Of the two thousand junk peddlers in Chicago there are at least 1950 Jews, and the other fifty are a mixture of various other nationalities. The lot of these junk peddlers is not at all to be envied, because their work or business is far from being an easy occupation, but a hard, bitter work, concomitant with insults, taunts, and often also with physical force.

The junk peddler must move all day with his old bony horse, notwithstanding the bitter cold or the extreme heat, whether rain or snow his hard and difficult toil is awarded with as the soft heart of the dealer is willing to compensate.

The junk peddler himself has no say about the price which he is to receive for his work, and in this respect is worse off than any workers who has something to say about how much he is to receive for his labor. Thus the life of the 2Jewish junk peddler is not one of joy and happiness, but one of hard labor without a ray of light for a better future.

Lately, the condition of these men, who are considered by workers as businessmen and by businessmen as workers, became simply unbearable. The sudden drop in the price of junk, has dealt these workers such a deadly blow that they have jointly decided to defend their interests, and attain better living conditions. Arriving at this conclusion, the junk peddlers organized a union, and are applying all their energies to enroll their fellow workers who have not yet joined.

The main suffering of the junk peddler at the present time consists not only in the low prices, but also in his inability to receive even these, being subjected to the mercy of the junk dealer.

At a meeting of this union two weeks ago, a junk peddler related to this writer an incident which occurred to him personally:

"I drove my wagon loaded with junk into the junk yard, and the dealer offered me nine and one-half cents a pound. I agreed and began to unload the junk, carrying it to the scale. The dealer then remarked that he would pay me nine cents a pound. I could not refuse his offer so I started to place the junk on the scale. He then said that he would pay me eight and one-half cents a pound. I nodded my head and began to remove the junk from the scales. The dealer for the third time changed his price, offering me eight cents a pound. I became impatient, reloaded the junk back into my wagon and carried it to another dealer, who paid me ten cents a pound."

The chief endeavor of the junk peddlers' union is to control prices, and see that their members receive the market price for the materials which they sell.

On Sunday afternoon, the Jewish junk peddlers will hold a meeting of their union at Feldman's Hall, 1840 West Roosevelt Road, where they expect to enroll many new members and organize all the Jewish junk peddlers of the West Side.

The clinic is one of the many modern improvements installed by the Joint Board of the Cloakmakers Union. It is, without doubt, one of the most important.

This clinic, which is a hospital in miniature, is located in the office of the Union, 1815 West Division Street, and is under the supervision of Dr. Max Getner, who has gained a very fine reputation for his medical knowledge and humane treatment. Dr. Getner visits the clinic twice a week, each Monday and Thursday from 12:00 Noon to 1:00 P.M., where every member of the Union receives a medical examination free of charge. He only has to pay fifty cents to help cover the expenses of maintaining this clinic.

Every day between 12 Noon and 1 P.M. a practical nurse is in attendance at the clinic. She gives treatment to those members who have minor ailments. The rest of the day is spent in visiting homes of sick members, where she renders necessary aid.

Dr. Getner has many plans in mind to improve and perfect this clinic, which he hopes to make a pattern for Jewish labor unions.

The 44,000 members of the Amalgamated, who sent a delegation to the New York conference about the tailors strike there have responded, as was expected. Their resolution to immediately assist the strikers with the sum of $500,000 will not only help to buy food, clothing, and shoes for the strikers, but will also help to maintain their courage, energy, and their fighting spirit.

There is no doubt that the action of Chicago's Amalgamated members will be heartily applauded by the labor bodies of the entire country, and financial aid for the strikers will flow from all corners.

This praiseworthy work of the Chicago Amalgamated members will be noted down in gold letters in the history of Jewish labor struggles.

A conference regarding unemployment will be held by delegates of all labor bodies 6next Sunday morning at the Labor Lyceum. This conference was called by the United Hebrew Trades.

It is not necessary to point out the importance of this conference at the present time, because its necessity is being strongly felt by every labor body. Let the labor bodies, therefore, take up the problem with the utmost sincerity and send their most capable representatives to the conference, for they will have a very serious and difficult problem to solve.

This conference will have many important items to discuss. But first of all it must deal with the main purpose for which it was called; how to help the unemployed so that they do not have to resort to charity.

The chief task of this conference must be to keep intact the honor of organized labor and to prevent its members from becoming a burden on charitable institutions. The organized working class itself must render succor to its needy.