The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1891-03-22
MANAGER DAVIS TALKS
xBOUT sTRJKERs At THE LOCOMO-
TIVE IND MICHINE WORKS..

still Out ana h' '-h'''
situation on Trade-Federation Of Labor.
Etc.
A meeting of the Federation Of labor was
held yesterday evening
This organization is composed of represent
tatives from all the trades in the city and the
meeting was called to take action upon the
strike of the machnists employed at the
Richmond Locomotive and Machine Works,
but the result of the meeting was not made
public.
The men are still out and seem to be stand
ing firm and the situation remains about the
same.
A TINES reporter yesterday interviewed
Mr. Davis, general manager OF the WoiAs
who spoke as follows:
MR. DAyIs's STATEMENT.
"As the popers have stated that the strike
has been caused by the employment OF
'scabr labor at the Locomotive NOrks, we
wish 70 explain that there has been no more
employment Of unskilled labor on machines
at our works than Is customary all over the
rountrv and that this argument on the part
nj the strikers is completely annulled by the
fact that some Of the men now on the stnke
have never served a regular apprenticeship
and have no more right TO be called ma
rhinists than the men they object to.
TO show that the employment OF machine
shop laborers is not q Northern innovation.
know from macbinists that work at Roanoke
shops of the Norfolk and Western railroad,
that "a large portion Of the men working on
piece work and doing the same work Tor the
same wages as machinlsts, nave plch'd up
their trade without serving an regular APP
premiership, and that tins practlce Is very
customary in Roanoke shops.
There has been no special effort made 10
Introduce unskillsd labor IN our machine snoP
of late. and we have always had more or less
men working on machine tools VINO nave
never served regular apprenticeship.
when the Committee of Machinlsts waited
upon me last Thursday, discussed TINS mat
ter with them very willingly and al great
length and assured thcm that could see no
reason for their alarm that good machlhlst
need never fear competition from IaDorer'
and that 10 show them that we realized the
importance Of keeping up stock OF trained
machinists we had "A very large number 81
aplrentices in our shops all the time learning
their trades, and that we certainly would not
do this if we did not appreciate the import
ance Of having good supply OF Skilled ma
chinsts: but that IN certain cases, where
cheaper sen u'd do the work Just as weil'
we should certainly reserve the nght 10 use
such men "a a matter OF economy.
That in building locomotives We were com
peting directly with all the other locomotive
works. and IT would be suicidal for us not 10
practiced by our competitors
That by managing our business econom-
cally we were IN a fair way to build up an I'M
mense establishment here that would employ
very many machinists IN the next lew years
where one is employed to-day. but that II We
were deprived Of the right to do what We con
sidered best. and allowed ourselves 10 be dc
tated to bv our employees, who had no re-
ponsibihty in the matter and no Investment
Of stake. and who could pick up Their traps
and 90 10 another shop at any time they be
came dissatisfied, the whole enterprise would
certainly result IN failure.
THE COMMITTEES REPORT.
'In spite Of this the committee were not
willing 10 admit that We had the night TO put
a man on a machine that they ana not can a
machinist. then told the committee that II
was not possible to accede TO their demand.
They then a. | have since been informed,
reported 10 the men in the shop that had re.
fused TO discuss the matter with them, ana
Ind simply told them that If they and not Ike
our way Of doing business they could quit,
This basty and ill-adyised acton on then
part undoubtedly precipitated the strike, ana
] believe that great many of our men went
cut and are now staying out through mis-
taken idea of the prophecies III the case. and
Tor fear that they would be ridiculed and
hootcd at by members Of their union II they
should return H. work.
The statement made several times in The
papers that a large portion of the men on the
strike are from the North and West think Is
n mistake and would like to have this state
ment contradicted, as ! do not believe tie
men from the North are any more To plam'
for the present trouble than the resident
machinsts.
"As to your question Of the effect upon the
Texas contract. will say that we have sim
ply notified the Government of the interrupt
ton caused by the strike aud rs our contract
is made subject 10 delays from fires strikes
etc, we are relieved from all respon slbility OF
this score.
The strike could not have occurred at &
more convenient time as far rs our locomotive
work is concerned, as the recent burning %
our boiler shop has delayed Us 50 much witt
our boilers that the machine shop was yer,
far ahead with its work, and We had numhe
Of locomotives ready to be put tog( thcr tina
could not be completed until the boilers were
ready for them.
Indeed. we had several gangs of erectin!
shop machinists who were of on turlough to
want of boilers to complete their Work.
GROWING RAPIDLY.
Reporter: Has not your business been in
Creaslng rapidly, and VIII not TINS strike De
serious interruptions"
I'VE cannot of course say what the dura
ton of the strike will be. thought We do no
feel that il can he very serious. The increase
of our business may be best understood, "a
far as the mems interests are concerned, b.,
the rapid increase IN our payroll.
In 1885 this establishment paid ont $3.50 pc
day in wages, and this increased TO S1,O0
per DAY in 1850 and the present rate of wages
notwithstanding the fact that operations ar
suspended IN the hOiler-shop has been abou
81 200 per day up o. the time of the strike
These figures do not include the salarie,
officers nor the Office men, but simply TO th
shop men,
Reporter What proportion of your mel
are ON the strike
Notwithstanding the fact that our force ].
run down by the boiler shop being burned
last payday there were alb Jut six hundred MOI
On the rolls, and we know of only eighty mel
who are on the strike
Questioning him further. however he sal,
that he was convinced from his talk with th
mon at work to-day that the committee ha,
given an entirely wrong impression of thci
reception 10y him. that was most unjust q
he made point at all times % discuss lrcel'
with the men. and state his views and reason
for his views that on reflection he stuck b,
the fact that although he occupied a consider
able time al least an hour-in setting fortl
his position. and urged that they present il 4
their fellOw-wOrkmen and ask them 70 con
slider well before acting. III an incredlnl
short space of time with the men. the com
mttee returned TO say they were going ont OF
strike
He repeats this so fully in order 10 sho,
that he had been cOuSldt rate Of the mems lu
teTests, and to show that the strike WAS deter
mined on before tine interview IN utho