The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1874-11-09
OUR MILLS AND WORkMEN.

The Present Depression of the Iron
Trade-The Manufacturers Demand
n Reduction i'm Wages-The Basis o.
tween Committee of Owners and
the Boilers IL iOn-The Result I'm.
pOrtant.
From the Pittsburgh Dispatch of Saturday,
To-day one of the most important
meetings which has ever taken place be-
tween employer and employee in this city
will be held by the Committee of the
Manufacturers and the Puddlers' Union.
The point involved, in brief, is the re-
duction of the sliding scale of prices for
pudding, without which, it seems inevi-
table, our rolling mills must gener-
ally stop. The situation is about
~ follows: At the time of the
long strike when the reaction from the
prosperity during the war commenced to
be felt, an agreement was entered into
between the manufacturers and puddlcrS
or boilers by which the price to be paid
for work should depend upon the card
prices of iron. This has been adhered to
up to the present time with light vari
alton and in consequence Of lis terms,
puddlcrs are paid to-day ST per ton on
the card rate of 3 cents. The public
prints have, during the past six months,
been announcing the partial stop
page of many establish mcnts, and
that very hard times have fallen upon
iron manufacturers here, has been uni
versally understood. This great deprc.-
sion has, to great extent been
due, say the manufacturers, to
the comparative high price they
have been compelled to pay for
pudding. At these figures the mills
lind it impossible to continue running.
Under the sliding scale, the lowest point
at which reduction Of wages follows a
reduction of price, is when the price
reaches three cents. At the present
time iron can be bought at two and II
half cents, while the price ofpuddling still
remains at six dollars. The manufac-
turcrs claim, therefore, that the sliding
scale is unfair in the particular of its in
operativeneSs below three cents, but even
did it operate, when such low prices are
reached, the proportion of deduction IN
price to that of wages is not equal, for
under it, with iron ut Il selling price OF
three dollars per ton, the price of boiling
would still be three dollars and ten cents.
This law of proportion has caused the
present discrepancy between wages and
prices, now that the lowest card rate
named in the agreement has been reached.
CAN THE MILLS CONTINUE?
The immediate point at issue, there
fore, is, that, considering the present and
prospective condition of the trade, can
the mills here possibly continue to run?
One half of them, and this is not guessed
Mt, are now preparing to stop. This has
been brought about, besides their inabl-
itv to make money, by the fact that in
the East, where different rates of labor
exist, wages have been 80 far reduced
that the mills have started up, and are
pouring iron upon the trade mt compcti-
tive prices with Pittsburgh. On this
point the AmCricoH Manufacturer, Il
Journal which, under the editorship Of
Mr.. Joseph Weeks, is recognized aS en-
NEATLY reliable authority, will this week
have the following to say:
"As is well known large reduction
in price of labor has taken plac" at the
Eastern iron mills. The following tabl"
will show the present prices paid East
for boiling aud padding as compared
with what is paid in Pittsburgh:
I,ilInu mr. IIII-