JAPANESE WORKERS GIVE UNION PROBLEM

Shall Japanese craftsmen be admitted to trade unions? Subordinated for several years by more important economic problems, the question is again before the Seattle Central Labor Council for an answer, and the organization committee of that body has been instructed to draft a recommendation.

The inquiry comes from the local tailors' union, with whose members Japanese are in growing competition, but unions of other crafts also are interested, it developed at the weekly meeting of labor council Wednesday night when the question was brought up. J.C. Dillon, business agent of the tailors, told the council that the cleaners and dyers' branch of his union was face to face with the Japanese problem and that the question now seemed to be whether to organize the Oriental workers.

"We are not asking this council to make a ruling," said Dillon. "We merely ask your advice. The Japanese are in the dyeing and cleaning business and something should be done to protect the workers in the industry. We have put the question up to the American and the federation says it is one that each international union must answer for itself. Our international union puts it up to our local union. Now we are putting the problem up to you and asking for your assistance in solving it.

"Personally, I believe that it would be best to organize the Japanese, but there may be good reasons for not doing so. What my union wants to know is how this council feels about it."

Referred to Committee.

On motion of F.W. Cotterill the request was referred to the organization committee for an answer. The question, he said, was not one that the council should be asked to decide, and was really for the international union to answer. Nevertheless, it might be that the committee could work out some satisfactory solution for the tailors.

Up to the present time few if any American trade unions in the West, at least, have admitted Japanese to membership, though several of the international unions in the American Federation of Labor do not bar any race, creed or color. At its recent Buffalo convention the American Federation voted down a resolution to restrict membership in its affiliated unions to American citizens on the ground that adoption of the resolution would prevent organization of Japanese and other Orientals who cannot become citizens should it in the future become desirable to take them into the general labor movement.

It was reported to the council that citizens of Ballard were preparing to celebrate the completion of the municipal street railway's Ballard extension, and a committee organized labor in arranging the celebration.

Charter Surrendered.

Garbage Department Workers' Local Union No. 14,866, a federal union directly affiliated with the American Federation of Labor, reported that it had surrendered its charter and merged with the Federal Union No. 11,387, composed of workers in miscellaneous trades. The Garbage Department workers are for the most part members of the unorganized crafts.

The Auto Drivers announced a dance to be given in Dreamland Pavilion tonight for the benefit of the widow of Thomas Knight, a member of the union, who was shot and killed by highwaymen two weeks ago.