Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 37, Number 17, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 March 1905 — LABOR NOTES [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

LABOR NOTES

There are more than 50,000 electricians in the United States. A school for the study of shorthand is conducted by the Canadian Pacific railroad at Montreal, Canada, for the benefit of employes. There are 44,000 hotels in the United States, representing an invested capital of over $6,000,000,000. These establishments employ 3,500,000. The Iron Molders’ Union of North America paid out the sum of $278,806.37 in benefits during the year 1904, outside of strike pay. It was divided as follows: Death benefits, $54,400; sick benefits, $205,698.25; out-of-work benefits, $18,708.12. As the organization has no stipulated out-of-work benefits the latter sum represents exemption from dues to members out of Michigan State labtir bureau reports that labor yyijs scarce last year and many factories were forced to run nt less than full capacity. Higher wages were paid, the advance amounting to about 5 cents per day per capita. The labor department of the Dublin (Ireland) Board of Trade reports that employment was, on the whole, rather worse during the last month. As compared with a year ago most trades show a decline. In the 274 trade unions, with an aggregate membership of over 500,000, 7 per cent were reported as unemployed at th* end of Norember.