The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1892-04-19
FOR <. OF |. PRINCIPLE.
Mr.. McNair on the True
InWardness of the
Lings Spinners'
Strike.
GENERAL REVOLT THREATENED.
The Company Refuses to Deal With
0utsiders-Bittor Struggle
in Prospect,
GENERAL REVOLT THREATENED.

The Greenvflle spiDnerS who went out
on strike yesterday held a secret meeting
this morning at Stencils Hall on Noble
street. Mr. William McNair. member
of the Executive Committee of District
No. 40, knights of Labor. presided.
Mr.. McNair was interviewed after the
meeting by reporter of THE JERSEY
CITY NEWS. He said:-"The strikers will
not go back to work until the Lings Spin
ming Company recognizes the knights OF
Labor. The strikers will be supported by
all the spinners In the United States, and
we will resort to a boycott if necessary.
The men want the same scale
of wages to prevail as in the
other mills throughout the State. The
average wages of spinner is sixteen
dollars week, while the Lings COM
pany wants to pay its sr SINNERS put
equal distribution of work in case OF
piece work. Under the present
rule the employees must pay for
the time lost in repairing the machinery
which breaks continually. The men do
not want to work overtime. to make up
for the loss sustained in repairing the
machinery. We want to quit work at
twelve o'clock on Saturdays, the same as
spinners in other mills do.
WANT FAIR PLAY.
1--WE do not want to run the mills. All
we ask is that the men be treated as the
spinners in other mills are. 1t was said
by Mr.. Lings that Taylor and Fishwick
competent. This is a falsehood. The
men were not incompetent. 1t is
Overseer Cook and Superintendent
Daniels that are incomuetent. Mr.. Dan
iells was driven out of Canada because of
his incompetency aud tyranny. The
men will not work under Daniels and
Cook. The strikers are perfectly satis-
fed with Mr.. Lings. The trouble is that
Mr.. Lings does not understand the mat
ter. If he did the strike would not have
taken place.
SATURDAYS CONFERENCE.
ION Saturday afternoon the strikers
had conference with Messrs. Cook and
Daniels Mr.. Lings called up the office
by telephone while the matter was being
discussed. and stated that under no con-
sideration would he meet the committee,
and that If the men were not satisfied
they could go out. They then and there
decided to go out in body.
Another grievance that the strikers
have is in regard to the spinning of clear
cotton. The company wants the spin
ners to spin one hundred pounds OF
thread out of ninety-five pounds of cot
ton. This is ridiculous, but Mr.. Daniels
insists that IL can be done. He
claims that by wetting. the
cotton, the extra five pounds can
be gained. How it can be done is a mys-
terry to the spinners. This is the only one
of the many ridiculous rules that the
company expects the men to live up to.
THE CoMPANY's SIDE.
Treasurer Llngs was also interviewed
He claimed that six of the strikers had re-
turned to work. This was denounced as
an absolute falsehood by Mr.. McNair.
.'The strikers" said Mr. Lings. ''have
DO reason for stopping work. They re-
ferred US to Mr.. McNair, but we will
have nothing to do with any one who is
not or was not employed here. The COM
pany will listen to all grievances and con-
cede any reasonable demand. We will not
be dictated to by any outsiders. We think
that we are perfectly capable of arrang-
ing our own affairs, and will under no
consideration reinstate sny man that has
been discharged, and will not reinstate
Fishwick and Taylor. The strike SO far
has not affected us, and everything is
running along smoothly. l think
that the strike is practically over
apply for work before night. If not,
their places will be filled tomorrow by
new men. Twelve out of the thirty
thousand spindles are running and have
no fear that the other employees will stop
work. They do not belong to any union
that know of and l think that they will
stand by u.s."
The police fear that the strikers will
threaten bodily harm to the employees,
ana Policemen Mackay and Mcintyre
were detailed this morning to watch the
strikers
The strikers so far have been orderly.
They have made Stencils Hall their
headquarters and stay indoors.