Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-01-10
A CHANGE OF BASIS
Considered by a Committee of the
Amalgamated Association.
GRoCERs' AGREEMENT ADOPTED.
A. W. Wright Coming to Pittsburg to Re-
open the Phillips Case.
WORK BEING RESUMED At BRADDocK

An important meeting. affecting the iron
and steel scale Of next year, will be held at
the Office of the Amalgamated Association
to-day at 10 o'clock.
A special committee was appointed at the
convention last June with instructions to in
quire into the advisability of changing the
basis of the scale and report to the next
annual convention.
1t will be remembered there was q vigor-
GUS effort made during the convention last
year TO change the basis of the scale from
bar iron to some other grade or quality of
iron. Some of the delegates had conceived
the idea that manufacturers were manipu-
lating the prices of bar iron in such a
manner as to be able to continually keep
the scale down, while they were selling
other specialties as greatly increased prices
in proportion.
Object to Bar Iron as a Basis.
Bar iron has been the basis for good
many years, and the question of changing
from that speciality to some other form,
though informally discussed, has not been
acted upon by any convention until last
year. Bar iron is not circumstance in
the volume of iron and steel made In other
shapes, and the basis is not regarded as an
av erage: one. Skelp iron is made in large
quantities and by some is regarded as fair
basis.
Sheet iron is another specially upon
which many would like to see the scale
based. The committee has been engaged
for the last two or three weeks gathering
information on the actual selling price OF
the various kinds of irop and steel, and COM
parison will be made of these figures to-day
and it will be ascertained if the present cal
culation permits OF any manipulation in
favor of the firms. 1t is believed there is
not more than one frm-Oliver Bros. &
Phillips-whose capacity is over 80 tons a
day, that could possibly work the prices so
as to have the advantage.
Wages Have Dropped With Prices.
Prices in all branches of the market have
been showed down to almost cost and it is
thought BY the most conservative members
OF the association that no advantage would
be gained by making the change. President
Weihe was seen Yesterday in regard to the
matter, but he declined to say how he
thought to-day's meeting will terminate.
"There is no doubt" said he, "but that the
convention thought change would be bene-
fetal or it would not have gone to the
trouble to have one appointed, but cannot
say what will be done. The matter is en-
tirely in the committees hands"
The latest market reports show bar iron to
be selling at from S27 so to S28. which is
about as healthy condition as that prod
uct; has been in for some time, while the
market for manufactured iron is in an un-
easy state; the price of steel bfllets is the
lowest on record at present, and the steel
rail business is in IN unsatisfactory con-
dition. There has been no improvement in
the pig iron marker, while the manufactured
iron and steel market is simply dull.
Some OF the men recognize these facts, and
upon their authority. it Is stated, there will
be no effort made to secure an increase in
wages next year.