The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1892-07-20


Iails of steel making and the work per-
Iormed by the. different classes OF WORK
men. He said that the Homestead mills
we're the finest in the world, and work
men made so per cent. better wages
here than in any other plant Inc
average reduction proposed by the com
pany which precipitated the strike was
il per cent. About 800 men were al
tected. This reduction was made De-
.ause laborers were getting more wages
than in any other mill, and the intro
duction of improved machinery, increas,
ing the amount of product increased
the wages.
Austin Colbhesh, a roller IN the 1l9-
inch mill, was asked by Mr.. Oates what
reductions the company proposed ana
who it would effect He said that IN
the heating department the reduction
amounted TO s per cent In the smear
ing department the greatest reductions
we're proposed. Under the old scale OF
800 tons at S25, he made Sl41.45. AT
the reduction he would receive S92
Shear helpers would now make Sl.0e
for eight hours. Formerly their pay
was one-third more "How much is the
labor cost of producing ton of steelT
asked Judge Taylor.
about s1.5O. That is only for skilled
labor"
William Weihe, president OF the
Amalgamated association, said that
there are %, 900 skilled workmen in the
association. They were of different
nationalities, but the majority were
Americans. The association did not
countenance any act of violence on the
part of its members in keeping out nom
union men.
Chairman Frick, of the Carnegie steel
company, said that some of the work.
men testified that the poorest paid men
and those who had the hardest work
suffered most under the reduction. lie
selected the wages during May, just be-
fore the trouble, admitting that wages
were little large. Out of 300 men en-
ployed on the 1l9-inch plate mill only
So were reduced In 1892 296 men were
employed in the same department and
by the change in the scale then l90
were affected and 100 were not. More
men were affected by the sliding scale
than any other.
In the armor plate mill, out of 1877 em-
ployes. 81 are reduced. He said that
burgess McLuclxie had stated that the
company purchased the Allegheny steel
plant so as to control the price of billets
and cut down the wages of the work
men. This was absurd. The pay roll
at Duquesne is 100000 Forty per cent.
of the worlmen were affected by the
sliding scale. These men produced 20O,-
600 tons of billets monthly. II billets
were reduced 81 a ton, this would mean
: loss of $50, 900 and this could be offset
only by gain of 5000 in the Home
stead mill. He was asked why he pro
posed reduction of wages He stated
that the first reason was reduced price!
: received for the product, and second the
l increased tonnage by introduction o.
improved machinery, which increased
9 the pay of the men, they being paid ac
cording to the tonnage.
"Will you state the approximate cost
o of producing steel billets?"
u 81 declined to answer that question
: the other night do so now. ldono
l. care to go into the question of cost"
''What is the cost of the entire plan
=. at Homestead?"
4 about IS, 900, 900; possibly 81, 900, 900.
a Mr.. Frick said one roller in the 20
). inch mill earned in twenty-four day
!. S2s5.O5, and another in twenty-eigh
: days s4sT. The six heaters in the SAM
n mill averaged s1Se per month. Their
: will be no change in the wages OF thes
h men. AS to the mortgages held oil
Il property Of employees at Homestead
: Fricls said these papers were issued onl.
n TO aid the workmen in building homes
r Never has mortgage been foreclosed
N The interest charged is 6 per cent Tn
men are allowed the same rate ol
= monies deposited with tho firm. Thes
: sums amount to $4,000. The mort
= cages amount to s42, 900. The witnes
, refused to answer definitely what basi
y was taken in averaging the sliding
a scale, but said 1t was about SEA
!. "You are inclined, then. to give us n,
n idea Of your proftsY'
J 81 think have gone far enough il
Z sost."
e Mr. Boatner-"Maj. Mckinley sale
d the metal schedule in his tariff bill ha'
n been so carefully constructed that n
d reductions to worlSmen could be made
"A We should have the information giveI
l. Mr.. Mckinley"
ID "You must get 1t from Mckinley.
D. do not think the tariff has anything Z
'f do with this"
g Mr.. Frick declined to give the labo
n cost Of producing ton Of billets.
10 don't think we should be asked the d.
~ tails Of our business" he exclaimed.
m But those details were given whe
" the house passed bill giving you go'
ernment protection, putin Mr.. Boatne'
N 1--WE never asked the government fc
= protection" retorted Frick. Mr. Bynui
put Frick through an examination as
ie the tables OF labor and cost furnishe
IN the ways and means committee an
Frick declared the figures were inco
or rect
III Being asked by Mr.. Oates II his con
G. pany was making money out Of tf
armor plates contract from the goverl
n. ment, Frick refused to answer. M
as Oates questions as to the Carnegie col
Germ trying to monopolize the ste
IL business were met by an icy answ'
from Mr.. Frick that he did not belie'
~ | they did. He denied that his compan