Muncie, IND.; News of Local 23, Hemingray closed for 7 weeks for repairs, may start tank soon

MUNCIE, IND.

By Harvey Hickman.

The members of Local No. 23 have been out of work for the past seven weeks, the factory being shut down for repairs.

When we closed down the yard was running over with ware, but on account of three big shipments this summer they have but a very few insulators left now.

The firm is contemplating putting fire in one of the tanks and starting just as soon as the railroad situation gets settled down enough so they can get coal and soda in.

Local No. 23 held their conference with the firm on August 14 and Mr. Hemingray granted us nearly all of our demands. The pressers got a 20 per cent increase and the gatherers on ware weighing less than 25 ounces from 75 per cent of pressers' wage to 80 per cent, and ware weighing over 25 ounces 85 per cent of pressers' wage. We will also work the three shift system when we go to work.

While the stork was passing through Muncie a few weeks ago it stopped at Brother Robert Bailey's home and left a bouncing baby boy, and Robert is surely proud of it.

The writer will represent Local No. 23 at the convention of the Indiana State Federation of Labor August 27, 28, 29, at Indianapolis.

The legislative committee of our local got busy on the high cost of living and tried to do their part to get it lowered by sending resolutions to President Wilson and our representatives of this state, asking them to make and vote for laws which would lower the cost of living and do away with profiteers.

What is profiteering? It is a creature of discontent which causes starvation, paupers and strikes, and makes criminals out of men and women who want to be honest but can't under the present conditions, because the profiteers are robbing them of what really belongs to them, growing children being underfed, thereby robbing many of them of that which is their right — a good mind and a strong body — and many of them an education, thereby increasing ignorance and crime, filling our jails, poor-houses, insane asylums and orphans' homes. Just on account of a few money-mad men the American profiteers, better known as the American kaisers, who are trying to monopolize all the necessities of life which rightfully belong to the laboring man, because he is the producer. So now while the ball has started to roll to put an end to profiteering, let's all of us do our bit.