special privilege intellects. Give those broad-minded fellows everything they need or think they want or should have, but stipulate that they receive those blessings when they are in the proper place, and that is in the lunatic asylum. Those who labor for a living are rightfully entitled to a living from their labor. Our wiseacres believe taxing the laborers should be encouraged, for the more taxes we have to pay the harder we shall have to labor in order to pay more taxes-easy, a blind man can see the advantage of licensing the journeyman painter. E. Z. MARX.

STOCKTON AT PEACE.

At a joint meeting of Locals No. 274 of Stockton and No. 451 of Manteca, held in the Building Trades Council's headquarters, 216 East Market St., Stockton, Cal., on the night of February 21, 1919, it was, on motion, unanimously decided that the two locals amalgamate. Both locals thereupon turned in their respective charters to the organizer of the Brotherhood, Brother Uhl, and made application for one charter to represent San Joaquin County. On the night of February 28, 1919, at the Building Trades Council headquarters, Local Union No. 1115 was regularly installed by Brother Gus Uhl. At this meeting it was unanimously voted that the Secretary be instructed to officially inform the General Office of some of the subsequent events.

After the vote was passed to amalgamate, Bro. De Merse resigned as a member of the Brotherhood.

Mr. De Merse is closely associated with Mr. McGaughey, editor of the "News Advocate," a weekly paper which seems to be controlled by the Merchants and Manufacturers' Association of Stockton. This sheet has continuously knocked everything and everybody connected with bona fide trades unionism, including the Brotherhood, the State Building Trades Council of California and all the officers thereof.

We are now affiliated with the Building Trades Council of Stockton, and our members are practically unanimous in our support of the principles of that organization. We believe the decisions in these proper steps were influenced a great deal by the assistance of Fourth Vice-President Joe Clark and Organizer Gus Uhl, who have both rendered us valuable advice, especially those of us who were at all times willing and glad to do what we thought was right. While we were, for a time, in the minority, you will see that we were finally a majority and that we at last carried the vote to amalgamate by almost a unanimous decision.

In conclusion, we wish to sincerely thank you for the service the General Office has rendered our members when we were in the right, and we want to assure you that we also are confident that your troubles, as well as our own, are practically at an end in Stockton. We would urgently request that you publish this statement in the Monthly Journal in order that all our members may be reliably informed. Again officially thanking you, Fourth Vice-President Clark and Organizer Uhl, as well as the Board, I remain,

Sincerely and fraternally,

W. W. JENKINS. Sec'y Local 1115, Stockton, Cal.

LABOR BOARD FOR PANAMA CANAL.

For several years we have been endeavoring to inaugurate a new plan for the handling of the industrial situation on the Panama Canal. Brother Berres and myself have been in correspondence with our Canal Metal Trades Council and have had several interviews with the Canal Commission, in addition to correspondence with Governor Harding, with a view to inaugurating some plan whereby the labor organizations would be officially represented by a member on a board that have to do with wages and conditions that might arise on the Canal.

It seemed almost impossible, first, because of the long delay in the travel of correspondence to and from the Canal, and second, because of the lack of sufficient and accurate information, to properly handle the various grievances that were presented to our Department from the Panama Canal Metal Trades Council, but finally the Council decided to send a committee to Washington to be here at the same time Governor Harding would be in Washington. Accord

ingly we arranged for a conference for the committee from the Canal Council, Brother Berres and myself, which resulted in an understanding being reached that will undoubtedly bring about much more satisfactory results than heretofore.

First, Governor Harding agrees to discontinue his present board which is made up of the executives of each of the departments on the Canal and organize a statistical department to represent him as the executive of the Canal, and the Metal Trades Council will prepare all data and gather necessary information as the representative of the workmen.

Second. Governor Harding will name one man to be the representative of the Government and the Panama Metal Trades Council will select one representative who will be the representative of labor

Third. These two men will form a board to which will be submitted the data from the Canal Statistical Department and from the organizations through the Metal Trades Council covering the questions of wages and other conditions that may arise. This board of two will hear all cases, go over all data presented and make recommendations to the Governor which will undoubtedly be his guide for new rates of wages, changes in conditions of employment and the adjustment of grievances.

The Committee from the Canal who attended the conference were highly pleased with the result and are returning home feeling that the greatest satisfaction and benefit will result in the handling of industrial affairs on the Panama Canal in the future. JAMES O'CONNELL,

President, Metal Trades Department.

BROTHERHOOD PARTY TO AGREEMENT

Between Metal Trades Department of A. F. of L. and the Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation.

Washington, D. C. Feb. 26, 1919.

Mr. J. C. Skemp, G. S.-T.,
Bro. Painters, Decorators, etc.,

LaFayette, Indiana.

Dear Sir and Brother:

Referring to your telegram under date of January 31st and your letter of same date in reference to your International becoming a party to the agreement between the Metal Trades Department of the A. F. of L. and the Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation, I beg to advise you that at a meeting of the Internationals' Committee, which is provided for in the agreement, your letter and telegram were read. Upon motion it was decided that the application made by the International Brotherhood of Painters, Decorators and Paperhangers of America o come under the provisions of the agreement, be granted.

You should therefore advise your membership employed in the shipyards of the Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation of the action of your International so that they may govern themselves accordingly.

There will undoubtedly be some expense attached to the setting up and the working of the machinery provided for in this agreement and your International will be expected to pay its pro rata share of such expenses.

I am inclosing several more copies of the agreement and copy of the rules which have been agreed upon by the Internationals

Committee and the Committee representing the Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation. It is expected that this machinery will be set in motion about April 1st.

With best wishes, I am,

Fraternally yours,

A. J. BERRES, Sec'y-Treas.

PROPOSED SANITARY LAW. Bill Introduced in Minnesota Legislature. A bill introduced for an act to regulate the repapering, repainting and recalcimining of rooms in hotels, tenements and dwellings to prevent the spread of contagious diseases.

Be it enacted by the legislature of the state of Minnesota:

Section 1. No wall, partition or ceiling or any room in which there has been contagious disease in any tenement house, hotel or dwelling shall be repapered, calcimined, or have any other covering placed thereupon unless the old paper or other covering shall have first been disinfected and removed therefrom and the said wall, partition or ceiling cleaned, disinfected and freed from bugs, insects or vermin.

Section 2. Any person, firm or corporation violating any of the provisions of this act shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.

The painters informed me at the Union hall today that you would be the right man to locate a partner or partners, for me. I want an "A1" sign man, who is a good business man as well. Also a first class paper hanger and decorator, one who can handle the business end as well as being a mechanic, as he will have full charge of the wall paper and drapery end. Five hundred dollars each will put them into a good live business, in the good live hustling town of Fargo, N. D. A Mr. Geo. Turner, of Mpls., came up here and went in with Herbst Dept. Store and built up a good trade in the decorating line, but on seeing a good opening for an upholstering shop, he resigned and started in business for himself, leaving a I have good opening for a first class man. the first privilege.

A Mr. Dumas, our sign man, died a few weeks ago and left a splendid opening for a sign man, and with a good sober A 1 man, we could do business from the start. As to my reference you may write Mr. Scott, of the Merchants National Bank, Mr. W. E. Boyd, proprietor of the Waldorf Hotel, Mr. Al Liembacher, manager of the Gardner Hotel, or Judge C. A. Pollock, of this city as well as Union Hall business manager.

Yours very truly, J. C. DURKEE.

TO WELCOME THE BOYS.

Toronto, February 13, 1919.

I take pleasure in sending a photo of one of our returned heroes, Brother Frank Leslie, a member of L. U. 151.

He has been overseas 2 years and 10 months, was wounded at Vimy Ridge in 1917 and again at Arras in 1918. He served with the famous fighting "20th" Battallion of Toronto in all of the principal battles and was discharged the 22nd of January 1919. Frank is a brother of O. A. Leslie of Local Union 147, Chicago.

We are expecting more of our war members back, some of whom have been overseas since 1914. Some will never return; they sleep in France or Flanders, consecrated by their blood.

Some members have given their sons, everybody in Canada has suffered, and we are glad the war is over.

When more of our war heroes are here I am going to suggest a reunion celebration of all members of 151.

Our membership is now 303 and not, as stated by Jas. Dodds in "Call to Arms" in January Journal.

I hope that the members of 151 will try and get together and have a social dinner to welcome our war boys and show our ap preciation of their sacrifice for the cause of democracy.

I want to mention that we are awake in Toronto, the trade is aroused at last to the value of organization. Ship and Marine Painters are organised the Sign Bulletin and card writers are in line and all are determined to do their utmost to wipe away the stigma that Toronto was asleep. J. HOPKINS,

Business Agent L. U. 151 and 1099.
Toronto, Canada.

A PENSION FUND.

After reading all kinds of views regarding a Home and Pension Fund for our craft, I should like to write about a proposal of my own. As most of the correspondents seem to be opposed to the establishment of a home for our old and disabled members, I would like to suggests a way by which the Brotherhood could pension an old deserving brother.

Suppose you assess every member 25cts a month, or $3.00 a year, to be payable on 1st of May and 1st of September each year. These are dates when the whole craft is working and making good wages and it would not cause any hardship to anyone to pay these assessments and would not bur den the secretaries with excess bookkeeping.

According to the last report, we have about 100,000 members in our Brotherhood: The yearly assessment would amount to $300,000. Save this money for 5 years and invest it in secure bonds paying interest and it produces an income of $75,000 a year.

per cent

This would be sufficient to pay a pension of $500.00 a year to members 60 years of age, to 150 members of our craft. The 6th year and later years of the assessment paid you would have an additional $300,000 which could be applied to increase the amount of the pension or increase the death benefit paid to our families.

O. J. GUILDENAST,

Member of Local 521, Chicago, Ill.