opportunity to perfect their knowledge of the trade. We would do well to take a deeper interest as employers and superintendents. As to abuses, is it not an abuse to take boys into our offices without providing for their instruction by some competent person? Many an apprentice is today wasting his time setting up reprint jobwork, because his foreman will not take pains to instruct him, and there is no reason why the journeymen should do so. Many of these apprentices become discouraged and finally drift into other occupations, having wasted valuable years of their lives in a vain effort. Too often apprentices are looked upon by employers as a means of getting extra hands at less than the scale. If you are a wise buyer of machinery, you want always the best and most efficient and up to date you can get. Why not apply the same rule to our men; select only the best material and develop and train such in the shortest possible time into good workmen at journeymen's wages? This leads me to the last division of my subject. One of the most popular methods recently adopted in this country is the correspondence course conducted by the International Typographical Union and the Inland Printer. This I believe to be good so far as it goes. I think, however, that a better way is to train up the young appren tice in the shop, where he can learn by doing. One plan that is now being followed in a western city in teaching other trades is where learners are instructed first in the theory and then in the practice of the work. Boys work in pairs or groups, taking up theory for two weeks and then spend two weeks in shop practice, doing the work about which they have studied. While one group is studying the theory the other is working out the theory in practice. Some of the foregoing, or a combination of these plans, ought to be put into practice by the league. Our Efforts Commended. The exhibit of the International Typographical Union, at the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition, which closed last month, received much attention from all who were so fortunate as to visit the great fair. The following letter shows that the efforts of our organization in helping to stamp out tuberculosis are appreciated: STATE OF WASHINGTON, BOARD OF HEALTH AND BUREAU OF VITAL STATISTICS. SEATTLE, WASH., October 22, 1909. J. M. Lynch, President International Typograph. ical Union, Indianapolis, Ind.: DEAR SIR-Dr. Heg, commissioner of health, vishes to extend to you his heartiest thanks for your co-operation with his department in a tuberculosis educational exhibit at the Alaska-YukonPacific Exposition. The exhibit of the International Typographical Union has attracted by far the most attention of any individual part of our exhibit, and has been a means of popular education, to the general public of the entire west, whose extent can never be estimated. The exposition has now closed, and we are making plans to utilize all of the exhibits, which are the property of the state board, for a traveling educational exhibit, to be taken to the various cities and towns of the state of Washington during this winter, and we will be very much pleased if you could see your way clear to either giving or indefinitely loaning to this department the use of your tent and the large picture showing your sanatorium. The other pictures of your exhibit are not, of course, suitable to our purposes, but if you could furnish us with these we feel certain they would do a great deal of good and add a great deal to the rest of our display. Yours truly, EUGENE R. KELLEY, Assistant Commissioner. THE Journal of the Twentieth Annual Council of the Episcopal Diocese of Kansas City is at hand, for the first time since its inception being printed under union conditions and bearing the label. This is accounted for by reason of the Rev. Carl Reed Taylor, an active member of Kansas City Typographical Union, insisting on such a provision when he was asked to take the secretaryship of the council. The work is an exceptionally fine piece of printing, and is from the press of the Masterson Printery, Kansas City, Mo. The Rev. Mr. Taylor is pastor of St. John's Episcopal Church in that city, being a conscientious trade unionist under all circumstances as well as a devout Christian. It would appear from reports received at International headquarters, up to the time of closing the forms for this issue of THE JOURNAL, that all four propositions for constitution amending the have been adopted by substantial majorities. New York Union No. 6 voted in favor of all the amendments. AN order for 480 machines with Turkish numerals has been received by the Wetter Numbering Machine Company. Turkey has only recently been open to foreign machinery of this kind, and the order of the Wetter company indicates that this territory will be a good field for the sale of printing machinery in the future. The Wetter numbering machine has been advertised in THE TYPOGRAPHICAL JOURNAL for some time past. SECRETARY JONES, of Lethbridge (Alberta) union No. 551, writing under date of October 13, says: "We have two more printshops starting up here, both of which will sport the union label on their products.". IN the classified advertising columns of this issue, O. C. Cypiot, an operator on the New York World, announces that he is able to make a subscription rate on four of the leading union magazines that will prove attractive to the readers of THE JOURNAL. a THE library left by the late Amos J. Cummings has been forwarded to the Union Printers Home by his widow. This was done in conformance to a request made by the deceased printer, editor and The books will prove congressman. source of great benefit and enjoyment to the residents of the institution, forming a link in the memories of the past. Mr. Cummings' autograph is in each and every book, and was written in during his last illness, in anticipation of their being sent to the Home. This addition to the library shelves is especially welcome at this time, and will be a valuable acquisition when the new structure is completed. ON September 26 representatives of sixteen typographical unions met in Boston and organized the New England Typographical Union. The new body, as a draft of the constitution sets forth, is "to promote all movements that tend to advance the conditions of the members of the International Typographical Union; to strengthen all subordinate unions of the International; to extend the use of all labels of the printing trades; to secure and promote publicity of all union endeavors, and to co-operate with the International Typographical Union in executing its policies." An extended account of the convention will be found in the correspondence columns of this issue. THE New York Branch of the National Printers' League of America has issued a call for the third annual meeting and dinner of the league, to be held in New York city on November 23. The league meetings and dinners are always pleasant and instructive and are invariably well attended. All who desire to attend should reserve their dinner seats by addressing D. W. Gregory, 75 Fifth avenue. Those who have not yet joined the league may participate in this meeting by sending in their application for membership, so that the same may be placed before the executive committee on November 15. PRESIDENT LAVALLEE, of La Crosse (Wis.) Typographical Union, was a visitor at International headquarters late last month, accompanied by his two daughters and son, known on the vaudeville stage as the Tossing Lavallees. Mr. Lavallee carries a paidup working card with him while on tour, and is the same genial gentleman as when he and the editor of THE JOURNAL were printer associates in the northwest some years ago. The Tossing Lavallees are at present playing the Sun vaudeville circuit, and making a great hit with the play-going public. GEORGE GODFREY, chairman of the composing room of the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, of New York, writing under date of October 11, says: "The Metropolitan Life Insurance Company's printing department is thoroughly union throughout, the sanitary conditions being unsurpassed in any printing office in the country, but the company is subjected to the same annoyance as the Prudential company that is to say, the returning of printed matter with the union label sticker attached." SECRETARY GARDNER, of Frankfort (Ind.) Union No. 287, writing under date of October 18, says: "The scale committee has just closed up contracts for one year with the publishers at the old rate, with a new apprenticeship clause added, without any trouble." A GOOD thing-the I. T. U. Course. THE system adopted by Albany (N. Y.) Typographical Union in keeping a record of apprentices in its jurisdiction is one of the best that has come to the attention of THE JOURNAL. Secretary Barnes has compiled a complete list of the names and addresses of apprentices, with the date of indenturing, and this list is handed to all chairmen of chapels, who see that it is corrected each month. The apprentices number some sixty-odd, and all are receiving THE JOURNAL. While considerable time and trouble was experienced in perfecting the list, the union feels well repaid for its trouble. The plan could be followed with profit by those unions which are trying to simplify and complete a list of apprentices in their jurisdiction. KIRBY, JR.'S, Woes multiply. In addition to his duties as president of the National Association of Manufacturers, an organization whose efforts are almost wholly directed toward disrupting labor organizations and attempting to create public prejudice against them, it was necessary for him to reply to the statements made by President Taft in his Chicago speech, which were favorable to the trade unions. The bigoted Daytonian made use of the usual vituperative denunciation which was so familiar to the reading public during the régime of Kirby's predecessors, the totally eclipsed Parry and Van Cleave. ON receiving a committee report at the convention of the Amalgamated Association of Street and Electrical Railway Employes, at Toronto recently, wherein it was shown that President Mahon was instrumental in warding off a strike in Chicago and securing an increase in wages, the salary of that official was increased from $2,500 to $5,000 a year. PRESIDENT GOMPERS, on his recent visit to Milan, Italy, found the local typographical union one of the best examples of labor organizations he encountered during all his European travels. It has 1,400 members, and there are not more than twenty nonunion printers in the city. The nine-hour workday is in vogue, with no Sunday work. The Home Building Fund. While donations to the Home library building fund continue to arrive at headquarters, the total amount has not yet been secured. The following amounts have been received during the month by SecretaryTreasurer Hays, as gifts to the outlay necessary to finish the construction of the addition: Previously acknowledged. 46, Sacramento 118, Des Moines.. 145, Jacques-Cartier 193, Spokane Fal's.. 210, Capital (Salem, Ore.).. 272, Chicago Norwegian-Danish. .$6,170 14 10 00 15 00 14 50 10 90 2 50 I 60 10 00 6275 5 00 2 00 42 00 10 00 25 00 12 00 225 5 00 5 00 25 00 5 00 15 00 50 00 ALL the employing printers of Kokomo, Ind., have attached their signatures to a twoyear contract with Typographical Union No. 412, the agreement providing for an increase for handmen in all branches of the trade. The scale is as follows: Handmen, morning papers, $16.50 per week, an increase of $1.50; handmen, evening papers and book and job branch, $15 per week, an increase of $2; job foremen, $17 per week, an increase of $4. The scale for machine operators remains at the old figures-$19 for night work and $17 for day work. ORGANIZER COLBERT reports that a new scale has been negotiated by Muscatine (Iowa) Union No. 251. The agreement is for five years, an increase of $1 per week going into effect at once, another dollar to be added October 15, 1911, and on October 15, 1913, the final increase of $1 per week will take place. This will make the Muscatine scale $20 per week for night machine work and $18 for day work; handmen on morning newspapers, $18 per week; evening papers and book and job offices, $17 per week. * * * PRESIDENT GELINAS, of Lowell (Mass.) Union No. 310, under date of October 10, writes President Lynch, as follows: "I am pleased to inform you that the increase in the newspaper scale of No. 310 went into effect October 4. Under the terms of the contract, signed by all the newspapers, all employes receive an increase of $1.50 per week, making the scale $21 for night work and $18 for day work. The contract runs until January 1, 1913. And we are wearing smiles that won't come off." signed by the Gazette Printing Company, of York, Pa., which conducts a newspaper and a book and job plant. In the latter department the pay of journeymen has been advanced from $12 to $13.50 per week, and foremen from $13.50 to $15. For newspaper work the pay has been advanced from $12 to $13.50 for day and from $13.50 to $15 for night labor, with the pay of foremen increased from $15 to $18 per week. The wages of machine operators have been advanced from $13.50 to $16.50 per week for day work and from $15 to $18 for night work. The membership roll of No. 242 has been augmented by the initiation of nineteen journeymen since the International organizer has been at work there. * * * EVERY employer of Newburgh, N. Y., has signed a contract with Typographical Union No. 305, providing for an increased wage and extending over a period of five years. From October 4, 1909, to March 31, 1911, book and job men will receive $16 per week, and for the remaining time of the agreement $17 per week will be the scale. The old wage was $15 per week. Machine operators employed on evening papers and in book and job offices will receive $17 per week the first year, $18 the second year, and $19 the remaining three years of the agreement. The pay for this class of work had previously been $16 per week. * * FOR the first time in its history, Allentown, Pa., has a daily newspaper printed under strictly union conditions. Organizer Gibbons was successful, late last month, in having the management of the Allentown Democrat, which also operates a book and job plant, sign an agreement with Typographical Union No. 534, granting an increase in wages ranging from $1.50 to $5 per week and adding four new members to the union. * RAPID strides have been made by Amarillo (Texas) Union No. 525, since it was chartered in June of the present year. A wage scale of $24 per week for operators and $18 for book, job and ad men prevails in that jurisdiction. ON October 8 a three-year agreement was signed with the publishers of Galt, Ontario, by Typographical Union No. 411. The new scale goes into effect January 1, 1910, and provides an eight-hour day and $11.50 per week for handmen and $13.50 for machine operators the first year, $12 and $14 for 1911, and $13 and $14.50 during 1912. This is an advance of $1.50 per week all around, and is the first increase in about seven years. Organizer Stevenson assisted the local union in its negotiations. |