HARDWOOD RECORD 



21 



remedies to filter down through the employers' prosperity or work 

 out through agencies and laws already provided? 



Or shall we recognize that we are in a new age. where life is 

 hard and opportunity embarrassed because privilege and private 

 advantage have interlaced their subtle threads throughout ouv 

 present law; create a department of labor; provide employes' com- 

 pensation; liniit injunctions in labor disputes to cases in which 

 they would be issued if no industrial dispute were involved; and 

 uphold the right of wage earners to organize to improve wages 

 and conditions of labor? 



Or shall the government directly protect the worker from acci- 

 dent, occupational disease, child labor, and labor of women at 

 night; provide minimum safety and health standards, a minimum 

 wage for women, and a living wage in all industrial operations; 

 one day of rest in seven for all workers and an eight-hour shift in 

 lontinuous industries; all under the control of a Department of 

 Labor with a seat in the cabinet? 



THE CONSTITUTION AND THE COURTS 



Shall the constitution and the courts and the self-imposed limita 

 tions they embody be left as they are; and the complete inde 

 penJence of .iudges be maintained; with simpler methods of remov 

 ing derelict judges and reform of judicial procedure? 



Or shall we have substantially the same things with a tendency 

 toward states' rights in their interpretation? 



Or shall there be easier and more expeditious methods of amend 

 ing the constitution; more effective national jurisdiction over those 

 problems which have expanded beyond the reach of the indi- 

 vidual states: restriction of courts as to leave the people ulti- 

 mate authority on questions of social welfare; recall, after due 

 deliberation and review by the United States Supreme Court, of 

 decisions on certain constitutional questions? 



THE MACHINERY OP ELECTIONS 



Shall we h.nve the old system, modified by publicity of contribu 

 tions and prohibition of contributions from corporations? 



Or publicity before as well as after elections; prohibition of 

 contributions beyond a reasonable maximum from individuals as 

 well as from corporations; presidential primaries and direct elec 

 tion of United States senators? 



Or strict limitation of campaign contributions and expenditures, 

 with detailed publicity before and after primaries and elections; 

 registration of lobbyists; publicity of committee hearings, and a 

 record of all votes in committee; prohibition of federal appointee:; 

 from holding office or taking jiart in political conventions; direct 

 election of t'nited States senators; direct primaries for nomination 

 of states and national officers; nation-wide preferential primaries 

 for candidates for the presidency; with the initiative, referendum, 

 and recall as a last resort in rare and extreme cases where other 

 wise the people would be misrepresented; and equal suffrage for 

 men and women? 



Of course, the platforms and speeches of candidates contain 

 other topics — civil service, pensions, parcels post, navy, merchant 

 marine, conservation, internal improvements, health, immigration. 

 the Philippines, banking and currency reform; but on these points 

 the promises of the parties are so nearly alike, or else so indefi 

 nite, as to present oo clear-cut issues. 



The election will turn on the candidates, the term of office, 

 and the five great issues — the tariff, the control of corporations, 

 labor, the constitution and the courts, and the machinery of elec- 

 tions. In most general terms, the single issue is — whether we shall 

 have mainly the old things in the old ways. 



Or most of the old things and the few new things the old ways 

 slowly and slightly changed permit. 



Or several new things in the new ways that are necessary to 

 secure them. 



Test of Workmen's Compensation Law 



The Illinois ilaiiutactiirtTs ' A.ssoeiatiou commenced suit uu Sep- 

 tember 23 in the circuit court of Cook county to test the con- 

 stitutionality of the Workmen's Compensation Act. It is believed 

 that the hearing in this case will be completed in October so that 

 an appeal may lie taken to the Supreme court at its December 

 term by the defeated party. Technically, the purpose of this bill 

 is to enjoin State's Attorney Wayman from enforcing the penal 

 clause of the law against manufacturers who refuse to follow its 

 proTisions and pay the compensation required, and who have not 

 filed notice of their intention to remain outside the act. In 

 this way it is expected that the whole question of this act can be 

 determined sooner and to much more effect than if the ordinary 

 cause were pursued of waiting until a law case arose, involving 

 the injury of a workman under the act. The attack on the con- 

 stitutionality of the law is made on three principal grounds. 

 Rnrt. that the act forces the employer to pay .-onijiensatioi! 



where he is Jiot technically involved, and to an employe who 

 may have been injured by reason of his own negligence. Second, 

 it is contended that the act is an illegal restriction on the rights 

 of the employer and employe to enter into contracts between 

 themselves. Third, that, contrary to the constitution of Illinois, 

 the bill for this act, with all its amendments, was not printed 

 before its final passage. 



Hardwood Stocks Low 



A general investigation of hardwood conditions by the Hardwood 

 Manufacturers' Association of the United States resulted in the 

 jiublication of a summary by it, about the end of last month, in 

 which the conditions as found were set forth in a concise manner. 



The report maintains that never in the last twenty-five years 

 has there been less No. 1 common or better in ash, oak, elm, hick- 

 ory, chestnut, maple and red gum. For the same period there is no 

 record of any lower stocks of No. 2 common and poorer in beech, 

 birch, poplar, basswood, buckeye and sap gum; in fact. No. 3 com- 

 mon grades are practically non-existent in these woods and in one 

 or two of them No. 4 common has been taken up entirely. 



The demand for Cottonwood has been an exceptionally bright 

 spot on the market, and reports from the manufacturers of this 

 class of stock indicate that there is a continued large demand for 

 all grades of their lumber. 



Thick ash is another extremely scarce stock, while chestnut, 

 which has been a weak item for the last five years, shows a slight 

 degree of strength. 



Panama Dues and British Shipping 



The Panama canal bill which recently became a statute has 

 called for such a varied expression of opinion that it is most diffi- 

 cult to arrive at an exact understanding of whether or not it is 

 actually an encroachment upon the rights of foreign countries 

 shipping through the canal. Opinions are constantly being either 

 solicited, or offered without solicitation, some of which contain 

 good logic, while others are based upon mere personal prejudice, 

 one way or the other. 



A British lumber journal, in a recent issue, publishes a letter 

 from a Scotchman interested in prospective trading in the canal, 

 who owns both English and American ships. Using his figures as 

 they apply to the lumber business as a criterion from which to 

 judge the possible effect of the free toll clause on other shipments, 

 it would not appear that this clause will have any disastrous effect 

 upon foreign commerce. 



The gentleman in question bases his argument upon equal value 

 of timber in .British Columbia and Puget Sound, which would mean 

 that the only questions for consideration in shipping lumber from 

 those two points would be those of transportation, tolls and duty. 

 The writer uses for his argument an example of a 9,000 ton tramp 

 steamer which would cost to build about $360,000 more in America 

 than in England. Considering again that American labor is much 

 more expensive than British labor, it would cost annually about 

 .$17,000 more to operate an American than a British steamer. To 

 this must be added the insurance, interest and depreciation on the 

 excess cost of American construction and operation, which would 

 amount to about $55,000. The interest charge against the Amer- 

 ican ship for one voyage then is a round sum of about $19,000 for 

 the trip from British Columbia to eastern ports. Further, consider- 

 ing that the vessel would carry four million superficial feet, freight 

 charge of about $30,000 must be made on this basis, and therefore 

 the total cost to the charterer, if the merchandise is carried on 

 an American steamer, would be about $48,000. On the other hand, 

 allowing the British steamer the same rate and superficial feet, 

 allowing $1.00 per net ton canal tolls, and an import duty of $1.25 

 jier thousand superficial feet, the British charge would be approii 

 mately $39,000. Thus these figures would indicate a difference in 

 favor of carrying cargo on British ships of about $10,000. These 

 figures may, like many others, work better on paper than in prac 

 tice, but they are worthy of consideration. 



