The daily gazette., 1880-01-08
FIRST EDITION.
DfssatisJied Morocco Men. :
THE sMALLNEss OF WAGES THAT is
CAUSING DIscoNTENT.

THE sMALLNEss OF WAGES THAT IS
CAUSING DIsCoNTENT.
Said an old morocco man In answer TO
a question last night:
"The trade of morocco dresser is
nothing what 1t used to be, and the
wages have been terribly cut down.
hen l first worked at the business here
In 1870 the dressers were making from
SIS to $3S a week without any trouble
at all. Only the slower aud more iiex-
perienced wOrkmen made as low as SIS,
and some could often make as high as
$40. Now, II is far different. During
the panic wages went down and IL seems
that they are bound to stay there, for 1t
has been long time since there was an
increase. Al present The dressers make
about $40 Ia all the factories. Some of
them occasionally make as high as $l2.
l believe that is what the workmen In
Scott's factory claim they make.
Tbis talk was had with the morocco
dresser In view of the rumors of discon-
tent that have been going around about
the morocco men 10 the effect that some
OF them were contemplating a strike.
This, IL may be, was originated by the
late strike OF beimsmen and tanners In
W.Jones 81 Cos factory on Walnut street,
above Front. And though such thing
may be that the dressers are contemplate
ing demonstration, with view 10 Sc
curing higher wages AN exhaustive search
among the workmen, and employers as
well, failed to show that anything but
the most satisfactory relations were
existing between tue manufacturers and
their hands.
II Is true that wages have greatly fall
on since 1870 and that they are slow to
20 up, but II the matter Is looked into
closely the whole secret can be seen at
once. The made up stock sells for al
most as high price as IL then did, but
tile cost OF raw material IN much higher,
and the hides are very scarce Mr.. Uhas
Bard toll the writer the other day that
II the factories here could get all the
raw materi III they wanted the force of
workm en- N Wilmington would have to
be Increased. II is owing to this fact
that the wages do not 20 up, and the
proprtetors OF shops say they cannot af-
ford 70 RAISE the wages now.
The strike at Jones factory has almost
ceased TO attract any attention, and in
qnirinR at the shop yesterday afternoOn n
eiicited the information that the whole
Thing was almost foTg Dtten, that all the
Den needed Lad been secured without
difficulty; and that the strikers could not
come back and get work at the wages
they demanded. The stri kers ihemselve
said tina; they had been offered sltnations
BY Mr.. Price, Mr.. jones' foreman at
the wages they had asked for aud that
they were thinking of going back ih a
body. However. they did not care to go
back as nearly all Of the thirty two men
who had struck had been able TO get
work. The s'rike was for an Increase
from 50 To $40 per Week Some OF the
men hal gone TO Philadelphia and with
out difficulty, had secured work at the
price demanded. The menstruck because
nearly ali The other shops had raised the
wages to $40. There W as talk yesterday
OF trouble among the cellar ruen IN Ba-
ker's factory, but IL Is not thought that
strike will take place, and all was quiet
there last evening.
In reality no more trouble IL appre-
hended at this time, but there are quite
"a number Of dissatisfied workmen. AMI
strikes originate In day. The striking
beamsmen will meet again in Saenger
Hall Monday night.