Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1889-04-29
TO START AT LAST.
AN AGREEMENT REACHED BETWEEN THB
BBLLAIRR WORKS AND THg NAILERS.
The Talk About Removal Of the Wheeling
S.ssl Plant-Ths Ohio Valley Trades
Asssmbly-Gsnsral News.

After A year Of inaction, there IS at last
reasonable prospect that the Bellaire
nail works will be started mp. and there
il corresponding amount Of rejoicing IN
our sister city.
Twelve months ago the company gave
form and semblance to a previously con-
eeived notion that they were unable TO
longer continue the manufacture of nails
At the rate of wages they were paying the
uailers, by shutting down the plant, and
dismissing their army Of employees 1t
was scarcely lockout, but simply a cessA-
ton of operations until sueh time as 1t was
felt Matchmaking could be resumed upon
basis leaving d margin of profit.
Many attempts have been made, between
the company on the one side and its EN-
ployes on the other, TO sgree upon some
basis Of settlement which would admit OF
the starting up of the factory, but all
efforts were Of no avail. Various reports
Of these mutual efforts TO obtain settle
ment have crep. into the papers, not all
of them being a. accurate 81 could have
been wished. and the matter has been one
Of general interest. During the past two
weeks these conferences and deliberations
between the two interested classes have
been more frequent, and as the end Of last
week approached, it was felt that a set
clement would soon be reached. Before
matters approached this satisfactory stage,
however. there was a good deal Of lively
sparriuy on both sides, and some OF the
| propositions made pro and con provoked
good deal Of talk An instance Of TINS
Was when the Company proposed that the
men resume work az a reduction OF nity
per cent from former prices on cold nails
and thirty Der cent on hot. This the men
considered verv stsep, and would not talk
in the conference about il, however much
/ IL was discussed outside. Efforts were
continued to bring about settlement,
however aud Saturday night the matter
was closed up.
The men. al meeting Friday, cOnclud-
Cd 10 offer TO 20 to work at a reduction Of
twelve and one half per cent on all sizes
from and including five penny up, ana
thirty-fve per cent on all sizes below
fvs-pepnv. This was submitted to the
Board of Directors Of the Mill Company
Saturday afternoon, and was agreed TO by
them The men then held smother meet
/ ing Saturday Night, and formally ratitiee
the new scale, and matters are considered
settled. 1t is thought the plate mill will
be put to work al once, and that the iactO-
| Nv will 20 on as soon as it can be put in
/ shape Ascompared with Wheeling prices,
the new scale will be about twelve aGd
one-half per cent. below Wheeling on hot
nails. and about fifteen per cent. above
/ Wheeling on cold nails, and IL about the
same rate as was proposed for settlement,
on cold mails, at Martins Ferry.
When the news Of the settlement
reached the nailers Of this city there was
the greatest interest, aud much talk in
dulged in. One mailer said to a reporter:
"A natural conclusion regarding this
settlement would be that il would break
the pooling arrangement. The Bellaire
mill IS in the pool, and the pool price for
nails is Si.95 Now, If the Bellaire mill
makes nails at this rate, il must either he
10 meet some special competition within
the pool or the pool must suffer. We will
see what happens"
Another mailer said
An ,his trouble in the nail business
comes from the queer way the manutac-
turers handle the wire nail. Whenever
they can't equaroiy compete with the wire
nail men, the cut nail men sit down and
/ fold their hands They don't seem to make
any effort TO even hold their trade against
the wire men. The latter are aggressive,
and sre fighting all they know how. A
wire nail man comes around and says ne
will sell mis- nails for 80 much. Instead Of
the cut nail men meeting the price, no
matter what it is, and holding their trade,
they say: 'Ol, we can't tOuch that, the
wire man gets new customers and the cut
nal man Is that much short. All the re-
duchons in the world won't avail against
that sort Of thing. Take those down-river
mills Their price for mailing has been
away down, and yet they hardly turn a
wheel from one month to another.