Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1886-05-15

| 113 unions consider less than 40 cents per thou
| of the unions make q marked Discrimination
| In favor OF day work. Wages here are very
country, which is greatly reduced When the
| prices paid where unions do not flourish
are considered. The average price Of compo-
| reported is found to be Al cents per 1 1000 ems
! for night work and 371a cents for day work, OF
| OF IA cents per 900 ems less than has been
paid for like service in Washington, and l. Ia,
cents per LOCO less than the rate proposed by
| the new scale. In nineteen of the state capitals
| OF the country in which typographical unions
are established the average rate paid tor compo
stion is 37la cents per 900 ems for night work
| the two classes than the Washington rate, which
1t Is now proposed to still further increase. The
statement also set forth that on account OF the
| larger displays in both advertising and reading
| matter, compositors are able to make "longer
| than when the rate of composition which it Is
| now proposed to change, was adopted.
THE WAGES OF OTHER ARTISANS
The statement then took up the third and
only remaining point and compared the wages
paid to printers i'll w Washington with those paid
| TO workmen in other leading trades who pos
sess equal or nearly equal intelligence, moral
| qualities. sense OF responsibility aud technical
said the ngints t of , r tn the
| plane of what may well be called a privileged
| class among artisans. For example, of the six
| teen compositors who were engaged in THE
| EVENING STAR office during the whole of the
year 1855 four made bills amounting to and
| were paid during that period considerably over
| 81, 100 each; two Others were paid over 81 900
each; the two most Indifferent workmen were
paid over $500 each; and the average amount
s93O.67. Contrast this handsome in
come, the statement went on, with
e w Msse wor earned by other M
as well as more trying to the physical system,
| by reason OF the uniavOrable circumstances
| under which it is generally performed. Sta
|
| Washington wOrkmen named below to be as
roilows: building mechanics, not TO exceed
| 5000. Stone cutters, not exceeding $500. Brick
| layers the same. Carpenters about 1928. Tin
| ners and plasterers about $3.50. Most of these
| men work exposed to the cIeInents and are, for
various causes, often for months without oppOr-
| tun;ties tor earning wages, whereas the conpe-
| tent ana willing printer has constant employ
| ment, with pleasant and congenial surround
| !ngs, and protected at all times against the
dangerous heats OF summer and the cold SHOWS
and storms oil the incietnent winter season."
COMPLAINT OF INJUSTICE.
The publishers asked to be relieved from two
| forms of oppression, which the resolution as
passed imposed upon them. The first was the
| fact that no distinction is made between the
work performed by day and that done at night.
The other point was that the resolution placed
an unjust burden upon newspaper publishers as
against the PROJECTORS of the job offices of the
| city, though nugOod reason could be assigned
| for such discrimination. The promise that the
aggregate increase OF expense to the newspapers
under the resolution would be very slight has
| not Deen lulniIeO. Figures were gwen, show
| ing that in THE EVENING STAR Office the COM
position for the week ending May 5 under
| the proposed scale was S93.1 o greater than tor
Tue preceding week under the Old scale, with a
| less amount of type set by los, 10 ems III the
same amount OF composition had been per-
| formed the increase in cost to the paper would
have been S146.15.
Attention was called to the fact that the
newspapers of Washington are subjected to 4
parallel i'll the United States, and COMPETE
ton with publishers who pay less for compost
| ton than the rate which the Union now pro-
poses to further increase.
In conclusion, the statement set forth that
the proposed advance sis not demanded by
any consideration OF right or justice,
and its enforcement would work an unneces-
sary, uncaied tor and grievous hardship to the
newspaper publishers of the city, who are be-
hind none in their desire to be not only fair but
generous to those employed by them. On the
other hand, they demand with feeling OF con-
ndence which ever goes with the presen tation
| of a righteous cause, that the rate heretofore
charged tor day work snail be materially re-
duced as to correspond with the rule and prac-
tice which obtain generally in the country. They
demand also, with equal confidence, that the
excess SO unJustly charged tor composition dur
ing the two weeks awaiting this arbitration
shall in each case be refunded to them. The
imposition OF that advance was in violation OF
and an outrage upon every relation which
should exist between employer and employed
1t was extorted by Il threat, which, if it differed
In language, was in effect the sudden and I'M
expected summons of IL highwayman who
places a pistol at the head of the unarmed trav
eler and demands either his money or his life"
REAL AND IMAGINARY TYPE
Mr.. Fox supplemented this statement, urging
that the present scale in many instances de-
| manded the payment of money not earned
He referred to charges made for advertisements
and plates which the printers did not set
Mr.. Wright said i'm reply to the statement re-
garding the law of the international Union, that
the law governing strikes was optional with
each union, and had no force until approved by
that union.
MIR. Hutchins submitted a number of in
quiries. One was whether the arbitrator must
confine themselves to the consideration OF a
price not more than fifty cents nor less than
forty cents; another was whether the price to
be established was for type actually set or inn
aginary type; another whether BREWER was to
pahed what Is he Gas Mr. Hsh tnse
citing cases where newspapers had TO pay for
composition that was not performed. He ar
gued that these matters were pertinent, as they
involved the question of whit constituted a
Thousand ems" The union might nulify
this arbitration by getting together and saying
LOCO was 500. So FAR as ne was concerned, lie
would rather pay sixty seventy cents per
Thousand for type actually set than to submit
tration, he thought, amounted to nothing, un-
less There was 2 Stable measurement fixed.
After some discussion. the printers Directing
posed increase. the arbitrator took under ad-
visement the. question as to the scope of the
| arbitration, anu adjourned until the following
morning.
THE ARGUMENTS.
When the board met, yesterday morning, all
OF the gentlemen named above were present ex-
cept Mr.. Hutchins. Mr.. Oberly announced that
the board had decided that the only question
that the commission was to pass upon was
whether the price OF composition upon WASH
ington newspapers should be more than 40
cents and not more than 90 cents.
MIR. Rodier representing the printers then
began the argument In favor OF the in
OH calling it. He asserted that the sus-
pension made in 1880 was temporary
one, ana that the publishers asked the reduc-
ton temporarily, owing to the depression of
their business at that time. Mr.. Rodier dweIt
at some length upon suffering, entailed as he
claimed, by this reduction, men not being able
TO earn enough iii health To provide for them
selves and families in of Sickness Speak
Ing OF the hgures given to show the earnings OF
q printer for the year, he claimed that the fig.
ures represented a printers frame and not Il
man, as they did not show how much of this
money Went to substitutes. He gave figures
from the payroll of the Republican six DAYS
under the advanced scale, claiming that the
whole sum paid for com position when divided
among all the men employed, gave an average
on the former paper of S15O7 for the week and
on the latter oil S17.1o. He asked whether this
was more than lair pay for the intelligent labor
scribcd the Lille OF q cOmpOsitor as u wearing
one. There was no occupation in the world
that SO taxed the energies OF u man as that of a
compassion on morning paper. Their demand
had been ikened to the demand OF q highway.
man, but he had never before heard of "a case
which he mad the power to enforce, had con-
sented TO let the justice Of his claim be deter
mined by arbitration.
A CHANCE FOR THE ARBYTRAToRS