Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1883-02-18
PERIL At HTTSBURGH.
Prominent Iron Firms Said to Do
Passing Through a Serious
Financial Crisis.
A General Feeling Of G'Som and
Dependency ManifsstiHg IT.
self Among Manufacturers.
Secretary Weeks views--The Tar
iff Tinkers in Congress-
Charges Against Jarrett.

iff Tinkers in Congress-
Charges Against Jarrett.
Special to the Sunday Register.
PITTSBURGH, February T.-There is moth
ing new to report this week in the iron or
| labor situation. Matters are still at stand
still, and the prospect Of change seems as
! remote as ever. Some predictions are be-
ing made that serious collapse will take
place before long. 1t is said by some shrewd
guessers that number Of firms are passinG,
sthrouEha financiAic thSt may result
In the death of some OF them. They have
been hanging on in the hope that good
spring trade might help them to pull
through, but as to the prospect for such
trade grows less and less every day, their
chances for
safety From the sheriff
slowly diminish. The failure of the Klo-
mans few days since gives some color TO
this theory. Some two months ago and
since that time those who professed to have
great confidence in the future predicted an
early and heavy spring trade. So far their
predictions have been unfulfilled, and COM
ing from a high authority the following
talk of Jas D.. Weeks, OF the Iron Age, argues
unfaverably for such an improvement. Mr..
Weeks, in discussing the situation, says:
while it is admitted by all that the busi-
| ness (the iron trade) is very unsatisfactory
at present, some are hopeful in regard TO
the immediate future, while others are de.
Tho fnrmar with good weather
and the tariff question disposed etf, look
for an early improvement, and these are IN
the majority; but the latter are disposed to
take an opposite view, basing it largely on
over.produCtion, claiming that the country
Producing N re Iron.
both raw and finished, than can be con-
sumeG 1t must be admitted that there has
been an over.prOductiOn OF pig iron dur
ing the past six or eight months, but this
will be regulated by furnaces blowing out.
4 number have already done So and others
contemplate doing so very soon. The pro-
duCtion of finished iron has also been re-
duced. Many of the Western mills have
within the past few months changed from
double to siugle turn, and IL is probaole
that a number of them will shut down al.
together, so that it will be seen the general
tendency is to
IeBtth tne " AEu"
turned upon the market. There is no
doubt but that the uncertainty OF what &C.
ton Congress may take in regard to the
tariff has had very much to do with un-
settling the condition of the iron trade for
some time past One of our most promi-
nent manufacturers who has just returned
from an extended trip throughout the West
| reports the country very bare OF stock, and
| saws that both buyers and consumers, ap-
prehensive of lower prices, are buying only
what their immediate necessities demand"
The question of tariff legislation is still
| being vigorously agiIated in trade and la
Dor circles in this city. Debating societies
wrangle over it and street corner loaters
| blame their want Of prosperity on
he-CongressiOnaI Tariff Tinkcrers
Anumber of meetings of wOrkingmen
have been held OF late at which raging res.
| olutiOnS advocating high protective tariff
! have been passed. One section of set OF
resolutions adopted at meeting of work
| ingmen last night reads as follows:
! Resolred, That We denounee- the. bill pre-
| sented in the House and Senate OF Con-
gress as being unwiSe, uni Just, and II APP
proved. will throw open the doors to the
| importation OF foreign merchandise, de-
| stroy American manufactures and lmpoy-
| erish the American mechanic.
Also the following:
I'VE believe the passage of the bill recon-
mended by the Tariff Commission will
| greatly extend our manufacturing indus
| try, increase the value of labor and give
| well distributed prosperity to working
| men, to landhOlders and to business.
These resolutions may be taken as voic-
| ing the general sentiment OF the working
mSn of this city upon
Tho Tariff Question.
| The feeling in iron circle is that it would
| be much better to have the tariff remain
as it ls than to pass the bill as it now stands
Secretary Martin, of the Amalgamated
| Association, arrived home from Washing
ton yesterday. where he has been laboring
| with Mr.. Jarrett in behalf of the men they
| represent. lie reports that the prospects
! for favorable action in Congress are ex
| ceedingly slim Notwithstanding the great
| pressure that is being brought TO bear by
| the manufacturing districts. President
| Jarrett is still at Washington and will stay
| as long as there is any hope of doing any
| good. The ugly attacks that have recently
been made by the free trade organs are
| indignantly resented by the members OF
| the Amagamated Association here. These
| journals charged that Mr.. Jarrett was
| allowing himself to be made the
| Tool of the Iron Capitalists
and that he was using his influence as
| President OF the Amalgamated Association
tn further the designs OF the capitalists.
Mr.. Jarrett is regarded by all who know
him, as man who would by no means act
in the way indicated. Even those who are
| opposed to him in his management of the
| Amalgamated Association will bear tesd-
mOny TO his honesty of purpose. Mr.. Jar.
rett can not be injured by any such attacks
when il is understood thew are inspired by
the advocates of free trade for the purpose
| OF iniuring his influence. The meetings
| OF wOrkipgmen to adopt resolutions refer
red to above were held in pursuance of a
circular issued from Amalgamated head
| quarters urging them to do 50.
A member OF the Allegheny county del
egatien at Harrisburg has prepared bill
for the legislature that will likely meet
with favor in the eyes of all workmen. 1t
provides for the a6olShment OF the
Prison Contract System.
At the Work House and Penitentiary
in this county there are not less than
fifteen hundred men employed in making
| various articles that come in direct compe.
tition with those made by honest" LABOR,
and of course underse!!s the latter in the
| market.
Mr.. Joseph D. Weeks. as special agent
for the Census Bureau, has just completed
his report on the coke industry. 1t was
|
figure can be obtained until il leaves his
hands. The report will make over q hun
ired quarto pages. Besides the figures it
will contain a complete history of the
establishment and development OF the busi-
ness which has grown in u few years from
a small beginning to be one OF the greatest
industries of this State.
While some businesses are depressed,
every body is not losing money.
| One OF the Greatest Bonauzss
that wasever struck by lucky man was the
| Pittsburgh telephone stock. A few years
ago a number of gentlemen, who had
enough foresight to see the result OF the
invention of the telephone and enough
nerve TO spend money on venture, put
about $4,000 into forming a plant for
telephone company in this city. Ihe thing
Maid almost from the word go, and from
ihe earnings of the company the lines
| were extended, and now the fraBcise OF the