Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1884-11-18
lCUTIN PRICES AND WAGES
THOUsAND9 OF l.ABOnERs lDLE
"A DARK OUTLOOK FOR
IRON won KERO.

The Phi iladelphia Press to-day says ::
A very important meeting of iron men
was held yesterday afternoon at 4
O'Clock in the Office OF James Rowland
d Co. Delaware avenue above Poplar,
and one whose action promises to have
far-reaching results. For some time
past the iron market has been IN q very
dull state, and this unsatisfactory
condition Of affairs was the main SUBJ
iect of discussion on Monday. The
great production Of the furnaces and
m Ills has resulted In the overstocking |
OF the market much In advance OF the
demand; and this has rendered reduc-
ton in cost Imperative.
A year or two ago sliding scale WAS |
mutually agreed upon between the ope |
rators and the workmen, by which the |
lowest basis was placed at two cents |
per pound. As she market price Ad. |
vanced and the sales became livelier, |
fiuctuati 1ns being confined TO figures
exceeding ,he two cents Just noted. At
the mectug yesterday, however, more
serious cut WAS determined upon. Iron
Ia almost q drug IN the market, and the
leading representatives OF the interest
have concluded TO start the wage scale
on o basis of one and eighteenth cents,
o reduction OF twO.tentbs from the pres
| emit figures. This cut 10 to take effect
| next month.
The action yesterday Ii the result of
many quiet discussions, and is claimed
as the only rational procedure under
the present commercial circumstances.
Whether the trade unions will take up
the question and protest ut the cut Is
vet an open matter, though gentlemen
prominently interested claim that no
trouble will follow. So important Is the
matter considered that participants re-
fuse to express opinions or to talk on
the subject.
At Pittsburg the condition of the coal
IN liners is well known. All the men
employed In tho river district will like
ly b@ at work In few days, but,
allowing for that, Secretary Fiannery
is Of the opinion that I least 1000 Of
the Is, ,0OO employed in the district will
continue idle. This Is due, he says, to
the policy of the operators In overcrowd-
ing the D it's, or, in other ords, giving
employ mept " more workmen than can
possibly find work.
OF the sixteen blast furnaces In the
country only eight are making iron,
and 1900 men are idle on this account
In the boiler and tank manufactures
the number of meh who are idle ID
placed at 500, and the same number are
suffering on account of the scarcity Oi
work in found ries. Window, flint and
table glass workers have had steady
work since the fires we're lighted, but
on account of lack OF orders only foul
of the ten green glass bottle factories
are in operation. In the neighborhood
| of 600 men and boys, are, therefore, idle
: on this account.
=, The whole number Of idle men II
PittsbuiP and Allegheny cities Ia one
r seventh of the total working force
which, according to the latest statistics
), is 140, ,533
A despatch from Baltimore, Md.
> states that posters were put all over tn
{ Georges Creek Coal region announcing
!, to the miners that on and after Decem
J her red uction of 20 per cent. will b
: made In the price paid for mining Goa
Ever since the great strike Of 1885,
0 which began March 16' and Uudd
gust "a, the miners have been receivin
fifty cents per ton. This had been th
price ever since the early part of 1880
when the Cearfield miners struck TO
twelve weeks, and then resumed a
At fifty cents per ton. The reduction nov
: is TO 40 cents per ton, or one.ffth les
than the present rate.
The Old Color and Mount Hope Irol
n Companies, of Somerset, Massachusetts,
have posted notices of & reduction OF j
{per cent. in the present wages OF al
their employees, the reduction to &
into effect December l. This is said b,
the employees TO be the third reduction
made by the works in two years, AM
,fl that when the new prices become ope
. rative they will be receiving 40 pc
D. cent. less than IL marked as card prices
n The manufacturers say that the ovel
! stocked market, caused by the compe
=. .. tition of iron mills of the middle an
i western districts, has forced theI
/. either TO shut down or make redue
= tion, and they chose the latter cours
;. In order to keep their employees a
IL work.
The nail and iron manufacturers 6
New Jersey and Eastern Pennsylvania
1t is claimed, are now selling thei
h products in the New England market
a. at lower prices than New Englan
., manufacturers can at present produC
i them for. These others having, az the
H. claim, exhausted all other resources
e cheapen the cost Of production. no
feel obliged to make a reduction OF
per cent. in wages, to take effect ID
te oem ber /, 1884. Notices to this effe'
er were posted to-day in the mills OF Il
n. following companies The Bridgewat'
Iron Company, Weymouth Iron Con
pany, Robinson Iron Company, war
,h ham Nail Company, East Bridgewat'
Iron Company, Fremont NAH Cor
pany, and Fall River Iron Works Con
!. lpany.
Last week the employees of the b;
js. mill department of the Cleveland Oh
Rolling Mill Company, Eighteen
Ward, received q reduction OF wages
the extent of from 10 to 10 per Ger
This was the second cut within fe
w weeks. and the men became greatly d
m satisfied. To the number of forty
w fiJty thew left the mill and refused
at work any longer.
The Fisl1back Rolling Mill at Pot
Vile, Pa, has been working three da
- q week for several weeks. owing 70
N scarcity of orders. There are no orde
N now on hand, but the mill will start
,c on longer time tomorrow, MAXI
bridge and architectural iron IN
ss, vance. Mr.. Atkins, the superinte
,st dent of mills, said to o-night that poiitl
" had nothing to do with the mi,is su
~ pension that while he and his compa
would have preferred to have q
}. fer. mt result, they did not expect the
,s preston in all kinds of trade to la
20 long. and were not affected by it mo
'Ia seriously than others.
Il A despatch from Denver, Colorat
,k. says about 200 coal miners, employ
in the Walsen berg Mines by the 20
'nI RADIO Coal and Iron Company, OF Il
lofty, went out on strike this morniI
These mines took part in the rec'
general strike, and only returned
work last Thursday. AS they ara me
= bers Of the Miners Union, serious &C