68 SEVENTEENTH REPORT. 



a cLauce to obtaiu what the Great Maker surely intended everv man 

 and womaii to have; namely, a decent living." (*17J:.) Or again, 

 "We shall look out for ourselves, . . God helps those who help them- 

 selves, and we practice what we preach.-' (*175.) And according 

 to one journeyman, "Our union rules are for the advantage of the 

 union members, and we want a union to get us good wages, good 

 conditions, and short days." (*104:.) 



They also think that they need a union in order to treat with the 

 employer in a group, in order to get something which they could 

 not get by bargaining individually, because of the apparent ad- 

 vantage the employer would have over them. Their theory of rela- 

 tively fixed demand and the ever i)resent over-supply of labor 

 coupled with the antagonistic interest of the employer probably 

 force this conclusion. Another journeyman said, "If we did not have 

 a union some one would come in and take the benefit of our efforts 

 and labor would be left with longer hours and less pay. (*175. 

 *168.) 



Thus the carpenters want the union because they cannot succeed 

 in individual bargaining, and because of the immediate benefits 

 which the union can get for its members. They are not anxious to 

 do anyone injustice, nor are they devoted to the cause of establish- 

 ing justice in their trade between employer, employee and the 

 jtnblic. They are anxious to have the expedient thing of the hour 

 done and reap their benefits immediately. 



*Starred numbers refer to the sheet of evidence. 



