The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1886-05-10

teRted, made Q mouon 70 reconsider the
vote by which 1t was lost, The motion to
reconsider caused q stormy debate in
which the opponents Of the clause were
informed that II they would reconsider
something more acceptable would be in.
tIoduced. This won over a sufficient
number 10 carry the vote to reconsider by
the close majority Of two, Then the mailer
mentioned offered q compromise, which
was unanimously adopted, This resolu-
ton was "That the price Of making steel
nails when harder than iron shall be 20
percent above the price paid for cutting
iron nails" This was referred to the
General Scale Convention, held in Pitts.
buTgh, the 9th Of April following, and
was adopted there without amendment,
sTEEl EXPERIMENTS,
During this time several Of the nail
mills here were experimenting and max.
ing steel nails from slabs brought from
Pittsburgh. The Riverside and Bellaire
nail companies were building steel plants
with dispatch, andby the following month
had them completed and ready for opera.
ton, The Riverside made steel slabs
which were heated and rolled into nail
plate, and made steel nails on trial some
time before the first Of June, the time for
signing the A~mslgamsted yearly scale.
At this time all the'nail manufacturers
signed the scale for their employees with
out any waste OF time, except the two
companies named. They did not sign
their nailers' scale for several days, II at
all. Some Of the boilers say the scale was
not signed, but that these two companies
proposed to their employees not to demand
the twenty percent and the employers
would agree not t0 charge them with
breakages, and that the nailers eagerly
accepted. Those two mills continued cut
ting steel nails through the most part Of
the months Of June and July and the
nRilers did not insist on the twenty per-
cent,
On the 4th OF August following the an.
uual convention OF the Amalgamated As.
ISOLATION convened in Pittsburgh. At
that convention a puddler delegate from
Wheeling introduced a resolution for the
purpose Of authorizing all Vice Presi.
dents Of the several districts to enforce
the provisions OF the scale in relation to
the twenty percent, This resolution was
introduced on Thursday, the third day Of
the convention, and referred to the com.
mittee on General Good Of the Order.
ENFORCING THR DEMAND.
In this committee and on the aoor Of the
convention Mr.. John X, Wier, Of Hersey
Lodge, opposed the measure vigorously,
but the resolution passed,
Vice President Thompson, after the ad.
journment OF the convention, interviewed
several nailsrs in the Riverside and Bell.
aire factories for their opinion on the hard.
ness Of the steel nail In comparison with
that Of the iron nail. A majority Of those
nailers informed the Vice President,
he says, that steel nails were
harder to cut than iron. This
ayAwal induced the Vice President
to call a meeting Of Nail City aud other
nailers outside Of Wheeling for expression
Of their views on this question. But when
the meeting was called the nailers who
spoke on the subject refused to say that
steel was harder.
The members Of Belmont Lodge ap-
pointed q committee Of three members to
wait IN ViCe.President Thompson and re-
quest him to call a general meeting OF all
members Of the ~Amalgamated Association
Of Wheeling and vicinity, to meet in
Walther's Hall, Centre Wheeling, on
Saturday, August 20, 1884, to decide
whether 1t was the intention ofthe nailers
10 demand the twenty percent. The meet
Ing was called and a large representation
Of all branches was present, The hard.
ness and softness OF the steel nails was
discussed, but they could reach no ConClu.
sion, when u motion prevailed that a COM
mittee Of one from each branch OF trade be
appointed to draw up resolutions OF a
definite nature, to be properly discussed
and acted upon. One OF the resolutions
submitted by the committee TO the meet
ing was: "That we your committee recon.
mend that we demand the enforcement
Of the twenty percent advance on and
after the 9th day Of September, 1854" In
discussing this resolution, MIR. Wier, OF
Hersey Lodge, Bellaire, took a paper
from bis pocket and read 1t, stating that
the nailers OF the Bellaire Nail Works had
signed a written agreement with their eu.
ployes 10 give the steel nail fair trial and
that as far as the Bellaire nailers were
concerned, they would make no demand
Of the twenty percent whatever. Others OF
the Bellaire nailers spoke In the same
strain.
The committees report was adoped, but
most oithe nailers left the meeting and all
refused to demand the advance. Bel
mont lodge then withdrew from the Anal.
gamated Association, arguing that II the
nailerB cut steel nails as cheaply as iron
the boilers occupation would soon be gone.
In the month OF December 1884, the Of
fcers and vice presidents OF the Amalga.
mated Association met at the general Of.
fee in Pittsburgh 10 discuss the question
OF wages for the year 1885. On account
Of the dull times and declining mark
ct in prices for iron and steel, this meet
ing Of officials come TO the conclusion to
instruct Secretary Martin To issue a com.
~munication to all s~ub.lodges In the United
States, setting forth that In the face off
declining price for rolling mill products,
and the scarcity OF work among the mem.
bers OF the association inthe different mills,
II would be expedient aud advisable TO ao.
cept q reduction Of ten percent In all
branches in the Association.
The communications as ordered were
sent to each lodge, and q vote taken by
every member In each lodge TO accept or
reject the ten percent. The result OF the
vote taken in each lodge was sent 10 the
general Office for consideration. Il was
a%scertAined that a large number Of lodges
voted in favor Of accepting the reduction,
but the nailers in their lodges voted
against II, and when the offer was made to
accept the decrease, Hersey Lodge, Of Bel.
laire, Withdrew from tho AmaIgamation.
II was followed In rapid succession by
other nailers' lodges, and in May, 1886, q
preliminary convention was held in this
city and the United Nailers OF America.
we're organized, Mr.. Wier being chosen
President. In August following the roll.
ers and heaters were taken In. The pres.
ent contest for the old scale bad then com.
menced. For q now organisation the body
has certainly borne itself well through an
unprecedented strike which was fairly on
before the society was organized.
-%t$--
Deputy. Collector lJAlrd,
The Grafton Standard says: According
In kha RS1iNsr HIM. Nan. Hall waA famnvs