STEEL CORPORATION’S
POLICY. SAYS REPORT,
SETS INDUSTRY’S PA\
NEW YORK, Mar. 2.—The far
reaching extent to which the laboi
policy of the United States Steel Cor
poration determines the wage scale
of steel workers thruout the indus
try and thereby makes difficult the
development of the employes’ rep
resentation movement is shown in
a report issued today by the Indus
trial Studies Department of Russel
Sage Foundation. The report is the
result ol' a five-year investigation of
the industrial representation plan of
the Colorado Fuel and Iron Compa
ny, one of the independent steel
companies, of which the Rockefeller
family is principal owner.
The report declares that through
tiie Rockefeller employes’ representa
tion plan, the men in the steel works
ot the Colorado Fuel and Iron com
pany were able to secure the actual
eight-hour day five years before the
Steel Corporation and the rest of
the industry adopted it, but points
out that because this company feels
impelled to follow the wage scale
of its competitors, chief among which
is ihe Steel Corporation, its workmen
have no real share in the determin
ation of their wages. This, the re
port says, limits seriously the scope
of the employes’ representation plan
which in other respects has accom
plished much good.
“In an industry so devoid of any
tradition concerning representation
of the workers as the steel indus
try is,” declared Mary Van Kleeck,
Director of tlie Foundation’s Depart
ment of Industrial Studies, “the in
dustrial representation plan of the
Colorado Fuel and Iron company
marks a distinct step in advance, for
under the plan the men in the steel
works of this company secured such
important gains as the actual eight
hour day, an opportunity to partici
pate in revising wage scales, a meth
od of presenting and discussing griev
ances, and a greater degree of se
curity in their jobs through the right
to appeal to higher officials against
the decisions of foremen and super
intendents. Nevertheless, until the
men throughout the industry as a
whole secure adequate and effective
representation in determining wage
standards, those employed in any
one plant such as the Colorado Fuel
and Iron company’s steel works, are
bound to be dissatisfied.”
The lack of this representation in
the determination of wage scales, ac
cording to the report, was one of the
principal reasons why the steel
workers of this company worked out
practically in a body when the na
tional steel strike of 1919 was called.
Den B. Selekman, who conducted
the investigation for the Foundation
and prepared the report, found that
in the opinion of the workmen the
most serious obstacle to the success
of the plan is the minor local offi
cial, not the higher official. As long
as the functions of “hiring and fir
ing” are in the hands of superin
tendents and foremen, Mr. Selek
man says, dissatisfaction will exist
among the employes. Workmen re
peatedly accused foreman of favor
itism and of being arbitrary. The
fact that the company did not pro
mote employes according to senori
ty was another common and deeply
felt grievance, which though not al
ways reported to the company was
responsible for much dissatisfaction.
Mr. Selekman found the men were re
luctant to make complaints because
it meant antagonizing officials un
der whom they had to do their daily
work.
“These grievances,” says the re
port, “point to the fundamental need
of a personnel department with a
specially trained staff to deal with
the problems of human relations
and to leave the superintendents free
for the tasks for which they are
primarily fitted—that of directing
production.”
Following the preliminary field
work of the Foundation’s investiga
tors, a number of changes were made
in the plan by the Colorado Fuel and
Iron Company. The report makes a
note of these changes, but shows that
the fundamental difficulties found in
the plan and in its administration,
both in the coal mines of the com
pany—a report on which was re
cently issued by the Foundation—
and in the steel works, had not been
removed at the completion of the in
vestigation last summer.
in v
co*v*ic.mt Kivarom vuv
CO.. Ht'M YORK
TO BE PAINTED AS “THE CAMPFIRE GIRL”
Howard Chandler Christy, well known artist, selected Miss Ruth P.
Stephens, 16, of New York City, as the most typical Camp Fire girl, whom
lie will paint and have the poster sent over the country, to commemorate
the thirteenth birthday of the organization. The painting is to be pre
sented by Mrs. Oliver Harriman, well known society woman and national
president of the organization to the Torch Bearers. Left to righ: Mr.
Christy, Mrs. Harriman and Ruth Stephens.
SUPREME COURT
MAKES DECISION
COTEMPT CASE
WASHINGTON, D. C., Mar. 3.—
The Supreme Court today decided at
the request of President Coolidge to
pardon the leaders of the Railway
Unions who were declared in contempt
last fall for refusing the obey the
court’s orders in interfering with op
erations on road where strikes had
been called.
The court decided that railroad op
erators need not submit disputes over
wages and hours to the‘Railroad labor |
board.
A decision was also made that pro- \
hibition agents had a right to stop |
automobiles, without a warrant, and
search for liquor; and that the State
of Washington exceeded its powers in
refusing a license to A. J. Bucy to
operate an automobile stage from
Portland to Seattle.
Labor Unions Brought Appeals
The two appeals brought in the Su
preme court by union labor organiza- ,
tions against the Pennsylvania Rail-;
road Company were intended to de-!
velop in a large measure the extent
to which the Railroad Labor Board
actually can function in the settle
ment of railroad labor troubles. The
cases involved the right of railroads
under the Transportation Act to re
fuse to recognize union labor organi
zations as the representatives of
their employes in the settlement of
wage and working conditions dis
putes.
After the national strike of rail
way shopmen in 1921 the Pennsyl
vania company organized among its
station, clerical, shop and mechani
cal employes committees to negotiate
labor differences, the company being
represented upon the committees. Up
to that time it had negotiated all dis
putes with such employes through
representatives of their labor unions.
The attention of the Railroad La
bor Board was directed by the la
bor unions to the new policy of the
company, and it responded with an
order directing the railroad to re
turn to its old practice of permitting
labor union representatives to pre
sent the claims of its employes.
The company refused to do so, in
sisting that it could not be compel
led to recognize labor unions as the
representatives of its employes in
the settlement of disputes with its
employes. The employes had the
Telephone Main 81 Res.. Madison 40
Pacific Coastwise Jerviee
^ADMIRAL LINE
March 4 March 12 March 14
March 24 March 31 April 7
Calling at all regular Southeastern and South
western Alaska ports in eluding Seldovia and
Kodiak.
MOTORSHIP ADMIRAL PEARY
March 27, with gasoline, oils and explosives, for
space reservations telephone or wire agent at
Seward.
WAYNE BLUE, Agent
STEAMSHIP ADMIRAL WATSON
Sails from Arrives South from
Seattle Seward Seward
STEAMSHIP STARR
NEXT SAILING OF STR. STARR WEST, APRIL 5
_ ■■ ■ *, I j
San Juan Fishing and Packing Co.
G. C. HENDERSON, Agent
PHONE MADISON 13* 8EWARD, ALA8KA
right, the railroad contended, to des
ignate who should represent them
and this they had done by appoint
ing committees of their own. The
jurisdiction of the board was chal
lenged by the company, which an
nounced that it would not be bound
by its decisions.
The Pennsylvania Railroad System
and Allied Lines Federation No. 90,
composed of shop and mechanical
employes, and the Pennsylvania Sys
tem Board of Adjustment of the Bro
therhood of Railway and Steamship
I Clerks, Freight Handlers, Express
and Station Employes asked the fed
eral district court for eastern Penn
sylvania for an injunction to compel
the Pennsylvania company to recog
nize the orders of the Railroad La
bor Board. The injunction was re
fused and the Circuit Court of Ap
peals approved the decision.
The two labor organizations in
sisted in their appeal to the Su
preme Court that the Transportation
Act compelled railroads to comply
with the orders of the Railroad Labor
Board and to recognize its authority
in the arbitration of railroad labor
disputes with its employes, declar
ing that it was a violation of feder
al statutes. They insisted that the
committees which the railroad had
organized were being financed from
among its own officials one half of
the members of each committee, but
provided that no committee action
was binding except upon a two-third
vote.
The jurisdiction of the Railroad La
bor Board was directly challenged
by the railroad, which contended that
in prior litigation to which it had
had been a party the Supreme Court
had construed the authority of the
Let Morrison Fix it for you
Next to Crawford’s Shop
ALASKA STEAMSHIP
COMPANY
Southwestern Alaska Route Schedule
Vessel—
Yukon
Alaska
Alameda
Northwestern
ALASKA
Yukon
Steamers in the
in Southeastern
Scheduled
Lv. Seattle
February 21
February 2S
March 7
March 14
March 21
March 28
Scheduled
Ar. Seward
February 28
March 7
March 14
March 21
March 2S
April 4
above schedule will make all
and Southwestern Alaska.
Scheduled Sail
from Seward
February 28
March 7
March 14
March 21
March 28
April 4
regular ports of call
Freighter Cordova scheduled to leave Seattle, March 7. Merchants,
wire your orders.
J. H. FLICKINGER, Agent
PHONE MAIN 125_ SEWARD, ALASKA
AN EMPIRE BUILDER
As all railroads in years gone by have been the greatest
contributing factors in development of the regions through
which they passed, so also is THE ALASKA RAILROAD each
day accomplishing much towards the building of an empire.
In place of the old, tremendously expensive and inconve
nient methods of transporting supplies of whatever character
over rough trails from the coast, there is now a modern rail
road that carries supplies and equipment in greater quantities
to and from the Interior, and along the way, in much less
time and at far less expense than was formerly required.
This great steel highway offering regular twice weekly
freight and passenger service between Seward, Anchorage
and Fairbanks; and tri-weekly mixed service over the
Chickaloon and Chatanika branches, is at your service. For
further information write
THE ALASKA RAILROAD
McKINLEY PARK ROUTE
ANCHORAGE ALASKA
Special week-eend tickets (one and one-third actual fare) on
sale at all ticket offices
Labor Board and had held that it
was powerless, except through an ap
peal to public, sentiment, to enforce
its decisions.
The law requiring the submission
to the board of labor disputes on
railroads for final arbitration was at
tacked by the Pennsylvania company
as unconstitutional. The railroad in
sisted that it was free to decide who
it would recognize in the settlement
of labor disputes with its employes.
The employes, it declared, were sat
isfied with the arrangement which
had been adopted, having signified
their approval by their votes. The
labor unions were complaining, the
railroad asserted, because the new
arrangement was materially reducing
their membership.
Eaton, Crane, Pike Stationery at
| the Alaska Shop. tf
Picture Framing at the Alaska
Shop. tf
CAiy USE A FEW MORE CUS
TOMERS AT THE 0. K .BARBER
SHOP.
Gateway want-ads bring results.
Brunswick monographs and Re
cords. The Alaska Shop. tf
The Alaska Railroad
TRAINS LEAVE SEWARD
8 A. M.
Monday and Thursday
ll ~ *
TRAINS ARRIVE
8 P. M.
Wednesday and Saturday
Gas Launch
KENA1
FISHING AND HUNTING
PARTIES CARRIED DOWN
LAKE KENAI FOR THE
DAY OR TRIP. TELE
PHONE ARRANGEMENTS
TO MILE TWENTY
Louis Bell, owner