Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1879-04-15
MORE ABOUT NAILS.

pioneers in the business west oil the
Allegheny mountains, we asked MN II
there really is any difference between
the prices paid for pudding iron and
cutting nails in the East and West?
Yes, he said, there is a difference
There is even a difference between the
price paid for pudding in Pittsburgh
and Wheeling.
How does this come?
Well. said he, I'll tell you. A good
many years ago, before there were any
railroads connecting the East with the
West. all goOds-and among them iron
and nails-were wagoned across the
mountains. Being a heavy class OF
freight, it was expensive to drag hun
dreds Of miles ever indifferent
roads by horses. Consequently, these
articles sold at high figures in the West
ern country. AS the country developed,
a few enterprising men concluded TO en-
gage in the manufacture OF iron and
nails in Pittsburgh, and thus bring the
manufacturer and the consumers IN this
section closer together. In order TO III
duce skilled workmen Of the better class
10 come West-Pittsburgh was the place
selected isr the experiment "a high rate
of wages had Ia be offered as an induce
ment. And this could be- afforded, as
the long haul from the Eastern cities
acted as a high protective tariff in favor
Of the new Pittsburgh enterprise. To
this cause may be attributed the most
OF the difference in wages that exists to-
dav between the East and the West,
and not, as many suppose, to the differ
ence i'm fuel
As To the difference between Wheel
inc An Pittsburgh. that came about at
the time Of the great strike, away back
about the year 1850 or 81. Col. +. NJ.
NoRrox was at the hcud oi the Belmont
mill then and Mr.. ;. ii. WOODWARD
aud his associates were new men here.
This strike originated in Pittsburgh and
was caused by the manufacturers ask
inga reduction from = to $3.50 Tor Pud-
ding. When the proprictors named
SL5Oas the price, they expected to com
promise on 500, but the operatives got
their dandcr up ami rallied under the
battle cry OF $500 and NO compro
mise" This begot an ohstinaucy on the
other side. 80 the banner OF
81 30 and no compromise was raised,
ANIL under il the manufacturers
marched t. final victory. At Wheeling,
Col. NuEroS held that, a the business
was N It's infancy here and cool pud-
dlers were scarc2-in those days there
were not enough skilled puddlcrS to do
the work it would be- a good stroke OF
policy Tor Wheeling To oiIer 500 at the
tine the fight was raying at Pittsburgh.
The manufacturers at the latter place
finally triumphing in establishing $3.50,
it left Wheeling paying ID cents more
on the ton than Pittsburgh. IL |
was in this circumstance, and not IN the
difference in the coal or anything con-
nccted with the actual labor OF pudding, |
that the difference between the wages |
paid in the two places arose. Since |
that ,lay the difference has tiuctuated |
all the way from = cents ton |
to SI.OO; and indeed, in 1868 or 1870, |
the puddlers Of Wheeling attempted to !
force the difference up to $3.50. Wheel |
ing coal is little stronger than the litts-
burgh coal, said our informant, and
takes little more labor to keep the CRATE
bars clean, but that is all. Two men do
the work at Pittsburgh, and two caH do
il here.
But, said ne, this fact should be- borne
in mind at this stage of the cOntroyersy:
the prices OF labor, both in pudding ana
mailing, in the East are now down to
antc.war prices. This is not the case in
Wheeling; vet nails are below the lowest
price ever reached before the war. Before
the war New England paidabout l4cents
per key for ten pennies and New Jersey
10. That is what they are paying
to-day Wheeling pail Il cents, AMI
now her manufacturers are paying 2l;
while nails are selling AT less price
than then obtained. Forpuddling, just
prior to the war, Wheeling paid -, but
now she pays $50, as against $500 to
$3.50 i'm the East
Last evening We interviewed a gen
tleman on the action OF the Nail ASSo-
citation last Wednesday. WeaSked him
il that action was not rather put forth as
a "ieelcr' than asa demand for reduC-
ton. lie anSwerc, that it was. The /
Western manufacturers, he said, 10 not |
expect the men 10 come down 10 the |
prices paid East, although he saw no |
sound reason why they might not do 81,
but they did expect them To |
do as the operatives East
have done, come down to the |
prices which obtained at the COM
mcncemcut Of the war. The manuiac-
turcrs preferred to appeal tn the sense
oi right and Justice Of the operatives,
preferred Ia meet with them a. rational /.
men and discuss the situation in the
light of their mutual interests, rather /.
than to come forward demanding any
thing They know the operatives are
generally intelligent, and they believe /
them 10 desire TO be- Just, and therefore
they believe a full, iry,. ami candid dis
cuSSion will convince them that they can /
better afford 70 yield little than, by I
holding out, 20 "kill the gooSc that laws !.
the golden Egg Wheeling has no Surr /
thing on the supremacy a. the Nail /
City Of the United States The manu- /
l,1s.,... al, .rs..s-g ,,.,vv