The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-04-26

/ Win the ,oss ~ must 60 70 the wall and put u
,. In me wen known iron foundry Of tne As.r.,.
ord van, oiosner, iwenty-sixIn street and ssec.
are employed The employers rennre ,ss5 s M.
sre urn Ia ,ne,r prices The light foundry men
/ ployed on heavy castings IVORY ON aa",s 10 c.'
! the average wages Tor mecaanics ranges 1 ,som
81 90 to s. 70 per day. aeorers receive q H. The
dirion, because OF hatness In Inc aSorf vor Sus
Occasionally the employers helped some Of tnsis
hands VINO were out OF work 1911 ssn
sesen-esh,hs OF the tTadesmen employed n AZ on,
foundry belong 70 trades unions OF one Kind or
trade are rather exacting IN their demands ~,
wages. Wood workers are not so hard to ' Ss
jackson says that, considering the times and the
80 woakaEs ARE PAID VERY MODERATELY.
Although business prospects have frightened
greatly within the last couple OF months still con
siderng the natural increase or trade that might
ana larger demands on the building trade there Is
not hall the number OF plans Tor buildings now be.
fore the superln tendent OF the department that
last season. The Elght-Hour law has q
damaging effect upon trade. People ars
the strikes, believing that at q moment
they might be deserted by tradesmen and their
accomplish nothing The whole matter depends
on the state OF the labor market Ii the demand
- urgent bosses VIII comply with any reasonable
conditions OF the men; n trade Is dull and rho
labor market glutted operatives only prejudice
their own interests IN useless attempts to force
terms upon their employers Now, at this juno
ture the market is oyerstocked with labor the
demand small and hence master mechanics
gency and inflct death blow on The labor law.
Better Tor tsem-they think-to lose few slack
weeks this spring in the settlement or the dispute
tnan, perhaps, have ~ come up again wnen they
could least afford to grapple with it, After ali,
tue men would be obliged to KNOCK under,n and
so back 70 the old ten-f0uf rule
Another thing, also, Is to be considered. Prop
erty owners see that that is o downward tendency
terals, they argue, must keep pace with every
thing else, and therefore 1t Is to be presumed that
owners are amply Justified In waiting for a year
or two more before entering upon contemplated
improvements IN their holdings.
Master mechanics say that the strikes will
eventually drive other industries away from this
city, as the snipbulldlng interests have already
been driven out. Moudlngs, doors, sashes and
sucn like material can Just as well come from New
Orleans or the Kennebec River as De manuiac-
tured IN New York or vicinity. In other parts OF
while here they are sticklers for eight,
THESE TWO HOURS DIFFERENCE IN A Days WORK
make an advance Of twenty-five per cent neces-
sary on the masters estimates compared 10 what
the same JOB can be done Tor In New orleans or
Maine, AND TINS, too, while the freight from FUR
per ton. To this plausible argument the work.
men reply that the rapid growth OF New York,
which Is the commercial centre and metropolis OF
America demands speedy increase OF building
and other branches OF Improvement; that, al.
y, bnouga u distant parts OF the country men may
compensation, they are not available for setting
up bricks and mortar, plastering walls or hanging
doors OF houses which must needs go up In Man
haitian. In Manchester, Preston. Newcastle, BIZ
mingham ana other manufacturing centres OF
England trade strikes are OF frequent occurrence;
yet trade Is not driven away from those localities.
WY then, should they have dlnerent effect In
The removal Of their factories and furnaces is
not the only threat which employers hold over the
heads OF the employed. They say that IRON work
and other materials can just as well be shipped
rom Europe, at lower figures for some articles,
than they can be made for here. Why should not
trnIl ma NH,
be imported nom Europe, in the same way AZ
cashmere, SILK, proadcloths aud laces ares Why,
indeed not allow Europeans to make everything
from needle to an anchor Tor us. and cease to let
Americans have any manufacturing industries aG
M Iaa' heal ye IUr sais = tue
evil-iree trade. This indeed would give our
master mechanics. tradesmen and operatives 4
long rest and settle forever the questions between
them by
oBIrGING THEN TO go wEsr'' OR srARvE
An intelligent member OF the Iron Moulders'
International Union told HERALD reporter that
the members OF this association (Which embraces
publishes q monthly newspaperj do not care ABOUT
enforcing the eight hour law. Nearly all the MEM,
Der q O By the and
to complain OF, want no change ana desire to be
let alone. toierablE fair workman can make on
an average 81 day. In case OF o general strike
the iron mouders would assist the strikers,
although they are not obliged TO do so, but 1t Is q
custom among tradesmen TO help each other when
they can. On principle the masons, plasterers and
carpenters, as well as other tradesmen, should do
oil IN their power to keep up an observance OF the
labor law.
The piastercrs nave committees ont with in
structlons to wait upon the bosses and procure
final understanding upon the important question
In dispute The committees nave not yet reported.
III Is reported that the mechanics, as well as their
employers are gong to test the point IN q compc-
tent court OF law.
The builders ana others employed on the Dry
Dock C0mpany's edifce. corner OF B0wery ana
Third street, are working eight hours. The con-
tractor who has the works in charge does NOT seek
q return to the tenn0ur rule. Ons OF the work
men said, ut ts only petty iobpers and sub-0on.
tractors who want to grind the poor man into tha
dust. Ten hours, indeodi Why there is not work
for half that time What 10 the use or improve
ments IN machinery and all kinds OF labor-saving
apparatus II men are to remain the slaves OF long
hours now as lormeryY II men are to work
as hard and be paid as poorly all along 1t were
better that no Inventions had been made, for in
that case there would be more than enough for
every one to do. The condltion OF the working
man does not improve with the spirit OF the age,
a. 1T should do. The value Of property increases
at an astonishing rate and the power OF modern
Inventions Is brought to bear in improving 1t, but
the modest work 0l God Is neglected,
Halted an cuf'd and disrcspccted, tse
left to his own shifts, and, when OF no further SER
vice TO the CAPT ast, whose tool he has been cast
aside like o broken reed.n q