hides during 1917 increased by seventy per cent. over the quantity imported in 1912.

Despite this tremendous increase in the available supply of hides the price of leather has steadily advanced and the profits of the big packers, who are also the big tanners, have increased correspondingly.

The report shows that in 1916 the net profits of some of the larger companies were three, four and even five times as large as in 1915 and that the profits in 1915 showed a similar increase over the profits of 1914. The profits of one company are given as follows:

It has been claimed that the alleged shortage of leather was due to a tremendous demand from abroad, but this also is a pure fabrication. In 1917 we exported less than half as many pairs of shoes as in 1916 and sold abroad just one-half as much harness and saddlery as in the previous year.

It is a clear case of hold-up, another convincing argument that private ownership of industry is contrary to public policy and that the only way out of the dilemma that confronts us is national ownership of the organized industries and their operation for use rather than profit.

"Few men seem to realize how many of the evils from which we suffer are wholly unnecessary, and that they could be abolished by a united effort within a few years. If a majority in every civilized country so desired, we could within twenty years abolish all abject poverty, quite half the illness in the world, the whole economic slavery which binds down nine-tenths of our population; we could fill the world with beauty and joy, and secure the reign of universal peace. It is only because men are apathetic that this is not achieved, only because imagination is sluggish, and what always has been is regarded as what always must be. With good-will, generosity, and a little intelligence, all these things could be brought about."-Bertrand Russell.

Members who are called to serve in the Army or Navy and those who intend to enlist, should protect those they leave behind by taking out insurance in the full amount allowed under the military and naval insurance act. It is the safest, cheapest and best insurance ever sold. Should you be one of those never to return, wife, children or parents would be liberally provided for. Should you be wounded and incapacitated you would receive the insurance in yearly installments in addition to the compensation

otherwise provided. Should you return 'sound and whole you could continue the policy in force for life, convert it into an endowment policy or revise it as you saw fit.

More than a million soldiers and sailors and nurses are now insured for a total of more than $8,000,000,000; this is three times as much as the life insurance in force with any life insurance company in the world. The time to insure has been extended to April 12th.

Locals that have not appointed an enrollment officer for the Public Service Reserve should do so. The enrollment officer should at once write to Mr. W. E. Hall, National Director Public Service Reserve, Labor Department, Washington, D. C., for a supply of enrollment cards to be filled out by members who are willing to work as painters in navy yards or shipyards having Government contracts. Having your name on the list does not compel you to accept the job. You merely notify the Government that you are willing to work for Uncle Sam providing the wages and conditions are satisfactory. It is the easiest and surest way to silence the cheap-wage employer who is urging Congress to draft workers at his terms. Says Secretary of Labor Wilson:

"The ship yards are going to need a great number of men, especially skilled to work with certain tools. The need for such men will develop and broaden as the work progresses. The purpose of the reserve is to enable the ship yards to get just the kind of men they want when they want them and every working man should stick to his present job until the department of labor tells him when and where he is wanted."

An evil combination of circumstances delayed the publication of the January and February numbers of the journal and has seriously interfered with prompt reply to correspondence. The tyrannical policy of Postmaster Burleson has demoralized the service; many of the experienced railway mail clerks have resigned. On top of this came zero weather, heavy snows, congestion of railway transportation, the five-day close-down and the series of heatless Mondays.

Burleson is still with us, but the sun is shining, the snow has disappeared and order is emerging out of chaos on the railroads. The shortage in coal has given place to a shortage in food, but Dr. Garfield is permitting us to work Mondays so there will be a chance to catch up with the procession of the days. We are recovering, but the journal is again late and reply to spondence delayed. We hope to do better next month.

corre

Bro. Joseph E. Corbett, L. U. 48, Worcester, Mass.

Bro. Monci B. Stewart, L. U. 902, El Paso, Texas.

Bro. Wm. A. Kurner, L. U. 91, Wheeling, W. Va.

Bro. H. R. Conners, L. U. 98, St. Joseph, Mo. Bro. Geo. D. Warren, L. U. 98, St. Joseph, Mo.

Bro. Ovidio Germani, L. U. 848, New York, N. Y.

Bro. Chas. Seaholm, L. U. 848, New York, N. Y.

Bro. W. E. Fraley, L. U. 57, Birmingham, Ala.

Bro. Hans Wennessen, L. U. 186, Minneapolis, Minn.

Bro. Wm. Thompson, L. U. 188, Seattle, Wash.

Bro. J. McClosky, L. U. 127, Alameda, Cal. Bro. John Carlman, L. U. 184, Chicago, Ill. Bro. John Mather, L. U. 102, Cleveland, O. Bro. George Hempler, Jr., L. U. 892, New York, N. Y.

Bro. Frank Gentle, L. U. 892, New York, N. Y.

Bro. Claude A. Jones, L. U. 892, New York, N. Y.

Bro. Alfred Hettekemmer, L. U. 191, Chicago, Ill.

Bro. Edward McBride, L. U. 679, Brooklyn, N. Y.

Bro. Mogart M. Mertes, L. U. 274, Stockton, Cal.

Bro. Chas. F. Hill, L. U. 39, Lowell, Mass. Bro. Joseph Wiss, L. U. 408, Hackensack, N. J.

Bro. Frank Fix, L. U. 515, Buffalo, N. Y. Bro. Jason Fuller, L. U. 62, Schenectady, N. Y.

Bro. Joseph W. B. Morton, L. U. 519, Newport News, Va.

Bro. Chas. Bergler, L. U. 699, Pittsburg, Pa. Bro. Wm. H. McNevins, L. U. 892, New York, N. Y.

Bro. James Howarth, L. U. 89, N. Hudson, N. J.

Bro. James F. Morrison, L. U. 856, Muskogee, Okla.

Bro. Louis Rehfeld, L. U. 499, New York, N. Y.

Bro. Frederick Ehrhardt, L. U. 89, N. Hudson, N. J.

Bro. Louis Adelman, L. U. 1011, New York, N. Y.

Bro. Mathias Schnyatynsai, L. U. 1001, New York, N. Y.

Bro. E. S. Moore, L. U. 476, Youngstown, O. Bro. Walter Busby, L. U. 294, Fresno, Cal. Bro. Jas. Wesley Harrison, L. U. 243, Beaumont, Tex.

Bro. Wm. E. Wolff, L. U. 134, San Francisco, Cal.

Bro. Robert Cochran, L. U. 134, San Francisco, Cal.

Bro. John Sutton, L. U. 368, Washington, D. C.

Bro. Benjamin F. Shaw, L. U. 250, White Plains, N. Y.

Bro. John Deuben, L. U. 147, Chicago, Ill. Bro. C. L. Walton, L. U. 127, Alameda, Cal. Bro. Wm. Gauss, L. U. 6, Pittsburg, Pa. Bro. Lewis Scholl, L. U. 345, Philadelphia, Pa.

Bro. Thomas Walker, L. U. 69, Utica, N. Y. Bro. Ernest Hansbourgh, L. U. 1058, Alexandria, Va.

Bro. Timothy Sloan, L. U. 11, Boston, Mass. Bro. C. D. Swaitz, L. U. 98, St. Joseph, Mo. Bro. F. P. Couch, L. U. 419, N. Yakima, Wash.

Bro. John Fanning, L. U. 590, Cranford, N. J.

Bro. Arthur J. Solari, L. U. 1044, Boston, Mass.

Bro. James L. Clark, L. U. 1026, Columbia, S. C.

Bro. Geo. J. Chestnut, L. U. 935, Tulsa, Okla.
Bro. Everett H. Reynolds, L. U. 131, Mt.
Kisco, N. Y.

Bro. J. Cook, L. U. 889, Brownsville, Pa.
Bro. J. D. Wheeler, L. U. 806, Miami, Fla.
Bro. J. P. Ayers, L. U. 806, Miami, Fla.
Bro. James Fearnley, L. U. 806, Miami, Fla.
Bro. Moses Houle, L. U. 563, S. Farming-
ham, Mass.

Bro. John Woodman, L. U. 814, Englewood,
N. J.

Bro. Alonzo B. Welsch, L. U. 380, Lancaster, Pa.

Bro. Harry Dean, L. U. 637, Chicago, Ill. Bro. Geo. N. Gulick, L. U. 195, Providence, R. I.

Bro. Phillip Lund, L. U. 194, Chicago, Ill. Bro. Paul Kirchofer, L. U. 202, Los Angeles, Cal.

Bro. J. B. Bryan, L. U. 585, Galveston, Tex. Bro. John Erickson, L. U. 194, Chicago, Ill. Bro. Herman Hulswitt, L. U. 50, Cincinnati, Ohio.

Bro. Robert Fairweather, L. U. 989, Newark, N. J.

Bro. Howard S. Clark, L. U. 181, Cleveland, Ohio.

Bro. John C. Cottrell, L. U. 833, Beverly, Mass.

Bro. Frank T. Hall, L. U. 466, Glens Falls, N. Y.

U. 44, Lawrence,

Bro. Daniel Sullivan, L.
Mass.
Bro. Alexander Freeburger, L.
Washington, D. C.

U. 420,

Bro. Harry VanNeikirk, L. U. 213, Paterson, N. J.

Bro. Chas. Schoenian, L. U. 91, Wheeling, W. Va.

Bro. Joseph Farrington, L. U. 12, Troy, N. Y.

Bro. Maurice Detzel, L. U. 500, Paducah, Ky.

Bro. Richard H. Dixon, L. U. 19, San Fran

cisco, Cal.

Bro. George Weirich, L. U. 905, Bronx, New York, N. Y.

Bro. Thos. E. McNulty, L. U. 75, Fall River, Mass.

Bro. Robert Purtill, L. U. 1035, Jamaica, L. I., N. Y.

Bro. Clarence A. Warren, L. U. 62, Schenectady, N. Y.

Bro. N. Christensen, L. U. 150, Rochester, N. Y.

Bro. Chas. Heuhn, L. U. 52, Mt. Vernon, N. Y.

Bro. Emil Behrens, L. U. 499, New York,. N. Y.

Bro. Peter H. Johnson, L. U. 236, Franklin, Pa.

Bro. David McNamara, L. U. 241, Montclair, N. J.

Bro. W. H. Shoemaker, L. U. 1004, West Frankfort, Ill.

Bro. Arthur Jas. Ebbatson, L. U. 692, Olney

ville, R. I

Bro. George Mulvey, L. U. 11, Boston, Mass. Bro. Reuben Miller, L. U. 184, Chicago, Ill. Bro. Emil Goldfus, L. U. 366, Pleasantville, N. Y.

Bro. Walter Heer, L. U. 540, Winona, Minn. Bro. Louis Brunner, L. U. 454, New York, N. Y.

Bro. Harry Shight, L. U. 198, Uniontown, Pa.

Bro. E. W. Artsman, L. U. 90, Springfield, Ill.

Bro. Edmond J. Peabody, L. U. 37, Detroit, Mich.

Bro. Edw. McNeil, L. U. 11, Boston, Mass. Bro. John Wilson, L. U. 285, Rome, N. Y. Bro. Wm. Webb, L. U. 242, Orange, N. J. Bro. Gilbert Carpenter, L. U. 580, Saratoga, N. Y.

Bro. Clarence Van Evera, L. U. 818, Suffern, N. Y.

Bro. Fred W. Ide, L. U. 497, Port Chester, N. Y.

Bro. Peter Weinand, L. U. 275, Chicago, Ill. Bro. Walter Madsen, L. U. 180, Oak Park, Ill.

Bro. Sam Gretts, L. U. 666, Appleton, Wis. Bro. Hugo Dummer, L. U. 392, Milwaukee, Wis.

Bro. A. S. Anderson, L. U. 194, Chicago, Ill.

ERROR.

The "In Memoriam" column in the January issue of "The Painter and Decorator" contained the name of Brother Thos. C. Henson, of Local 447, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. This was an error; we are glad to report that the brother is alive and well.

WATCH YOUR BENEFITS.

Local Unions in Arrears.

Any L. U. becoming two months in arrears for per capita tax to the General Office shall at once be notified by the G. S.-T., and failing to settle all arrearages within twenty-one days from date of such notice its members shall not be entitled to benefits except where the local union is on strike or locked out, or for equally sufficient reasons is given an extension of time in which to make payments. Section 15 of the Constitution.

Unions two months in arrears on closing monthly accounts January 31, 1918.

152, 163, 203, 279. 317. 342, 353. 357, 405. 428, 429, 470, 503, 510, 523, 576, 610, 667, 677, 678, 702, 748, 789, 801, 810, 859, 864. 883, 890. 903, 915, 922, 937, 955, 957, 997, 1000, 1020, 1024, 1038, 1050, 1055.