Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-08-14
AFTER TIN PLATE MEN.
Mr.. Niedringhaus Sends Representa-
tives to Europe to
BRING WELSH WORKMEN OVER
An Old Roller Says Tie Can Easily Make Ur
Dozen Crews Here.
NOT NECESSARY TO BRING OTHERS

| ana now tnat eA-OOnSTeSSInan N1eQrlnEnauS
has sent his manager Mr.. Lewis, and his two
sons to Europe, presumably for the pur.
pose of engaging clippers" the officials
of the labor organizations opposed to this
kind of q proceeding have been greatly
stirred up.
Said Assistant President Garland, of the
Amalgamated Association, Yesterday: "We
can now furnish Mr.. Niedringhaus with the
names of more men than he will need to
operate every department of his plant, but
certainly they will not work for him so long
as his firm operates a non-union mill. Let
the ST. Louis Stamping Company sign our
scale and we will send him our list from
which to make his selection
A. P. Rollins was met last night by "a
! DISPATCH reporter. He said he could pick
up enough men to run dosen tin plate
| plants by the Morewood process, which is
the latest patent. Continuing, Mr.. Rol-
lins said: ''Mr. Niedringhaus claims the
old Welsh workers have been here so long
that they have forgotten how to operate the
Morewood process, but he can get all the
men he wants if he will pay the money.
'Good men will not work for him until
they get the proper wages. We call that 100
per cent more than is paid in Great Britain.
Mr.. Niedringhaus can make up his mind that
he is not dealing with Huns. He can go to
Great Britain if he wants to and make all
the contracts he chooses for workmen, but
he will find that as soon as they come here
and learn the value of their labor they will
not go to work. Even his manager, Mr..
Lewis, while in Pittsburg about a week ago,
failed to entice tin plate rollers who have
been in the country but two weeks until he
would sign the scale.''
Commenting on the position taken on this
matter by Mr.. Niedringhaus, this weeks
An'ericd,, Manufacturer will say that the ex-
Congressman cannot successfully claim that
the manufacture of Nos "a to so sheet iron
and the picking and cold rolling of the
same is a new industry. This is just what
the Amalgamated officials have been claim
ing right along. They would have nothing
to say If men were needed for newly estab-
lished industry for which men could not be
found in America. But they claim that tin
plate rollers are no more or less than fine
sheet iron rollers, and that the other
branches of the trade can easily be supplied
with practical men who have not been here
long enough to forget the business.
As Mr.. Niedringhaus is said to have sent
for clippers" and other men who work at
was necessary to have skilled workmen for
these departments, the following simple
explanation of the process, made by a work
man, is given:
HOW TO MAKE TIN PLATES
"The crude iron or black plates measure 20
by IA inches and Is by 20 inches and are
transformed as follows: The iron plate is
first placed in pickle in a bath of strong sui
phuric acid heated by steam; that is to re-
move all impurities from the iron. Then it
is placed in soak in vat of plain water
to wash the sulphuric acid off. Then a
hard rubbing of sand makes the surface
smooth and strong and the plate is as
sorted So according ord to quality Another
1t and still another douche of pure
water renders 1t fit for the tin man. The
timer takes the picked plate and places it
several minutes, and then transfers it to
another tank, in which is q preparation of
tin OF terne ian alloy of lead and TIM After
it has been completely soaked in this solu-
ton, another bath of different grade of alloy
receives it, and then it passes over to the
washman, who washes it carefully in boiling
oil and places it upon table.
Each plate is then taken separately with
pair of tongs and dipped into stronger
mixture of tin or terne The wasbman with
q brush made of hemp thoroughly spreads
sheet, and it is then given its final bath of
grease and placed on rack to dry. When
ready the cleaner takes the plate and puts it
in a box of sawduSt, where it is quickly
rubbed and again a rubbing of brand is
given, s. fter which it is placed upon a table
and smartly rubbed with sheepskin until it
becomes a bright and shining tin plate fl for
the best roof in the country. After being
sorted into 'perfects' and MASTERS the plates
are, stamped according to quality and
hacked in boxes of 56 of the larger and ll2 of
the smaller size, duly branded and ready for
Shipment
CLAIMS HE CAN'T BE FoILED.
While appearing to feel q little uneasy
f1,ac ct, $ol- i,,x
Amalgamated Association. Mr. Niedring-
haus is quoted as saying that he thinks the
attempts to foil him in his purpose amount
to simply nothing. 1t has been known for
six months that he was erecting large tin
plate MILL and he SAYS no one applied for
work, and he thinks if there were any in the
country they would have applied for job
In recent interview, when asked if he had
Niedringhaus said: 1--WE have built those
mills to run them, and we propose to run
them. no matter where the labor comes
from. Is it not sufficient thatwe pay double
the wages paid i'll England to bring all the
workmen here We want? You can say what
you please, labor will go where best paid,
and we pay the best wages here"
John Howells, a Welshman, who was for
merly employed by Mr.. Niedringhaus as
head roller, was a practical tin plate worker.
He confirms the statement made by Amalga-
mated officials that there are plenty of tin
plate workers in this country.
You don't hear any kicks coming from |
the union mills" said he. Now, about i'm
porting tin plate workers. 1t is easier !
talked about than done. The workmen on
the other side are in constant communica-
tion with those on this They are all men, |
bers of the union. They know about the |
status of affairs at the Niedringhaus mills, |
almost as well as he knows it himself and If |
he thinks he will get men as easy as he says
he can, he is mistaken. They may come |
and work in union mills, but they will never |
come and work in Mr. Niedringhaus' non
union mill. Mr.. Weihe's stand is good one |
and every member of the association ought |
to back him In opposing the importati tion of |
contract labor.
THE WAY WELSHMEN SIZE IT UP.
"If you could read some things our Welsh |
papers say about the Little Tin God YOU |
would be quickly convinced that whatever |
else they may be on the other side, they are |
not ignorant of the fact that it takes skilled |
men to make tin plate. They also know all |
about the way we got ouped by Mr.. Med |
rlnghaus and the Tin Plate Association when !
they got us to send committee to Wash |
ington to ask for tariff on tin plate, so that |
the Ways and Means Committee would think |
the workmen wanted the tariff. That makes |
them afraid of being duped in the same way
by Mr.. Neidringhaus if they came over to
work for him.
The total shipments of tin plate to the
United States from Great Britain in the first |
half of the present year were 306 206 tons.
In 1882 the total shipments for the whole
year were but 255, 900 tons. This enormous
increase this year may be explained by the
fact that Mr. Niedringhaus and other manu-
secured large shipments early in
the year, previous to July 2, to avoid paying
the increased duty.
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