs pay tor the
war. if the taxation is extended to
that. In point of fact it docs no
such thing. It tends rather to in
increase the profits. That has been
the general experience in Great
Britain. Take the British shipping
Industry, supposed to have been
hard hit by the U boats so that ...
was on the verge of ruin. They
have an immense excess profit tax
in Great Britain and when they
were proposing to increase it an
other 8 per cent, it was protested
aeainst as certain to ruin the ship
owners. “Bonar Law met them by
narrating his own experience with
shipping shares. He had invested
eight thousand one hundred and ten
pounds sterling in fifteen different
companies under a management of
seven owners. He would have been
glad to get five per cent a year in
ordinary times, four hundred and
five pounds. As a matter of fact he
had received three thousand six
hundred and twenty four pounds in
1915, and three thousand eight
hundred and forty-seven pounds in
1916. “Good Lord”, exclaimed Mr.
Duncan the labor member, "was that
after paying the excess profits
duty?”
“Yes”, . Bonar Law replied. Be
sides on top of that one of the
steamers had been sunk. He had
received two hundred pounds on
that ship and on the top of
his handsome dividend he had
received one thousand pounds on
the liquidation”.
In fact the dividends of the Brit
ish steamship companies are so
enormous as to vie handsomely in
pleasant rivalry with the American
profits from American war babies.
Another proposal had been made,
and made by men who themselves
rejoiced in considerable incomes and
that was to seize all incomes over
$100,000. But that would require
men of great magnitude to enforce.
It could not simply be thought of.
When we behold the coal operators
threatening to close their mines be
cause profits now are to be restrict
ed to the still generous margin of
1916, we can understand that patri
otism has strictly limitations in bus
iness.
They are willing to go far, but
not too far. Stone Webster a great
construction and traction firm built
a small arsenal for the United
States without profits, but .they fol
lowed this up by erecting another
which gave them three million and
a million dollar bonus for 90
days work. So their patriotism
paid.
It is not easy to conscript profits
or even excess profits. And there
is nothing reveals so clearly the
important influence of this monied
power in the realm of legislature
than the fact that conscription of
wealth is to be taboo among the
legislators.
Lafollette is indeed a voice crying
In the wilderness. But he is re
garded as either an Ishmaelite or a
Don Quixote. He is an anachronism
in the present Congress and it is
highly improbable that he will be
oreditted with anything else than
demogogy.
The difference between patriotism
and demogogy in the minds of a
considerable number is that when
wealth is aided to make more wealth
by a paternal government it is high
ly patriotic legislation, when an ef
fort is made to somewhat curb the
rapacity of privilege it is rank de
mogogy.
In all these debates, whether con
ducted with experienced suavity or
the rancor of political rivalry, we
may note one question that is not
sounded with a very responsive note.
That is the most important fact that
labor has had no share in the pre
vailing prosperity, that the wages
relative to the costs of living show
an actual decrease however high
may have been the nominal in
crease per cent paid.
But it is the explanation of these
enormous profits in almost all lines.
Moreover it explains how it is that,
J during these times of great “pros
perity” and full blown patriotism,
the workers are i.uHe unpat-.ioticaily
demanding higher pay and striking
when refused. The horror of Mr.
Bumble when the unfortunate Oliver
Twist asked for more is nothing as
compared to the openly expressed
indignation of these privileged pa
triots and their prostitute press at
the workers striking these times.
But there is something akin in the
tirades of the journalistic Bumbles
denouncing the strikes and the I.
W. W. and the gasping Beadle
whose toadyism received such a sev
ere shock.
Excess profits will Dossibly be
taxed, but the profits will still be
great. No one will suggest conscrip
tion of profits.
BACK THE WAR
URGE NAVAL MEN
WITH THE AMERICAN DE
STROYER FLOTILLA IN BRITISH
WATERS. July 15. (By Mail). —
"Take oft the lid and show the peo
ple back home what a fierce fight
we're up against.”
Thus a highly-placed American
naval officer, attached to the com
mannd of this destroyer squadron,
endeavored to say something about
a grave situation, without being able
to say anything definite. The of
ficers tell plenty—in confidence.
The correspondents attached to the
American destroyers know that
ships have been destroyed by the U
boats in far greater tonnage than
at present they can be produced.
They know also, something of the
methdds by which our destroyers
are fighting the unseen menace and
of the handicaps which are hamper
ing the fight—handicaps which give
the Germans the advantage and
which the Americans back home
could remove in a few months.
But the naval officer couldn't tell
what he knew, for publication. And
the correspondents are on their
honor to submit all their work to
the censorship.
“It would help the enemy if we
should tell our people all they ought
to know,” the naval expert con
tinued. •“A frank statement of the
whole submarine situation, with its
bearing on the land campaigns,
might be of considerable practical
value to him. Perhaps it would
also stimulate his sinking morale
for a time—that depends on wheth
er he is expecting a great deal or
little from his submarine fight.
"But I seriously question whether
it would not eventually help us to
win this fight. If the people could
only know, they wouldn’t for a mi
nute hold back the support we
neod.”
Though the censorship, with its
evil tendency to shut the peoples’
eyes to the peril be maintained, the
officer said ours need not become a
losing fight. Under present condi
tions, he advised, the people back
homo can give best aid by backing
the war program of the Army and
Navy Departments without question,
however gortesque they may seem.
‘‘Just now there are a hundred im
portant facts which would illumi
nate the public mind,” he concluded.
“As long as civilians can't know
these things the best they can do is
to trust the departments that really
do know, to make the right deci
sions.”
PETROGRAI) HOTEL EXPENSIVE
PETROGRAD, Aug. 22.—This is
1 a good place to omit for your sum
mer tour unless you are well up
holstered with green-backs. Hotel
life isn’t even tolerable at less than
$25 a day. The fare from London
and back amounts to about $1000,
i including maintenance.
i ’
__________
FOR SALE CHEAP.
Two 4 H. P. Boilers.
One 12 H. P. Boiler.
One 10 H. P. Boiler.
Two 6 H. P. Boiler.
DARLING & DEAN CO.
Why worry
About wash day
THAT’S OUR BUSINESS.
Satisfaction Guaranteed.
BOSTON
STEAM LAUNDRY
444 Front St. Phone Main 53
BOARD OF TRADE
Restaurant
" and
LUNCH ROOM
George Modini,
Proprietor
TO THE PUBLIC
Commencing Today,
AUGUST 11,
The Price of Bread will
be 10c. a loaf straight.
Other Goods raise in
price in proportion.
Signed:
North Pole Bakery
Anvil Bakery
Nome Bakery
Arctic Bakery
ALASKA STEAMSHIP CO.
S. S. VICTORIA
LEAVE SEATTLE: LEAVE NOME:
Via Seward, Valdez and Cordova
Without Additional Charge.
SEPTEMBER a SEPTEMBER 14.
OCTOBER 6. OCTOBER 22.
SAILING SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE. ,
R. A. Carroll, Agent, Nome
From Nome
Sept. 3rd.
gjiFrom Seattle
Sept. 15th.
SEPTEMBER 28.
OCTOBER 25.
SEPTEMBER 15.
OCTOBER 13.
RIGHT RESERVED TO CHANGE THIS SCHEDULE.
PACIFIC STEAMSHIP CO.
ALASKA L. & C. CO. F. J. O’CONNOR,
AGENTS Commercial Agent.
At Dock. Front St. and Steadman Ave. ^
****'fi**3s*>. ra**«9ra*****w*«ro)uw»*anb
Charles L. Ross *'
Milling, Lumber, Contractor
HAVING TAKEN OVER THE FREIGHTING & TRANSFER
BUSINESS OF W. STEIGEL MAIER AND OF LEO KENT,
FREIGHT ORDERS AND TRANSFER CONTRACTS WILL RE
CEIVE PROMPT ATTENTION.
3RD AND B STREET. PHONE BLACK 162.
S. S. Standard
Sails every SIX DAYS to
DIME AND WAY POINTS
weather permitting
From Snake River.
CHAS WECKMAN.
INDEPENDENT
MEAT MARKET
W. H. Webb prop. Phono M.1B
I
CHANGE IN COAL PRICES.
On Aug. 10th, Wellington Coal will be $23.00 per ton In yard.
On ami after September 25th, Wellington Coal will be $25.00 pr
ton in yard. Briquets will continue at $18.00 per ton in yard.
We are experiencing great difficulty in securing anthracite
coal for winter use and cannot guarantee having any quaptity
on hand.
Alaska Lighterage Comercial Co.
i
THE NOME INDUSTRIAL WORKER
is prepared to handle*
all kinds of
JOB PRINTING
Let us figure on your
work. Call up Black
134 or call at
i
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