The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1874-11-14
The Trouble Between Labor and
Capital at PiItSburgh.

Capital at Pittsburgh.
AprrehensiouS arc entertained that o
clock OUT will occur at the Pittsburgh
Iron Mills. For the information Of the
general reader we will explain that o
Oock OUT 10 where tho mill owners close
their works themselves, whereas . "strike"
Is where the works are closed by turn
out of tho workingmen! The apprehen.
sons oil this lockout are founded on the
statement oil the mill owners that they
canno, afford, OF the present prices Of
their products, to pay the present scale ol
wages. And here again We will explain
that the scale oI wages 10 based
upon . sliding scale Of prices for
products. For instance when tho
card. price for iron Is what 1t Is now, viz: 3
cenu-the price for boiling iron Is 80 per
ton. Should the card advance 10 4 cents
the price would be 81 per ton for boiling.
The card runs from 8 up to Z cents, and
every time 1t varies one.tenth boiling
changes 10 cents. 1t does not, however,
provide for any sliding scale below 8 or
above cents, And Il Is here where the
difficulty comes in. The manufacturers
claim that although the card Is nominally
Scents, yet it Is really only 2i cents, or, in
other words, that the price has been cut
hall a cent below tho published rate.
Curlously enough when the card
Is at It's minimum Of 8 cents,
tho relative per centage Of wages
to It is at lie maximum. Thus at
8 cents the per cent Is 50: at 4 cents II 10
49, 8 cents II, and at z cents 1t is only
u. This discrepancy however has no
special bearing upon the question at issue
between the manufacturers and the work.
ingmen. The point is, on the part Of the
IOrmer, that the scale has been under
mined and demoraliSed by the panic, and
they therefore feel disposed to give the
80 days notice required oI both Sides
Of its dlscontinuance on their part. To
this programme the workmen demur.
They claim that although iron may be
selling below the card, yet the demand Is
good, and the priceis therefore within the
control OF the manufacturers. They Ssy
slsO that II the latter choose TO give awsy
their possible profits it is no Just reason
why labor should suffer. And while they
admit that certain labor is materially
higher in Pittsburgh than at such points
as Troy, Scranton, Harrisburg and Read.
ing, yet they also claim that expenses Of
living arc higher in Pittsburgh than at
these places, especially in the matter Of
rents.
And thus matters stand between the
owners oil the mills at Pittsburgh and
their employees, Efforts have been and are
still being made between the two to effect
a compromise, and thus save a suspension
OF operations. a stoppsgs OF the mills is
dreaded with holy horror by the people
Of Pittsburgh, as well it may be, for then
will follow dullness, depression, and,
10 many cases, ruin in business. Times
have been hard at Pittsburgh for good
while past. Such a blow as the closing
Of the mills would make them intolerAble.
The DIpateh looks forward to a hard
winter, and illustrates the present condi.
ton Of affairs up there as follows:
"As an example Of the number oi.per-
cons who are looking in vain Tor employ.
ment us book'keepers or salesmen, or al
other light Vocalions, gentlemen last
night related pointed incident. He said !:
4 wanted copying clerk, and advertised
IN late issue OF your journal ior one
BY noon the next day l had two hundred
letters from applicants. SomO ot these
were remarkable, and went farther than
anything else l have seen or heard Of to
show tho straits to which the unem.
plOyed ore reduced. Several Of the writer's
offered 10 work Tor enough to board
them. Others, again, offered TO come
Tor average wages and give me q
bonuS on the position: that is TO
say, they were willing that l should de.
duct anywhere from ten to twenty per
cent from their salaries every Saturday
night, until certain sum was reached.
0ne man offered 10 give me Q title to few
hundred acres oil land In Missouri for 8
chance at the situation. But tho most
noticeable instance Of all was that Of q
person who was in business year ago
and seemed then 10 have taft prospects
for the tnture. He was willing TO work
at seven dollars per week, and pressed
hard Tor the place. Others whom l had
known 10 be earning good salaries lew
months before were also among my cor.
respondenis The conclusion, to my, mind
was inevitable that there are more people
out OF employment and 10 tight places
this year than there have been for many
years preceding"
Thus far Wheeling has escaped the
seeming severity Of pressure ielt OF Pitts
burRh. We trust that 1t vii! be her good
fortune TO keep on her way as asheretolore,
A stop oi our mills would be an immense
loss to the community. And speaking Of
such a contingency reminds US Of some
statistics that have been given to the
world by Mr.. BoLLRS, in his new work
on Political Economy, in which he treats
Of strikes and their e1pensivenesS. He
gives, for the most part, only the Losses
that fall upon tho labOrerS themselves.
A strike Of tho Manchester spinners, in
England, lost them $l.26OOOO before the
dispute was ended. A strike Of the
puS,on spinnerU cost $9,1OOOOO in wages,
The strike Of tho Belfast linen WeAvers,
which ended only q few Weeka ago, cost