ITEMS OF INTEREST April 20, 1907 Issue

ITEMS OF INTEREST

The recent threatened strike on the part of trainmen and conductors of the railways west of Chicago has been satisfactorily settled. The demand on the part of the employes was for a nine-hour labor day and a twelve per cent increase in wages, to which the employers would concede only a ten-hour labor day and an increase of ten per cent in wages. Both sides submitted the dispute to arbiration, under the Erdman Law, passed in 1898, by the terms of which the Chairman of the Interstate Commerce Commission and the Commissioner of Labor were to use their best efforts towards conciliation. As a result of this arbitration the men abandoned their demand for a nine-hour work day and the railroads made an advance in wages over their previous proposition. It is said that the employes on these railways will now profit during the coming year by a total of over five million dollars, the number of men gaining by the advanced wage-scale being about fifty thousand. Both sides to the controversy have expressed themselves as satisfied with the solution accomplished by the Federal agents, who on their part have testified to the spirit of fairness with which, in general, the differences have been treated.

The convention for the purpose of drawing up a constitution for the new State of Oklahoma, having completed its work, is now submitting to the people a 125 page book, containing more than one hundred thousand words, the longest State constitution ever proposed. It has a strong prohibitory clause, provides for the initiative and referendum and for direct primaries, forbids elective State officers to succeed themselves, forbids railroads to own coal lands, provides that the books of corporations shall be open to State inspection, prevents stock watering, and provides for the two-cent per mile passenger fare. It does not include woman suffrage, which was defeated by a few votes. The census shows that Oklahoma is inhabited by the purest Yankee stock to be found anywhere on the continent.

The rededication of the palatial Carnegie Institute of Pittsburg occurred last week in the presence of a distinguished audience of representative men from England, France, Germany, Canada, and the United States. The building, which contains no woodwork, has required two and one-half years to construct and cost $6,000,000.

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