Marine Spar

Chicago

AN APPEAL FOR AID.

To the Members of Organized Labor:

Nearly five thousand men employed in the metal mining industry of the CliftonMorenci-Metcalf district of Arizona have been on strike since the 11th of September, 1915. No greater struggle has ever been engaged in in the Southwest. Working men never enlisted in a worthier cause.

The men of every craft and nationality are a unit in waging this strike. The sheriff's office has been used to keep the peace, not to break the strike. The governor of Arizona, in his Thanksgiving Day proclamation, made the following appeal to the public on hebalf of the strikers, and headed a list with a subscription to the strikers' relief fund:

In the Clifton-Morenci mining district of Greenlee County, state of Arizona, there exists deplorably a condition whereby nearly 5,000 workingmen are deprived of employment, and where, consequently, hundreds of families, with their slender savings exhausted, are entering upon the rigorous winter season without any dependable supply of the necessities of life. Words cannot express or picture portray the extreme suffering that even now is baring its cruel visage to the worthy people of this stricken district.

Pursuant, therefore, to the plain dictates of humanity, I, George W. P. Hunt, governor of Arizona, do herein proclaim the serious need of food, fuel and clothing in the Clifton-Morenci district, and do earnestly appeal to the generous people of this state for such contributions of money and supplies as will alleviate suffering and afford means of simple sustenance for penniless families in this time of industrial trouble. All civic and benevolent organizations are especially urged to organize and conduct movements for the gathering and shipment of supplies to the Workmen's Relief Committee, care of the sheriff of Greenlee County, Clifton, Arizona, to the end that, through ministrations unto those who are afflicted, the spirit of mercy and brotherly love may be exemplified in our citizenship.

And the convention of the American Federation of Labor adopted the following resolution:

Whereas, The miners of Morenci, Clifton and Metcalf, Arizona, for the first time in the history of these camps have organized; and

San Francisco

Whereas, The mining companies issued notices to the men to the effect that they must sever connections with their Union and sign a blank form prepared by the mine management to that effect; and

Whereas, Upon their refusal to so do, they were forced to strike for the right to belong to a Labor Union; and

Whereas, For more than two months they have maintained their struggle, as not a wheel is turning, or a man working in any of the three camps, except those authorized to do so by the Union; and

Whereas, The powers of the governor's office or those of the office of the sheriff are not being used to demoralize or defeat the strikers, and be it said, to the great credit of the governor of Arizona and the sheriff of Greenlee County, that they have zealously guarded the honor and trust placed in their keeping by the people of that state and county; therefore be it

Resolved, That this Thirty-fifth Annual Convention of the American Federation of Labor gives its endorsement to the strike of the miners and kindred workers of Morenci, Metcalf and Clifton, and that it urges upon the affiliated organizations that whatever assistance be within their power be rendered to the Arizona strikers in this struggle, and sent to F. B. Hocker, Treasurer Relief Committee, Box 511, Clifton, Arizona.

ERNEST MILLS. Secretary-Treasurer Western Federation of Miners.

OLD GARDENS

By Clement Wood. Clematis and moon-flower, how they hang above her,

Scented with her fragrance, beautiful from her! Morning-glory, salvia,-all the flowers love herWhat is my heart made of, that it should not stir? Four-o'clock, verbena, they are gay and naughty; Not as gay as she is, when her blue eyes dance, Hollyhock and sunflower, she is just as haughty, Filling the old gardens with the old Romance. Daffodil and jonquil-ah, her laugh is golden. Golden as the sunlight laughing in her hair; Moss-rose, geranium, can you not embolden My bashful lips to tell her-tell her how I care? Jasmine, magnolia,-ah, her soul is sweeter

Than the sweetest incense you can pour below; Golden-glow and violet, how shall I entreat her So that she will heed me-me who love her so? Hyacinth and lavender, love is longer, wider, Than your scented pathways where her footsteps roam; Heart's ease and bridal-wreath,-my home is beside her

Walking the old gardens-and I long for home!

And now for the flat wall paints: From my hasty remarks in Rochester, it might be inferred that I am opposed to flat finishes, but it is not so. I only object to being told that a flat wall paint, with a lithopone base, is practically the only thing. In all reports on lithopone that I have seen, except those emanating from its manufacturers and their allies, this pigment is held to have but very little durability. Its discoloration is well known, and if the manufacturers have, as Mr. Gardner states, succeeded in producing a non-darkening lithopone, that is certainly a great improvement, but I have never seen any of it. There has, of course, always been a difference in quality of lithopone, just as well as in zinc white and white lead. Rather than being opposed to flat finishes, I am, from an artistic point of view, very strongly in favor of that kind of finish for most interior ceilings and walls. Greasy looking and shiny ordinary oil paint has a very uninviting appearance in any room, and high gloss enamel is only suitable for bathrooms, kitchens, laundries, pantries and similar rooms, but there they are in their proper place.

There are on the market a very large number of ready mixed flat wall paints containing lithopone, but I have to confess that I am afraid of most of them. They have grown up like mushrooms in the last five or six years. Almost every paint dealer has one of his own. Aside from the questionable character of lithopone, they are nearly all made with a binder consisting of so-called rosin oil and China wood oil, thinned down with a better, or worse, kind of turpentine substitute. Some of them have the most objectionable odor, and settle very hard at the bottom of the can. I have seen some of them so brittle that they would chip from the wall when given a slight knock with the end of a lead pencil. To recommend such materials, simply because

they contain lithopone, as Mr. Gardner apparently does, is certainly risky. I purposely use the word "apparently" because I feel reasonably sure it is not done intentionally, but he expresses himself in such way as to give to many that impression.

The directions for the use of a large majority of these flat wall paints call for one coat of ceiling varnish (some manufacturers spell it "sealing varnish") and two coats of flat wall paint. Could there be any worse dope suggested for painting a new wall? No "self-respecting wall" will stand for that kind of a "dress." Any practical painter knows the result, and Mr. Gardner very properly warns against the use of varnish under the flat wall paint. Unless the wall is properly filled with linseed oil paint, the flat wall paints are bound to cause trouble, and even if this precaution is taken, there is grave doubt as to their ability to properly support future coats, and I predict there will come a time when many a man will wish he had never heard of lithopone flat wall paint. I know of only three flat wall paints which are made with linseed oil, and they demand a higher price. A good flat wall paint is a good material in the hands of a practical painter, but the cheapest concoctions are in the greatest demand. To place the manufacturers of such mixtures in position to point to Mr. Gardner's paper as an indorsement is a danger which should be avoided.

Mr. Gardner's suggestion to use "linseed oil containing drier" between old coatings of lead paint and flat wall paint will not be approved of by practical paint

ers.

The paste paint to be thinned down with cold water has several things in its favor, and one is price, the very thing which plays such an important part in the flat wall paint business. They are, i my opinion, as good, if not better, than the

majority of flat wall paints, and they give a dead flat finish in contrast to the sheen which is always found on the flat wall paints.

Then

As far as I can see, the only question of sanitation, in this instance, is the question of the harboring of disease germs by the different coatings after being applied. I am not familiar with the life and habits of the germs, but I take it for granted that they can enter into the minute cavities of any porous,coating, and there rapidly multiply, unless prevented from so doing by some strong disinfectant existing in such coating. This would naturally apply equally to kalsomine and flat wall paint. Mr. Gardner admitted what we all know: namely, that flat wall paint is porous. the question arises of how to best destroy these germs. Washing with water containing an antiseptic seems to be the suggested remedy. We all know that kalsomines cannot be washed but they can be very readily washed off. Every painter will also testify to the fact that it is very difficult to wash any flat wall paint and leave a perfectly even surface. You can wash it; yes! But what is the appearance of your surface afterwards? I hold that it is just as easy and just as cheap to wash off kalsomine, using some disinfectant in the water, and then rekalsomine, as it is to wash a flat wall paint properly; and then you can be sure there can be no germs lurking in any of the deeper pores of the coating. The burning of sulphur candles for fumigation, as prescribed by the Board of Health, will not hurt the kalsomine, neither will the fumes of formaldehyde, which will, on the contrary, further harden the glue and lengthen the life of the kalsomine. It may affect certain color pigments used in the coating, but the same thing would occur if such colors were used in flat wall paints.

A properly made, and properly applied, paste paint to be thinned down with cold water will, owing to its dead-flat finish, present a better looking surface, after being washed, than will any flat wall paint. I have recently washed, with perfect satisfaction, a wall so coated, not only with soap and water, but with a solution of carbolic acid, and I am told that other antiseptics may be used. Summing up, I will say that my honest conviction is that properly prepared kalsomines and paste-paints, to be thinned with cold water, are just as safe from a sanitary point of view as any lithopone flat wall paint ever made.

Nobody who has given any attention to the matter will doubt the propriety of enacting a law, where such does not already exist, prohibiting the application of one

layer of wall paper over an old one, or a new coat of kalsomine over an old coating. Both should be removed for fear of possibly existing disease germs. But how about the porous flat wall paint? Should not that properly be most thoroughly washed with an antiseptic 'solution before another coat is applied? But enough of this quibble. The most important thing will always be cleanliness, fresh air and sunlight. Let us have light, dry rooms, frequently aired and where the sun can send in its germ destroying rays. Last, but not least, let us keep ourselves clean, both physically and morally, whether our walls are covered with kalsomine or with flat wall paint.

In connection with this, it might be well to correct a widely existing misunderstanding among the painters as well as others. One painter came to me in Rochester and expressed his surprise that a man connected with a Government institution would write such (as he expressed himself) a careless paper, and two persons have spoken in the same strain afterwards. I informed them of their mistake, and, as I know there are others who labor under the same delusion, I will, for their benefit, state here that Mr. Gardner is not in the employ of the Government, but is connected with "The Institute of Industrial Research." The name is very cleverly chosen and, coupled with its location in Washington, leads many to believe it is a Government institution. This institute is a private business enterprise, for the purpose of assisting manufacturers, mine owners and others in different branches of industry to develop or improve existing products and processes, etc., and to further the interests of its employers. Mr. Gardner has charge of the paint end of this business. He is largely employed by members of the Paint Manufacturers' Association. The institute of Industrial Research can be employed by any man who needs its help, to assist him in his business in the same manner as you hire a lawyer or an advertising agent, and, of course, you pay for services rendered.

In conclusion, will say that it would be well for the craft if the Internation 1 Association of Master House Painters and Decorators of the United States and Canada, as well as the several State associations, followed the example of other prominent organizations and appointed a committee to pass upon all papers to be read at their respective conventions. They owe it to their own dignity, and it would protect them from the possibility of b ing imposed upon. Yours truly.

P. W. NELSON.

Dept. 5, Omaha Nat'l Bank Bldg.

HE general term, chrome yellow, inIcludes the four commonly used pigments-medium, canary, lemon and orange chrome yellow. They are of comparatively modern origin and are not without undesirable qualities and defects, but have replaced largely in, painting some ancient color pigments whose defects were many, so the chrome yellow colors must at least be regarded as great improvements.

Quite unlike the natural earth pigments -umbers, siennas, ochres-which are mined and made ready for use simply by washing and classifying, the chrome yellows are produced wholly by chemical combinations.

Medium chrome yellow is really the base for the others, different tints being produced by varying the chemical re-agents. To make medium chrome yellow, a solution of bi-chromate of potash is decomposed in tubs with a solution of lead salts and a yellow substance called chromate of lead (chrome yellow) is precipitated and settles to the bottom as a very fine powder, which is taken from the tubs, washed, dried and ground in oil or japan.

Medium chrome yellow is neutral chemically and in color is between the other chrome yellow pigments. It is neither of the lemon greenish-yellow cast or the orange-reddish tinge.

Canary chrome yellow is the palest in color and is produced in the same way as medium chrome yellow, except that sulphuric acid or sulphate of lead is added to the bi-chromate of potash and lead salt solution before precipitation takes place. Lemon chrome yellow is produced by using a little less sulphuric acid.

(for artists) in japan and in distemper (water), and are used extensively by carrige, car and implement manufacturers, as well as by painters.

To meet the demand for low-priced colors, the chemically pure chrome yellows are extended or adulterated to various degrees by grinding with them sulphate of lead, alum, barytes, whiting, gypsum, clay or silex.

The chrome yellows are not so permanent in color as the earth pigments, nor do they possess the same semi-transparency. They are not, therefore, as useful for glazing, graining or staining, but are valuable for tinting paint for outside use. For interior decorating, either in oil or watercolor, they are not to be relied upon, because they are darkened by sulphuretted hydrogen gases. Oxidation alone, without the influence of sulphuretted hydrogen, causes these pigments to take on a greenish cast after long exposure. When mixed with oil or varnish, which protects the pigments, these changes are slow and the colors are sufficiently durable. In distemper or water-color, however, they have no such protection. Use them judiciously.

The chrome yellows dry slowly and require the use of an additional amount of japan drier to insure setting in time to avoid having the paint run, particularly paint of a colonial yellow color.

On the whole, these color pigments could not well be dispensed with. They offer at moderate cost a wide range of tints with a white lead base that could not be obtained except with more expensive colors and complicated formulæ, and for making greens they cannot be replaced.

Chrome yellow is sometimes a contrary color to use when you are trying to match up any particular tint. Often you cannot produce exactly the same tint twice from the same can of chrome yellow and the same white lead base. Whenever possible, it is well to mix in one batch all the paint required for a job.-The Carter Times.