The organized Jewish workers in Chicago will celebrate the tenth anniversary of the United Hebrew Trades next Monday evening. The Jewish workers of Chicago do have something worth while to celebrate because the accomplishments of the United Hebrew Trades, during the period of its existence, are remarkable. The tremendous growth of the Jewish labor movement in the past ten years and the improvement of the economic and intellectual condition of the Jewish workers during that time are very closely connected with the activities of the United Hebrew Trades. As a result of these activities, the furriers, embroidery workers, butchers and shohatim, shoe repairers, mattress makers, knitters, horsehair workers, brush makers, grocery clerks, junk workers, cleaners and dyers, and many others were organized during the past ten years.

Throughout these years, these labor unions have been supported and are still 2being supported by the United Hebrew Trades. Under its influence, the workers became class-conscious, disciplined members of the great Jewish labor family, who are concerned not only for their own interests but also for the interests of their fellow men.

Therein lies the chief merit of the United Hebrew Trades, which makes the celebration of its tenth anniversary a real labor holiday. The United Hebrew Trades was not organized ten years ago, as so many people think, but many, many years ago. The first United Hebrew Trades was organized twenty-seven years ago, but it did not exist long. Of the members of the first United Hebrew Trades, so far as I know, only two have remained and have continued their activities in the labor movement up until now. They are Benjamin Schlessinger, president of the International Ladies Garment Workers Union, and Leon Henach, the present secretary of the United Hebrew Trades, who has been serving in this capacity for the past seven years. Since then, many attempts have been made to organize the various trades, but with the same success as the first attempt.

The success of the United Hebrew Trades would have been much greater if there 3had been more money available, and a greater number of active forces. The reason for this situation was the fact that the veteran powerful and influential Jewish unions did not take sufficient interest in the United Hebrew Trades because they did not particularly need it in their daily struggles. The more recently organized unions, which did realize that their existence depended exclusively upon the United Hebrew Trades, were not overly rich, nor did they have many practical leaders and workers.

In celebrating the tenth anniversary of the United Hebrew Trades, this fact will have to be considered seriously. It is especially imperative, at the present time, to have a strong central body that will not only assist the affiliated organizations in their struggle to better the economic conditions of their members, but will, first of all, help them to defend the standard of living which they have attained by so much effort, and which organized capital threatens to destroy.

It is now vitally important that labor organizations fortify their ranks in every 4possible manner, in order to be able to defend their position when the enemy attacks. It is no longer a question of how strong or weak a labor body is; alone in the struggle it cannot survive. The workers throughout the country, who are striving now to establish closer relations among themselves, are coming to realize this. This is also the reason for the present movement in the needle-trades industry: to organize a needle-trades alliance. The open opposition of the New York manufacturers of the needle-trades industry against their organized workers is the best proof, that the fear of these workers was not illusionary.

Everybody knows that the New York manufacturers of ladies' cloaks and dresses, of men's clothing, of caps and furs, have united in one large association to start a campaign to destroy the Cloakmakers Union, the Amalgamated, the Capmakers, and the Furriers Union. This potential struggle will, without a doubt, have a tremendous influence upon the immediate organization of an alliance within the needle-trades industry in order to oppose the enemy's onslaught with a united front.

All labor unions, without exception, must learn a lesson from this situation and must realize that now is the time to establish closer relations among the unions and thereby greatly strengthen the alliance. At this anniversary of the United Hebrew Trades, this problem must be considered. The program should not be taken up with high-sounding phrases and praise, often extended to those who do not deserve them.

The powerful veteran Jewish unions, which up until now have not taken enough interest in the United Hebrew Trades, must resolve to do so from now on because no one knows what tomorrow will bring in the present abnormal industrial situation. The lack of finances and active workers, from which the United Hebrew Trades has suffered up until now, must cease. There is no reason why Chicago's central labor body should suffer from such a deficiency. Under present conditions, the United Hebrew Trades is not in a position to do the necessary work which it could do under better circumstances.

The officials of the United Hebrew Trades, H. Schechtman, president, and 6Leon Henach, secretary, are not paid officials and the part-time organizers, who work only part time for the United Hebrew Trades, are unable to do all the important work. If Chicago's Jewish unions cannot afford to hire a paid secretary and organizer for the United Hebrew Trades, they will have to support at least one of them. Ten years ago, the United Hebrew Trades had a full-time paid organizer; it is certainly more important that the organization have one now.

Another important fact which must be considered at the anniversary [celebration] is the [problems of] mass immigration which has just begun, and which will soon bring tens of thousands of new Jewish workers from across the seas to America. It is the sacred duty of the United Hebrew Trades to make all the necessary preparations to assist them and to prevent them from becoming a burden, as well as from injuring the organized labor movement.

In New York, the United Hebrew Trades discussed this problem two weeks ago. Representatives of almost all the important Jewish unions assembled and drew up 7plans to establish an "Immigrant Workers' Bureau," whose task it will be to assist in the newly arrived Jewish immigrants in every possible way, and to enroll them into the unions.

A special committee of ten members was elected to complete these plans. On this committee the following were represented: Cloakmakers, Amalgamated, Painters, Capmakers, Waist Makers, Raincoat Makers, and Fancy Leather Goods Workers. This committee was given the privilege of co-opting fifteen additional workers to help in this task, which it did immediately. These additional fifteen members represented the following: furriers, bakers, neckwear workers, white-goods workers, shirtmakers, knitters, tinsmiths, barbers, waiters, jewelry workers, chandelier workers, and store clerks.

The United Hebrew Trades of Chicago must, in this instance, follow the example of the United Hebrew Trades of New York, and establish in Chicago, for the same purpose, a similar "Immigrant Workers' Bureau," which will naturally be in close contact with the New York bureau, as well as all other bureaus in the country.

A number of new and important problems have come up in industrial life, and it is the job of the United Hebrew Trades to be aware of them, especially during the celebration of its tenth anniversary. A central labor body, that has been in existence for ten years must be in a position to take hold of and solve the important problems confronting the labor organizations.