New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-03-24
UNCERTAINTY AMONG CIGAR-MARERS
ARGUMENTS ADVANCED IN FAVOR or INCREASING
wAGEs-PRospECTs OF TIE MAY TRADE.

XAGEN-PROSPECIb Of HE MAY Trade
Within the past few days dispatches have
been received from several Western cities announce
,I me cigar makers have resolved to demand "a share
Of the reduction the internal revenue tax that Ia to
he taken on they claim II Ia said 81 with the alter
native general strike In case the demand Is refused
The action Tint the rignr-makcrs or this city will take
n the matter in somewhat uncertain. There Il much
activity among the unions, and Individually the men de
the workman the manufacturer and the retail dealer,
but definite programme OF action seems to have been
A. strasser Of No. 10 Chatham-st., the president OF
the International Cgar-Makers Union sad TO- IhIli-
had any foundation that general strike had been
nj any rate no resolution had been made. The
ports circulated PROBABLY by employers who were
Interested IN getting up u s,ae or "a strike they
might reap the whole the profit and the retail dealers
none The greater number OF cgarnak III this city,
howeyer belong to the Cigar-Mnkers' Prog essive
Union The two organizations do not look kin lily upon
one another The nternaOna-ts denOunce the ProgIes
sivc Tnionss ~ Socialists while the latter return the
compliment by calling the Internatonallsts trading po
lticians In speaking OF The possibility OF general
Unioniss said: IL IL premature to SPEAK o what we
shall do in May. All Will depend upon circumstances.
Tie matter Of the reduction OF the tau has been much
talked about among and we think that the demand
of workmen for 81 out OF ~ Is certainly not TOO
much The reduction Ii 80 small that cannot possibly
affect the the proht must come, therefore,
either to the manufacturer the workman or the retail
dealer When some seven eight years the tax
raised from 50 10 30 thousand. the manufacturers
made the pay the piper Dy reducing Their wages
Ii only fair think. that that the reverse II the
case. the mems wages should be Increased But we
have not yet decided upon pan OF nctlOh stflkes
from agitation at the bottom, and each Individual
case Il taken its merits. by the time that May
comes shall see what II necessary To bc done By
bitter experience have learned that strikes are not 10
be entered upon lightly and We shall 90 al We can 10
them but when the time comes that stilke Ia
necessary shall not hesitate to order one"
A prominent manufacturer said that so FAR aA he
know no talk OF "A demand for increase OF wages had
set made. The truth H." he went 10 say, the
majority OF manufacturers have made the announcement
that the retail dealers 10 have all the benent that
accriles from a reduction OF the do not anticipate
IA very great demand Tor cigars May /. Al any rate
IL viii exhaust itself IN week two and then trade
will he "a dull again. The Southern trade Will
not begin until August or September, and the Pacific
slope practically closed against that do not see
where he great demand Ia To from We shall have
stock on hand sufficiently large 10 the orders that
may In early In May; and therefore, 1t seems 10
me that "a strike at that time would be Ill advised, 10
/ the least OF II.
other manufacturers seemed to share this view and to