Waterbury evening Democrat., 1892-05-28
BAD FOR THE STRIKERS
Contractors Gaining Ground in
 the Great Struggle.
WON'T EMPLOY UNION MEN NOW.

Many of the Laborers Who Are Out in New
 York Becoming Disheartened A Gen.
 eraI Movement to Employ NOn-UniOn
 Men for Payers in Several Large Cities.
 NEW YORK, May 29.-The situation in the street paving war indicates that the contractors are steadily gaining ground in the struggle of the National Paving Cutters Union against the New England Contractors Association, which was be- gun nearly two weeks ago because of 8; proposition to change the date for sign ing the yearly wage scale from May to Jan. 1.
 Contractor Kelly has largely increased the gang of non-union men which he put to work on Third avenue last Tues day.
 The work is being pushed rapidly, and general satisfaction is expressed with it's quality. Several union men have gone to MT. Kelly's foreman and asked that they be allowed to take the places of the non-union men in relaying the old blocks. They were informed that under no circumstances would they be allowed to return. This direct re- fusal has greatly disheartened the strikers.
 The other contractors are also hurry ing their work along. By next week, it is stated, all the jobs which are now stopped will be resumed with big gangs of non-union men whom the contractors will import into the city.
 Much apprehension is entertained as regards the result of this new move on the part of the contractors to the Ma tiOnal Paving Cutters Union. The pay CTS acknowledge that the contractors have in this respect completely out witted them. They say that they will not abandon the fight, however, and are confident they will win in the end.
 The union granite cutters have also re- ceived 8 severe setback in that @ great many of the union quarrymen have re- turned to work, thereby giving in to the New England ASsociation'S de- mands. The number of those who are going back to work in the ouarries is also continually increasing. The strik- CTS declare that the quarrymen's return can have but little effect on the situa- tion of the strike, as theirs is not skilled labor.
 It is the strike of the granite cutters that really prevents the quarry work from going on, they say. The contrac- tors say, however, that this is 8 great pO1uO lOE IuOu11 anu Oudb 4U 4S OAAy O question of time when all the men will go back. Meanwhile, their places are being rapidly filled up, the contractors say, by non union men whose work is fully as good as that of the union men.
 Some of the men, it is said, will not be taken back at all. The quarrymen's s branch is the weakest branch of the Ma tional Union. The other branches de- clare they are still firm.
 The granite strikers put much faith in the secret meeting of the New Eng land Association. They say that when the members are unwilling to let the public know what business was conduc- ted it portends gradual weakening on their part. They are daily anticipa tin g some developments in their favor. The District-Attorney was asked to-day what had been done toward prosecuting the bosses for conspiracy. He said he was Investigating the matter carefully, but that he had not yet sifted the evi- dence sufficiently to enable him to make & definite statement as to the action he would take.
 It is learned that there is a general movement on foot among the contractors to make the use of non-union men for street paving general in all the large cities throughout the country. By do ing this it is thought that they will avoid much delay and difficulty in flu ture contracts.
 What helps to keep up the courage oi the strikers to great extent is the re port that paving in the other cities is | still at 8 standstill.