Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-07-01
A Compromise on the Hours of Work
Reached by the Committee Short
ly After Midnight.
BOTH SIDES MAKE CONCESSIONS.
Nine Hours and Quarter to Bethe Length
of the Iron Heaters Day for
the Next Year.
lBIG STRIKE .EXPECTEDsAT DUQUEsNE.1
Indications Of Speedy settlemeuto the Carpenters
Troubles.

The Amalgamated scale was signed
at 1918 this morning and as con-
sequence only those mills that would
have been shut down for stock-taking
will be idle to-day. The prolonged oonten-
tion on the nine-hour clause ended in a com
promise, the time from the charging of the
:Trst heat until charging shall cease
being fixed at hours and 15 min
utes, The whole trouble as pre-
yiously stated in THE DISPATCH hinged
on the new paragraph in the memorandum
of agreement, added this year. The re-
mainder of the scale was not changed to any
extent, and was accepted in almost every
particular.
The Scale as Agreed Upon.
The additional paragraph, as finally agreed
upon, reads:
HThe time in scrapping and rrsheiing. also finish
ing and all other departments shall in no case ex-
ceed hours and ID minutes from the time the first
hest is charged until charging shall cease, this is
not to apply to boiling department excepting
scrappng and bushelng) also rod mills, wire mills
nut AND bolt works, and other departments work
ing underline eight (s) hour syster.
It is well understood that James NJ. Bailey
srd A NJ. Byers & Co. were the bitterest op-
ponents OF the nine-hour clause. and
fhey took the stand that limit on
the time in which heats should
be made would mean a reduction in the out
put. Then there were others who opposed
the rule on general principles, fearing that if
1t were agreed to this this year, the men
would ask for eight hours next year.
AS is well known, conferences were held
almost daily since the adjournment
OF the convention; The Amalgamated
to act and yesterday It looked as though
they would concede the clause entirely. But
they chung to their cause bravely and with
q firmness that convinced the manufactur-
ers that they were in earnest.
Awhole Day without Hope.
The whole day was spent without any en-
couraging indications of settlement. When
the conference adjourned for supper at .
o'clock last night d. B. Oliver said he
thought the. matter would be arranged
all right, but he did not believe the
nine-hour clause would be adopted. Mr.. A.
N Byers said he was not sure OF 1t. He was
sure the manufacturers would not agree to
ii because of the reduction it would make
in the output OF nearly every mill In the
country.
REPRESENTATIVES of the workmen's COM
mittee were just as firm that they would not
concede the new clause. A proposition had
been made by them during the day
hours begin at the time the mill started.
This. they- claimed, would give the firms an
advantage of over an hour, but the manu-
facturers declined to accept that.
Scrambled to Keep Mills Going.
The final session of the Conference Com
mittee was held in the top story of the
Fidelity building, last night. 1t lasted until
otter midnight, and when it adjourned
there was scramble on the part of the manu-
facturers to get word to their mills to
have their men continue operations. ID. B.
Oliver dispatched couple of men to
Woods Run "a ana anotner 10 .ne soutns'de,
his works to have the mill kept
running Everyone WIS feeling jubilant that
no strike is to occur and the Amalgamated
lu feaaI 10 ha VIZ ar Inn Mt
point IN thisssyear's scale, even though an ad-
Vance was not asked for. Presfd ent Weihe
said this morning, after the scale was
signed: "This is something we have never
had in the scale before. We never tried to
limit the time in which work should be done
in any department of the mills before. but
guess the firms won't suffer much"
James NJ Bailey said: This is only an ex-
pertinent L don't believe it will work. We will
try it for a year, however, and if it is not sat
1siactory we wiI nave 10 Try something else.
business as bad as it is now. We have not
an order on our books that we could not get
out in three days, and We will close down
for about two weeks to take stock"
Somewhat Fearful of the Outcome.
An Byers said: "This course was not
wanted by the men, as was stated in the
conference. They tried to tell us that
six of my own men were anxious
to have the new clause adopted. By a per-
sonal investigation 1 found this was not so.
and / am sure it will operate against u.s."
The other changes in last years scale were
OF little importance. The manufacturers
wanted one of the 'extras" taken from the
tin plate scale, but 1t was finally agreed to-
The change in the tank and plate mills is: Top
and bottom prices for sheet bars cut from crop
ends and defective plates, iron and steel.
In sheet mills the change makes the shear
man receive one-fifth, the same paid to the
rSllers. In sheet-mill hands scale the day
hands on sheet and iobbing mills working
two turns of eight hours each and on mills
working three turns Of eight hours each,
shall be paid a full turns work in case of
failure 10 make the eight heats in the time
specified in memoranda Of agreement on a
two-turp mill or full turn on a three-turn
mill. The addenda is: Roughing down on
bar structural and l2-inch mills must be
paid not less than 80 per cent of rollers
wages.
Didn't Wait Till the Last.
The following firms signed the scale yes
terday and will be given the benefits of the
concession: Moorhead, McCleane & Co.,
Howe, Brown 6 Co., the Wayne Iron and
Steel Company, P. r. Laufman &
Mill Company, of Wheeling, the
Ind; the Sharon Iron Company and the
Atlantic Iron Works, Sharon; Joseph Corns
and SON, Massillon, o.; the Labelle Mill Com
pany, Wheeling, and the Findlay Iron
Works Hughes & Patterson, of Philadel-
pha and the National Rolling Mill Com
pany, of McKeesport, had signed previously.
ONLY WANT FINE WEATHER.