I.

SECOND ANNUAL MEETING

OF THE

AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR LABOR LEGIS

LATION

DECEMBER 29-30, 1908.

The American Association for Labor Legislation held its second annual meeting at Atlantic City, December 29 and 30, 1908. The most important action taken was the provision made for a salaried secretary who shall devote his entire time to the management of the affairs of the Association and the organization and support of state branches. This fortunate arrangement grew out of the remarkably successful meeting and the intense interest in the work of the Association which was evident at all of its sessions.

The forenoon session of December 29th was arranged as a joint meeting with the American Economic Association. Professor Henry W. Farnam delivered his address as President of the Association for Labor Legislation. At the same meeting the subject of Employers' Liability and Workmen's Compensation was presented by Miss Crystal Eastman of the Pittsburgh Survey, and Dr. Max O. Lorenz of the Wisconsin Bureau of Labor and Industrial Statistics. The Canadian Industrial Disputes Act was discussed by Professor Adam Shortt of the Civil Service Commission of Ottawa, and Dr. Victor S. Clark of the United States Bureau of Labor. These papers form the third part of this report.

The separate session was held in the forenoon of December 30th. President Farnam outlined the organiza

tion of the International Labor Office and of the different European Sections in the following words:

PRESIDENT FARNAM.

"It will be well to explain what the International Association is and to characterize some of its branches. The Association was formed in 1900 at a conference held in Paris in connection with the Universal Exposition of that year. This congress was attended by delegates from a number of states, including the United States, and the statutes of an International Association for the legal protection of workers were adopted upon the report of Professor Mahaim of the University of Liège. The Association was to be a federation of autonomous sections, but to have its head-quarters in Switzerland, and its president and vice-president were to be Swiss statesmen. The purposes of the Association as enumerated in its Statutes are five, and will be found appended to the constitution of the American Section.

"In 1901 the International Labor Office was established in Basel and Professor Stephen Bauer was put at the head of it. It has since developed into a well equipped establishment with a staff of experts. It occupies quarters placed at its disposal by the government of the canton of Basel. It has collected a large library on the subject of Labor Legislation. It publishes a bulletin in French and German and supplies the material for the English addition. It is maintained by the contributions of fourteen states and twelve sections. Norway, Sweden and Luxemburg make governmental contributions without having sections. England has a section but its government does not contribute. The total expenses for a year are about sixty-six thousand francs or between thirteen and fourteen thousand dollars. Its sections are now established in the following countries: Germany, Austria,

Belgium, Denmark, Spain, United States, France, England, Hungary, Italy, Holland, and Switzerland. Of these sections the German, Austrian, Belgian, French, Hungarian, Dutch and Swiss were organized at once, the others have been successively organized since that time. The total membership of the sections is estimated at something over four thousand, but in a good many cases a number of memberships are held by organizations, so that the number of persons affiliated with the sections is very much greater than these figures would indicate, being estimated at over 5,000,000.

"There is a considerable difference between the composition, activity, and general character of the several sections. The German Section even bears a distinctive name: Gesellschaft für Sociale Reform. It holds its general meetings once in two years and it discusses not only labor protective legislation in the narrower sense, but labor policy in general. Its total membership is over sixteen hundred, but in this are included 107 labor organizations having over 1,000,000 members, also fourteen employers' associations and nineteen political associations. The President is Freiherr von Berlepsch, a distinguished Prussian statesman and former minister. Practically all the political parties are represented in its membership excepting the socialists. They are not excluded as such, but do not appear inclined to join. Its publications, now numbering some twenty-seven, are issued under the title, "Schriften der Gesellschaft für Soziale Reform."

"The French section is much smaller, containing some five hundred members, with provincial sections in Lyon, and Lille. Its membership includes all parties. Its president, Monsieur Millerand, is a moderate socialist and former minister of labor. But it contains clerical members, conservative representatives, prominent members of

the legislature, etc., and has published a number of books relating to labor legislation.

"The Swiss section also aims to be representative of different phases of political opinion and is distinguished by having Cantonal branches so that it is organized on a kind of Federal system. Its membership is about six hundred.

"The Belgian section is very small. Its membership, according to the last official account, was seventy-eight. It does not aim to be popular. It exists mainly for the purpose of study and its membership is intended to reflect as nearly as possible the distribution of parties in the Belgian legislature; that is to say, about half belong to the Catholic party, the other half being divided pretty evenly between liberals and socialists. As explained to the speaker by M. Du Bois, the director of the department of labor, there is little need of carrying on a propaganda in Belgium in order to get people interested in the social question; it is always on the tapis. To organize a society for the purpose of advocating it would be like organizing a society to enable rich people to take vacations.

"The English section which was formed in 1906 is also small, but rather by accident than by design. According to the report of last year it contained 122 members, of whom 72 were individuals and 30 societies. It is noted for the activity of women in its management. About one-quarter of the individual members are women, and its very efficient secretary is Miss Sanger.

"As already stated the objects of the International Association are of two kinds, scientific and practical, the latter referring mainly to International treaties. For Constitutional reasons the United States cannot be expected to take part in these. Our relations are, therefore, mainly with the scientific and educational side of the

work. On this side again it is clear that there must be a reciprocal relation. We must give as well as take. The collections of the Bureau are made accessible to us through circulars and reports. On the other hand we must keep it informed regarding the progress of legislation in our country and other matters which may come up. We are at present engaged in studying among other topics the execution of labor laws for the International Association. There is an impression abroad that most of our labor laws are executed in a very inefficient way. In many of the States this is doubtless true, but it is not true universally. By obtaining the facts we may be able to correct an opinion which fails to do us justice. For the sake of gaining information on this and other points we must, of course, be in touch with what is done in the several States, and for this purpose we should be represented in every State by some one who has access to the doings of the Legislature. Through the Bureau of Labor Statistics and other governmental agencies our American Association may thus become a medium by which greater enlightenment may be secured for our own legislation and through which in turn the rest of the world may be better informed than it now is regarding what is done here."

Mr. C. H. Verrill, representing the United States Bureau of Labor, and Mrs. Florence Kelley, representing the American Section, presented reports of the biennial meeting of the International Association for Labor Legislation at Lucerne, Switzerland, in September 1908. (A complete report of the action taken on each subject was printed and distributed to members of the American Section.) Mr. Verrill called special attention to the organization and growth of the International Association and, in a concise summary gave the conclusions reached at the Delegates' meeting.