TO EXPEDITE PAYMENT OF DEATH
BENEFITS.

Request to Financial Secretaries.

The influenza epidemic has greatly increased the world's death rate, and that of the membership of the Brotherhood. More death claims have been received at the General Office in the last three months than in any previous quarter. To lighten the work and to expedite settlements Financial Secretaries are requested to see that claims are prepared in prop r manner. Each application should be accompanied by (1) the due book or due books of the deceased member for the period for which benefits are claimed, (2) a certificate of death and (3) abstract of the account of the member in the ledger of the local union; the correctness of which must be sworn to by the President and the Financial Secretary. The name of the beneficiary or beneficiaries should be given and his, her or their relationship to the deceased stated. If the benefit goes to minor children, this should be stated and a guardian be appointed. If one or more of the deceased member's due books are missing, the day book of the local union containing the record of payments made during the period for which the due book record is lost should be forwarded to the General Office. All information available should be given as this will save correspond nce and time. The General Office will appreciate the co-operation of the local unions.

ALL OF A KIND.

There was me and pap, and some more of

the crowd,

Was sittin' around in Jammerson's store, When Bill Hawkins told a tale he 'lowed Would set the fellers all in a roar. Says he: "When I was out in the West, Along on the edge of Ioway,

I knowed a feller there that made

A hundred dollars in half a day.
"The old Missoo' got on a raise-
A regular old Missouri flood-
An' this feller he sees a chance

In catchin' floatin' logs of wood.

So he advertised for fifty men

In the Roarin' City Weekly News To meet him on the river bank

With skiffs an' boats, or with canoes.

An' he hired them fellers to ketch that wood, An' all that mornin' the wood they fetched,

An' the pay he gave's where the joke came in

He gave them half of what they ketched."

And the fellers laughed at Old Bill's yarn, Laughed and said they thought it grand

Yet all of them fellers that cackled so
Was workin' on shares on rented land!
-Indianapolis Journal.

RESOLUTION AND PROPOSED AMENDMENTS TO GENERAL CONSTITUTION.

Whereas, The present salaries paid to our General Officers and Organizers are inadequate and much below the scale of wages asked by the various mechanical lines, and

Whereas, It should be the duty of each and every member of the Brotherhod to pay their servants at least as much as they are asking for themselves, so that they may be proud of serving the Brotherhood, and

Whereas, The funds of the Brotherhood do not permit an increase in salary for these various officers, on account of the small per capita tax derived from locals being entirely insufficient to meet the increased costs occasioned by the war,

Therefore Be It Resolved, That the Northwest Painters' Conference go on record as adopting this resolution, presenting it to the various locals for their adoption and final ballot, with a view of amending the following sections of our constitution, to-wit:

Proposed Amendments.

Section 190. Change figure "thirty" (30) in second line to read, "forty" (40). As amended, this section would read:

Sec. 190. Each local union shall pay to the Brotherhood 40 cents per month for each member in good standing on the books, except apprentices and honorary members; $1.00 for each candidate initiatedexcept charter members of newly formed locals-and 50 cents for each member reinstated. Remittances shall be forwarded to the G. S.-T., immediately after the first meeting night of each month for the amount due for the month just expired. An additional reinstatement fee of 50 cents shall be collected and retained by the local union. The revenue shall be apportioned to the following funds: Death and Disability Fund, Defense Fund, Organizing Fund, Journal Fund, General Fund and Supply Fund, and be used for the management of the Brotherhood and the payment of all benefits as hereinafter prescribed and provided

who shall be governed by Sec. 234) shall be $45 per week. They shall be allowed $4.00 per day for hotel expenses except when employed in their home city-and one dollar per day for incidentals, in addition to railroad fare, postage, and telegraphic expenses which shall be published in the Official Journal ach month.

General Officers, organizers and other members of the Brotherhood employed by the Brotherhood shall present itemized bills upon the official forms supplied by the G. S.-T., and shall confine themselves to the items appearing thereon. For any expenditures not covered by the items provided, receipted bills must be obtained, which must be forwarded to the General Office for submission to the auditing committee. Endorsed by local unions Nos. 33, 246, 261, 282, 300, 391, 395, 720, 857, 924, 961.

To the General Executive Board, the Officers and Members of the Local Unions of our Brotherhood-Greeting:

Having been instructed by President Hedrick to represent our Brotherhood at the Thirty-fourth Annual Convention of the Trades and Labor Congress of Canada, I proceeded to the quaint and historical city of Quebec, arriving in time to witness the opening ceremonies and attending every session thereafter until the adjournment at 11 p. m., Saturday, September 21, 1918.

The usual parade of delegates, preceding the opening session, started from Angle St. Joseph & Place Jacques-Cartier, Lower Town, and marched up one of the, I might say, mountain streets that have made Quebec famous, through St. John's gate to the Knights of Columbus Hall where the sessions were held. The parade was a grand success, with over four hundred delegates marching like old veterans and led by one of the best bands in the Province. The leaders of the Nationalist Union movement had a splendid opportunity to gauge the caliber of real union men and women carrying the International trade union ban

ner

triumphantly throughout the whole Dominion, even to their sacred but hostile threshold.

The first session was called to order by President J. M. Walsh, Quebec and Levis Trades Council, who in a short address tendered an official and hearty welcome on behalf of the organization he represented and introduced Mayor H. E. Lavigeur, representing the city of Quebec, who presented the welcome of the citizens. Among other things he said: "I am extremely happy to tender a most cordial welcome and the freedom of the city to the delegates." Referring to the many historical attractions and places of interest he urged all to visit them. He referred to the port of Quebec as one of the greatest in the world. In conclusion he said, he hoped that because of the Convention the feeling of entente in all parts of the Dominion would become more firmly established.

Premier Sir Lomer Gouin followed and tendered a welcome to the delegates on behalf of the Province of Quebec. "I feel deeply gratified to find that you have answered the convention call in such large

numbers. I was invited to be here to welcome you in the name of the Province of Quebec and to offer you the best wishes for the success of this convention and the Labor Movement of Canada in general. I am glad to see that you are numerous, that you come from all portions of the Dominion, and have representatives from every industrial center from Victoria to Halifax. I do not know what subjects you may discuss, but I feel certain you will consider all classes and sections, and that your decisions will be in the best interests of the citizens of Canada as a whole. I know that your sessions in no small measure prepare the ground for the representatives of the people in this country, both Federal and Provincial, and to a great extent assist us in placing legislation on the statute book of the country. I have been a legislator for twenty-five years and I understand that it is work and not speaking that brings results as Mr. Walsh said. I must tender my compliments. You have many problems before you when we think of the terrible war and those problems we must solve. I means that many capital questions must be decided. That is what you are going to do for the good of all the Provinces, all the classes, and for the good of Canada."

The next gentleman introduced was the Hon. Alexander Taschereau, Minister of Public Works and Labor for the Province of Quebec, who said that he was confident that the delegates would carry back to their homes the impression that the French of Quebec were, above all, Canadian in sentiment. They would find here all races and all religions living together in the most perfect harmony. He thought the labor element in Quebec would acknowledge that legislation placed on the statute books by the Provincial Government indicated its desire for sympathy with labor, and showed that they were forging ahead with the other provinces and the republic to the south. He invited the delegates to visit Val Cartier Camp and the drill halls in Quebec to see the young French-Canadians training to fight for king and country. They would be convinced, he said, that there were no slackers in Quebec. If he were one of the delegates he would take up the problem of woman labor, the Workmen's Compensation Act, and relations whereby the French-Canadian, who has not lost the spirit of thrift and adventure of his forefathers, may take his place in the workshops throughout the country and the English speaking Canadian come into the Province of Quebec under similar conditions.

Bro. S. A. Hayward, former Business Agent of Painters District Council No. 4, and President of the Central Labor Council and a very active member of Local Union No. 43, B. of P. D. and P. H. of Buffalo, N. Y., was fraternal delegate from the American Federation of Labor and made a very stirring speech expounding the principles of the A. F. of L. and its loyalty to President Wilson and the Government of the United States in protecting the interests of civilization and democracy. He referred to strikes and how they were settled by the Walsh-Taft war board. Thunderous applause and genuine Canadian appreciation greeted Bro. Hayward's wonderful speech.

Mr. Hancock, M. P., fraternal delegate from the British Trades Union Congress in his speech outlined the aims of the British Labor Party during the year, and also dwelt on their duties after the war. He also enumerated a threefold duty which devolved upon the labor man. First: To win the war. Second: After having won the war to prevent a recurrence of war. Third: To find work for our soldiers after they return home from the front. His speech was a masterpiece.

Mrs. Helen Armstrong, fraternal delegate from the Women's Labor League, spoke on the necessity of organizing all women workers. She told of the success obtained in organizing the domestics, telephone girls, Woolworth girls, and other women workers throughout the west. Mrs. Armstrong had the delegates heart and soul throughout her address.

Captain Halver, representing the Returned Soldiers' Reestablishment Commission, spoke on the number of returned soldiers to be discharged, saying that out of 300,000 who would return to civil life, only 5,000 would want retraining, and half of this number would go into nonessential trades. He also stated that labor would be represented on the commission.

The first business session of the convention was marked by a series of spirited debates on important issues brought up before the Congress.

The credential committee reported on 440 credentials, the largest list of delegates in the history of the Congress. There were 159 resolutions which dealt with many vital matters affecting the welfare of the workers of the Dominion, and at times very . spirited discussions took place in an effort to get the real feelings of the men and of the Labor Movement of the country. It is impossible for me to touch

women

Smith & Hemenway Co., Inc.,

78 Coit St., Irvington, N. J.

on all, therefore I will give a brief sketch of the more important ones:

A resolution regarding the importation of coolie labor. The Congress reaffirmed its attitude of opposition and urged the workers to use all in their power to prevent it.

A resolution calling for a general strike was defeated.

A resolution on Reconstruction was defeated, the whole matter being turned over to the incoming Executive Council to prepare a memorandum on same, along with the various resolutions aiming at some definite program for the future.

Matters in relation to the war were dealt with in the officers' report and in several resolutions, and precipitated a very fiery debate during which time a very clear view of the workers' position was expounded. The Congress went on record affirming their previous position.

A resolution relative to the purchase of War Bonds was strenuously debated. By a very large majority the convention approved the workers and organizations purchasing these Bonds. An amendment to attempt to get Government to make Bonds non-interest bearing was defeated.

The organization of policemen was the subject of a special committee's report. It was decided to oppose any legislation that might be introduced taking away from these men the right to organize, and Trades and Labor Councils were urged to do all in their power to organize Civic Employees, Firemen, and Policemen, also to favor the two platoon system for firemen.

Resolutions dealing with the Returned Soldier problem were turned over to the incoming Executive to take up with the soldiers' organizations, to cooperate with returned soldiers to secure legislation of common interest.

A resolution favoring Industrial Unionism instead of Craft Unions was defeated as

were all favoring severance of the bonds of affiliation between the American Federation of Labor and the Congress.

The committee on officers' report was divided, a minority report being presented on the question of the Special Conference of Labor representatives who had met the Government in conjunction with the Execu tive Council. This conference had dealt with several matters of great importance to the workers, viz: A man and woman power registration, extending conscription to neutral allies, and the amendment to the Industrial Disputes Act.

During a prolonged discussion it was moved to repudiate the conference. The motion was lost by a large majority and the majority report of the committee adopted.

A resolution was adopted favoring the creation of a Department of Public Health in all Governments, both Federal and Provincial, with a competent minister attached.

A resolution that beverages containing 22% alcohol by weight be allowed to be sold under the Ontario Temperance Act and requesting the Dominion and Provincial Governments to enact legislation whereby it may be legal to manufacture and sell anywhere in Canada any beverage not exceeding 22% of alcohol by weight caused a long and heated debate, but was finally adopted.

Other resolutions adopted were: National Minimum Wage; a national fund to cover all disasters which happen from time to time; compulsory insurance; no "progress certificate" to be issued to Government contractors who violate the fair wage clauses; polling booths to be open from 9:00 a. m. to 8:00 p. m., instead of 6:00 a. m. to 5 p. m., as at present; all hospitals and doctors to be under Government con. trol; that labor cooperate with the Government in future Victory Bond campaigns.

To be Continued