Sacramento daily record-union., 1890-03-31
Master and Mechanic Determined to
Fight to the End.

nISI@S VT INUs
Master and Mechanic Determined to
Fight to the End.
SAN Francisco, March 30tb. THE fourth
week of the great strike of the Iron Molders'
Union against the Engineers and Iron
Founders Association ended yesterday.
Both sides are just as confident as ever over
the outcome OF the strike, which has now
settled down for long and stubborn fight.
Captain Taylor, of the Risdon Iron
Works, stated yesterday that there was no
change in the situation further than that
the toundries had done better than they
expected so far. He says that forty men,
including laborers, apprentices and mold
ers, are at work at the Risdon, and the
foundry is satisfied with the work thew are
doing.
1t has come to the knowledge of the
molders' Executive Committee that some
person has been going around the water
front taking up collection for the benefit,
as he says. of the strikers. The committee
denounce this person as fraud, and state
that the only enc authorized to receive any
donations is James Gilleran, of the Wind
sor Hotel.
The molders have appointed a committee
to wait upon the Machinists' Union for the
purposes of inducing them to refuse to
handle any work turned out by any OF the
foundries against which the strike has been
declared.
The following statement in relation to
the apprentice system has been prepared by
the Iron Molders' Union:
We have been very severely criticised for
limiting the number of apprentices in our trade
to one i'll each shop and one additional TO every
eight men employed thereafter; and as we he
lieve the public. should know why we have
taken such an important step, we will here
mention few of the reasons that have led us to
it. In the first place we desire to say that we
have great deal more real love for the Ameri-
can boys than any manufacturer in San Fran
cisco. Indeed, II it were not for the fact that
foundrymen all over the land have used the
boys with view TO break down our wages
rather than to teach them a trade, we would NOT
have placed any limit on their number. AS a
sample OF how these boys have been used in
this city, we will state that when we enforced
the apprentice law there We're in one shop
eighteen apprentices and three journeymen at
work. The father, who should nave been em
ployed earning S2l per week, was idle, and the
boy was at work earning 81 per week 1t is
cheap labor these firms want; they don't care a
straw for our boys
We deny that we bring foreign workmeu here
or welcome them to our arms; but when manu-
facturers bring them here, as they are irving to
do now, and employ them. then we take them
wages. We plead necessity as the cause for
limiting the number of apprentices. During
the past fifteen years there has no. been time
when large numbers of our men were not out of
work, sometimes more than one-half our mem
bership being idle. During ali these years the
necessities OF our trade have not required more
boys than the present allowance. Now when
the boy becomes a journeyman he has a chance
OF finding work at tair wsges; formerly he was
cast adriit at the most interesting period of his
life, and another boy put in his place to suffer
she same experience at at the end of four years
Some good men ask, What is to become of our
boys? We would ask, What is to become of
our men with families dependent on them for
support" We propose to take care of the lat.
ter, and as many of the former as possible.
Manufacturers are trying 70 make labor p.enti-
ful and cheap. AS means of selfpreseryation
we are endeavoring to make labor scarce and
suttciently dear to bring the comforts OF life
within our reach.
Formany years we have tried to arrive at q pro.
per settlement of this question. AS far back as
1873, when we met in convention at Louisville,
KY, we endeavored to have all apprentices
legally indentured for period Of four wears. so
that they could not leave their employer, and
we pledged ourselves to teach them everything
connected with the trade, SO that when their
apprenticeship was finished they would be first
class workmen; to this end proprietors were not
allowed to keep boy too long at one job or
pattern as they 90 at present, simply because it
pays the firm better. The new law proved un-
satisfactory to the proprietors and it was re-
pealed at the succeeding convention, since
which time the present law of the Iron Molders
Union OF North America has been in force. We
niC AZ WI VI q otdtc VI luIeTSldlc apprentice
law as the only way TO permanently settle the
question.
Now as to the reason why wages should be
higher here than in the East. We claim that
considering the high cost OF living, house rent
fuel and clothing here, our wages are not, rela.
lively, any higher than are paid to molders in
the East-in proof Of which we insert a clipping
from Chicago paper of February 2S, 1890, as to
the cost OF food and fuel, alongside of which
will De found San Francisco prices of the date
of March 10, 1890, for the same articles. AL
though this list is not complete, it will serve as
fair comparison, for everything else is in pro-
Dortion-