St. Paul daily globe., 1885-12-20
THE SINGERS SHUT Down.

daughter. l ain PllnyS wife.
THE SINGERS SHUE DOWN.
Some $500 Men Thereby Thrown
Out OF Eln .'sOyMent.
NEW YORK, Dec. 19.-The closing of
the Singer sewing machine works at Eliza
beth, N. j., yesterday, throws $500 men
out of employment. The pay roll was $40
600 per week Trouble has been brewing
for many months, and was precipitated yes
terday when Comptroller Carlton and City
| Treasurer Wheeler of Elizabeth went to
the factories of the company and made a
| levy for 800 600, claimed to be due on the
last assessment for taxes. The comptroller
| selected for his levy two locomotives used
in the coinpany's yards, stating that he did
not wish to cause any unnecessary lncOn-
venience. The information of the levy was
wired to the New York office OF the COM
| pany, where it was received at noon, and
the order to close the works was sent out
| during the afternoon. A. f. Proctor, vice
president of the company, stated last-night
that the Singer company, when Elizabeth
was in trouble, advanced $780, 900 on a
debt, and then individual members ad-
vanced a similar sum. The Singer con-
pany bought Elizabeth bonds SO that it
owes the company nearly $4,000. The
| demands of the company for the payment OF
the cali loans and interest have been
ignored. and the city virtually tried to re-
| pudiate her bonds.
why, in order to establish their validity, -
| said he we had to go into court, and even
| after we abtained decision we were offered
| only so cents on the dollar and they did not
| of'er even that in cash. They rendered new
| bonds for half the value Of the old ones.
More than that the legislature has gone on
| helping them with all sorts of acts. They
| appoint commissioners who assess US for
taxes to keep up the town and refuse to as
sess the town to pay us our interest. They
| also refused our otter to pay our taxes by al
lowing the municipality credit in its debt to
US. That is the situation, and guess we can
stand it just as long as they can."
SCOTLAND SHOPS ON DOUBLE TIME.
Last night orders were issued to run the
shops of the company in Scotland on double
time, in order that the business o. tie co n
pany may not be interrupted. Yesterday,
at Elizabeth. when the truth he"amn appar-
ent, the employees looked fro one to an
other in alarm. The matter had not even
been limited to them, and they became an
CRY when they thought of their families aud
the coming cold weather. That's what
we get for working for a firm that fights
the city," ''The poor man always goes to
the wall" and similar expressions were
frequently heard. The employees quit
work at an early hour, and sat gloomily
about the factory awaiting the closing
whistle. Their actions were indicative of
deep feeling. When the whistle blew
they put on their coats and were walking
gloomily away when some one shouted: II
oh thor
Considerable confusion followed. The
men began talking loud and angrily. and "a
panic might have ensued if messenger had
not arrived from the superintendent's Office
with the announcement that the men would
be paid on Monday. After that the men
filed quietly through the immense building
and across the broad grounds to their homes.
Some remained about the streets talking.
City Comptroller Carleton said:
They always close up about this time in the
year and now try to explain the matter by
throwing the blame on the city. 1 think it is
an admirable bluff, but did not give them an
opportunity to cavil to-day. / might have
put them to S400 costs by merely sending a
deputy. / did not, however, went my elf.
think from the way they acted, they wanted
me olevy on something like load of half
finished machines. Then there would have
been an opportunity for great cry of per.
secution. But | was not going to be fooled
that way. levied on those things and left
them in their charge and in their service
That is my duty as comptroller. They are
the city taxes. do my best to collect them.
1 am under bonds to do just exactly what
did.
THE SINGER PROPERTY
| is assessed at $3.50. 900 and pays one-twelfth
| of the taxes of the city. The employees have
been working about eight hours a day this
| fall and men with families have not been
| able to make more than $40 or SIP a week.
They are paid by the hour, Is cents al
hour being the usual wages. Several OF
| the employees said yesterday that the wages
paid are not sufficient to enable them tc
save money. Nearly all have accounts al
the stores, and it is expected that grocers
and other tradeslnen will not sell to many
of the locked-out workmen on credit The
! sentiment which prevailed among
| the workmen as they walked out o1
| the shops was that the city officials will.
| fully and unnecessarily enforced the tax
| They believe also that it will be many
months before the doors are thrown oper
again. The reason for this is that the Sin
| ger company has recently built manufac-
| tory on the Clyde, about eight miles from
| Glasgow. in Scotland. from which 10 0O(
| udcnllleS week can DC sent 10 America.
| An Indignation meeting was held last night
| by about 2, 600 of the workingmen. A COM
mittee of fifty was appointed to call or
| President Mckenzie and ask that the fac
| tory be opened again. There was much ex-
citement in the city last night. and threats
were made to wreck the city treasurer's
| house. A meeting of the workingmen will
be held at 2 p. m. to-day, when the report
| OF the committee will be received.