New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-08-13
DEPRESSION IN PITTSBURG.
IRON AND CONE WORKS ARE CLOSING DOWN.
woRkMEN AGREEING TO REDUCED wAGEs-THhT
RECOGNIZE THE SITUATION AND AXE
MAKING THE BEST OF IT-Low
PRICE OF WOOL.

RECOGNIZE THE SITUATION AND AXE
MAKING THE BEST OF IT-Low
PRICE OF WOOL.
pi,,sburp Penn Aug II (SpecaD.-The 'ar'i
question is worrying the city of Pittspurs nv
thar the purchasing clause Of the Sherman silver
act This city of iron and steel gave big majority
for the Republican Presidential ticket last ny -.
ber despite the nearness OF Homestead WIN .'
'obiect lesson" about which Democratic uei"'
gogues have prated so much SO the IRON a"a
steel workers have nothing to regret SO far as the
own ha,lots are concerned although sharing in the
uncertainty made possible by the action OF deiudeo
workngmen of other localities Idle mills anu
furnaces the curtaiment of production In the Con
nesvie coke region, with the consequent u''
charge Of railway employees farmers disgus.eu
with the price of wool. with Free Trade staring
them In the face are some present conditions III
Western Pennsylvania. in the great o'a'e VI
Allegheny" as Abraham Lincoln called 1t, ana the
district which finds it's market centre mere.
Uncertainty on the tariff question has maze IRON
and steel manufacturers cautious ABOUT ths year
wage settlement. 1t is not strike IL Is ho' d
case OF grinding monopolists bullying the WORK
men" 1t is a clear of dstrust with ooth manu-
facturers and men, else the latter through 'ie
officers of the Amagamated Association wouu
not consent to reductions in wages oil AROUND al
though they have not yet come down " "e"'e'
to which all manufacturers will assent.
At Jones & Lauehlin's great American IRON
works where 1000 men employed, ana wnere
special steel scale is arranged there have oeeh
reductions amounting to as much as =" per ce'i'
In departments
During the thrty-three years in which the Demo-
cratic party was either completely out Of power or
was blocked by Republican Senate, the members
of the Amalgamated Association of Iron ana steer
Workers have become accustomed to annual renew
ais Of A satisfactory wage scale. Sometimes there
L...1 vno,, ctr
in length nine times out of ten resulting In the
surrender of the manufacturers But the men are
not fighting their employers this year. They are
doing the best they by moral suason, and
tbern is very little likelihood of the introduction
of non-union men. as some dispatches wouid nave
H. Nowhere In the world can there be found more
friendly feeling between capital ard labor than
between the iron and steel manufacturers anu t''e
Amalgamated Association.
! There have been no bank failures in Pittspurs
simply because of the accumulated strength resu'-
ing from the long rule OF friendly poiitcal party
We have had no runs on banks ana suspensions Ill !.
almost out Of the question. The ZV pu'Iuihs anu
loan associations in the county, WIN the'r nun
drads Of millions AZ capita,-rnsinly saved from tne
ornros ~ we,I-paid iron and steel and glass work.
ersare also In frst-class condition. thanks 10 the
/ PARTY out Of power. The depression began HMM.
/ die tolv after the election Of Grover Cleveiahu IL
! exhibited itself in the abandonment OF proJec'S
which Included numerous tinplate mils oackeu py
noon,e with money The cities OF Pi,tsburg and
/ Allegheny. with a population OF about ~ow ana
several score iron ard steel mills. are the oes' Kinu
y, testimonials 70 the value OF a protective tariff
/ for home industry. ,
! A courle Of Carnegie blast furnaces NJ Braddock
are about to DO closed down. There are no 'eau'er
running plants In the world than the CarneSe es-
/ tabl,shments The PittsburR wire works al brau-
dock have lust closed down. throwing nearly 1o
III. lJacE vriro
been closed down FOR some time Both mills are
IN no lie for an Indefinite period. II stranger de-
eiras IN got a complete idea OF tho depression IN
the iron and steel trade. let him start NJ the juno
,on Of the Allegheny and Monongahela RIVERS IN
the formation Of the Ohio, and ascend both streams
for the mills almost monopoze the water fronts
| Dulrcss in the iron and steel trade has begun 20
sor,ouslv affect the Connellsve coke region the
coLa entering so largely in the manufacture OF
MIG iron For n region OF perpetual strikes the
| mon are strangely silent on the question OF re-
sis,ance to wage reductions this year They are
uos,ed on the movements OF trade ara VIII ho'
waste time In protesting against the inevitaoe.
W J. Rainey probably the hrst operator 10
mako n on, Now the Jones e Laughln Company
has told it's employees at the Tyrone WORKS AT
bradford Of n reduction Of about 10 per cen"
! Wages have also been reduced at the farchai''e
Furnace Company and Brown q Cochran piah'.
The wage scale provides a minimum oas's VI -
/ bushels for mining tDdl anu -" 1870
100 bushels for drawing coke, when the sei'ihs
| r,oo ~ COLO ia 81 Is ton. The operators who
! bove cut the wage scale 1t Is Impossible 10
nay f. and rather than suspend operations ai'o-
gether a reduction in wages Is ohered' Less nio"es
/ they argue is better than no money al Az anu
/ the coal miners and coke drawers are inclined 10
/ think the same way 49,,
The H. c. Frick Company. which controls 'iree-
fourths of the Connellsville region also the Nc
! C.ure Comnanv arc both paying more than the
scale minimum as both are settling WIN their
omnloyes on the basis of 81 90 coke altnoueh II Is
aellInr down to 81 co. and has sold even lower. Inc
wac.s paid at Mr. Tricks plants are III U" LOT
mining and IS cents for drawing. In ioe 'ie
r-,ck Comnany adhered to the scale. althoush
/ other operators reduced wages 80 l-3 per cent
! rbn closing Of iron mills along the north BANK
~ tho Mononsahela and the dulness in the Con-
rslIsvilla coke region have compelled the Balti-
more and Ohio Railroad Company 10 Reduce
forces Forty brakemen, engineers and nremen III
! tho wards have laid off. They have not peeh u.s.
charged but there is no work Tor theh' oo'he
| or,,nsers have been reduced to the rank or IRE
s.an and others on through passenger trains have
! hod their wages cut. The reduction In the monthly
! no, of ono engineer amounts to $40. The men are
/ much dissatisfied. but resistance Is out OF the
question Several freight crews between Plus
burg and the Connelsvie coke region nave oeeh
dispensed with. 49,
B
nermited TO grow cold. hfty-four at another also
loo belonging TO the southwest rant One p'a ~
/ which suspended had been in steady operation Tor
five years. -. ,,-.A- c..,-,, ,,htcb al.
ioin. Pittsb,rg and is a great wool growing ais
/ irct are in much the same mood as are the iron
and steel workers of this city. They believe the
! democratic party will carry out It's threat 70
nl,ce wool on the free list One OF the OLDEST WOOL
dealers in Washington county was In flttsputrig
! his week lie has been buying wool from his
| nelghbors for over thirty years. lie gave re-
norter some facts and figures dating from 1855, wne
he price of wool averaged 10 cents pound. me
Tariff act of that year reduced the duty from Is Il
! to 10 cents and during the next five years the
upice 0ucttIated from 20 to % cents In 1885 after
Proven cleveland had announced free Wool as
nart Of the Democratic policy. the price dropped
To- IS cents. In the spring OF that year and while
| Congress was still In session, 100000 pounds were
| cold in Washington County AT Is cents pound.
The Republican Senate killed the free wool clause
NJ the Mills bill. and after Congress adjourned
WOOL advanced TO 20 cents. Then followed the
election OF Benjamin Harrison, and two months
| later the wool-grower mentioned above sold