Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-08-18
The Senate's Reduction of Tariff on
Window Glass May Sweep
Away Their Profits.
IMPORTATION LIKELY TO INCREASE
The Interests of the Workingmen, How
ever, are Safe and Their Wages
Guaranteed.
WHAT THE CARPENTERS STRIKE MEANS
Divorce Suit That Surprises Chicago and Other
News From the Windy City.
CORRESPONDENCE OF THE DIsPArcH.1

CORRESPONDENCE OF THE DIsPATcH.1
CHICAGO, August 16.-It looks as If
somebody in the window-glass business is
liable to be squeezed if the House agrees to
the Senate's recent reduction of the tariff
on window glass by about one-eighth of a
cent per pound. The Western msnufac-
turers are not little uneasy at the outlook.
With the duty as it is they have hard work
meeting European competition, and, doing
their very best, they have been unable to
keep the Belgians and Germans, with their
cheap labor, cheap money and improved proc
esses from absorbing about one-fourth of the
American trade. They talked the matter
over at the recent meeting at Pittsburg to
adjust the scale of wages, and again at the
directors meeting of the United Glass CON-
pany at Syracuse, and they feel not little
gloomy at the prospect Perhaps the best
posted man among them, one of the best at
any rate, is the secretary, Mr.. o. T. Frazee,
who was recently interviewed at length in
The DISPATCH.
WHAT THE REDUCTION MEANS.
Speaking of the Senate's action this even
ing Mr.. Frazee said that q reduction of one
eighth of a cent per pound was a very great
reduction. On every box OF so feet it meant
a decrease in the price of the foreign article
at New York of from to s cents, and in
carload lots the decrease would be from S25
to $50 per car. In the present state of the
market, with competition as close as it is,
that difference means that large amount of
foreign glass will come in which other
wise would be kept out. And it
would keep coming in until importation
was stopped by the American manufacturers
meeting the competition. The competition
of the foreigner and reduced tariff will be
especially hard to meet The manufacturers
west of the Allegheny Mountains have Just
agreed to keep in force the scale of wages
which was paid last year, with no reduction
whatever and with very slight increase in
some minor particulars That scale applies
to the Pennsylvania, Ohio and Illinois
factories, operated bv the United Glass
Company. Within the next three weeks the
scale applying to the New York factories
will be settled and there can be
NO REDUCTION THERE,
because the Eastern workmen belong to the
same labor organization as the Pittsburg
and Western men, and will not work for
less money. Mr.. Frazee explained that
there is slight difference between Pitts
burg and New York wages, but it is due to
the difference in the cost of fuel to the New
York manufacturers and had always been
conceded by the labor unions as q fair
means of equalizing matters. Hence there
could be no reduction in the cost of produc-
tion in this country next year by decrease
of wages.
In the matter of materials the manu-
facturers had found that they would have
to pay not 10 per cent more than last years
prices, as they had supposed, but as much
as 20 and 25 per cent more for all chemicals
used in the business. From this it seemed
to follow that the only means BY which the
American product can be brought down to
low enough point to meet Belgian COM
petition under the Senate amendment of
the tariff bill is either by reduction in the
cost of manufacture, through a cheapening
of processes or by surrender of part of the
profits now enjoyed by the manufacturers.
MANUFACTURERS LOSSES.
1t is hardly possible that there can be any
such cheapening of this process of manu-
facture in such short order and it follows
that whatever cheapening of prices
there shall be must be made out of
the pockets of the proprietors of the |
factories. 1t is well known that present |
prices are from 15 to % per cent above prices |
of six months ago, when the manufacturers |
were at the outs with each other, but they |
insist that even now they are receiving only |
a very moderate profit on their investment. |
In the event of the adoption by the |
House of the Senate's amendment and the |
actual reduction of the tariff, Mr.. Frazee |
would not venture to predict what the man.
ufacturers would do. He had no doubt that |
the immediate consequence would be an in |
crease in the importation of foreign goods, |
and he had no doubt that circumstances |
would force a solution of the problem, but |
he could not tell in advance what it would |
be- He intImated, though, that the manu- |
tacturers could stop running if they found |
that they could not do profitable business. |
He did not know what influence had |
brought about the action of the Senate. The |
manufacturers had no regular representative |
at Washington to look after their interests,
he said, but some of them had gone to WASH |
ington and presented. all the facts in the
case to the Senate Committee before the |
change in the Mckinley bill was made.
Striking Carpenters' Programme.
The programme mapped out by the Chi
cago carpenters shows that they are not lack
ing in pluck and determination. The prin-
cipal difference between the men and the
bosses is the payment of an additional 2%
cents per hour wages, and for this it has
been determined to inaugurate q strike on
September l, which will cause 5000 carpen-
tiers to carry home their tools, bring hun
dreds of enterprises to standstill and cause
scores of others, which are in contemplation,
to be abandoned or postponed. In addition
to the striking carpenters vast number of
other workmen will, of course. be compelled |
to take a vacation until the dispute is set |
tied, and all this coming at the opening of |
the fall trade will certainly do very serious |
injury to business in general.