In New Orleans

To New Orleans last week went the delegates of U. S. trade unionism to attend the 48th annual convention of the American Federation of Labor. Justly they felt important, for they represented more than 3,000,000 of the citizenry. The convention opened with overtones of optimism. Labor had heard about President-Elect Hoover's scheme to prevent unemployment, as outlined by Maine's Brewster at the New Orleans conference of Governors (see p. 13). Of this scheme William Green, President of the A. F. of L., had said: "It is the first definite movement to systematize wages & employment . . . the first important announcement on wages made for a decade."

President Green was also jubilant at the progress made with labor's policy of the five-day, 40-hour week. Said he: "A total of 165,029 members of organized labor have won this new advance."

Secretary of Labor James John Davis reminisced of iron-puddling, mule driving. The color of his speech was roseate: "The long work day and the long work week is as dead as a dodo. . . . Prosperity is not the product of the classes; it is the product of the masses . . . labor-saving machines are rapidly becoming leisure-producing machines."

Resolutions, many in number, varied in purport, were sent to committees, including :

Several proposals to extend the immigration quota to the entire Western hemisphere, especially Canada, Mexico, the Philippines.

A proposal to exclude Filipinos altogether.

A proposal to eliminate private profit in the production of munitions & warships.

But by far the most striking gesture of labor was made outside the A. F. of L. convention. Also in New Orleans met delegates of newly-formed Labor Association, the American Wage-Earners protective conference representing 17 international unions with 250,000 members. The venerable bugaboo of tariff was their concern. They contended that present tariff rates were flooding the country with imported merchandise, that thousands of U. S. laborers were therefore out of work. This claim naturally hinged on statistics. There was a fat volume of them, gathered quietly in Manhattan during the past six months. Figures showing the increase of imported wares between 1920 and 1927 were copious and astonishing. Glass products had mounted from $14,000,000 to $30,000,000; clay products from $15,000,000 to $23,000,000; boots and shoes from $700,000 to $5,000,000. Photo-Engravers, Tobaccomen, Hatters, Metal workers. Bookbinders, Lithographers and many others studied similarly distressing data. Finally they issued a manifesto of principles and purposes. Among them: Labor demands representation on the Tariff Commission. The Commission should consist of experienced industrialists. Duties should be levied according to U. S. rather than foreign values. Immediate tariff revision is necessary. The President-Elect shall be requested to convene a special session of Congress for this purpose.