Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1893-07-21
PLATE GLASS TRUST.
IT Is CLOSING FACTORIES AND RE-
DUCING WAGES.

| Power Furnished by High Tariff, Which
Is Curse to the Whole Industry--Amer-
lean Labor Starves Amid PIenty-Win It
Ever Come by Its OWN"
The following condemnation of high
tariffs as applied to plate glass is taken
from The National Glass Budget, where
I it is credited to ''F. M G. in New York
Sunday People, ''F NJ G." is undoubt-
| eddy Mr.. T. M. Gessner, one of the best
posted glass workers and editors in the
glass industry. His opinion is indcrsed
by thousands of glass workers. who con-
slider him their clear headed spokesman.
He says:
at is a condition, not theory" which
confronts the capitalistic method of pro-
| duction in the manufacture of plate
glass The following facts will prove
interesting: A tariff of from 10 to al
per cent was placed upon plate glass as
early as 1864. The amount of tariff col
lected annually on plate glass imported
has averaged about 81 0O0, 600. annually
since 1864. The American people have
therefore contributed nearly $50 900, 900
IN the last 80 years for the ''protectioE
Of American labor" engaged in plate
glass manufacture.
The total value of all the plants in
operation today, including watered
stock and all. does not exceed $l5, 0Oo,-
| 600. During the past month astrust has
been formed which controls about 48
per cent OF the. entire production Of the
| country, and there exists an understand
| ing between, the manufacturers in and
| outside Of the trust relative.to the sell
| ing price and the regulation of produc-
ton There are'now four factories shut
| down, and it: has been decided to close
GAVIN all works in the country for GO
| days in order to reduce stocks and make
REPAIRS. About 5000 men are now idle,
and anoG11er 5000 will be thrown out Of
work within the next fewweeks. A re-
duction of wages amounting to 20 per
cent Is anticipated by the workmen
when the works resume.
The first plate glass yvas.made in New
Albany, Ind, in 1872. Natural gas
caused capital to fow.intothis remuner-
ative industry, and additional works
were built at Creighton, Tarentum and
| Butler. Pa, in 1888 and 1886; at Du-
quesne. Pa, in 1889; Charleroi and
lrwink Pa, in 1890; Kokomo and Ell
woeas Ind, in 1891, and Alexandria,
Ina, in 1892. Colossal factories were
hlalft, hundreds>of acres were bought up
by capitalists at low value of agricul-
tural land and sold to the thousands of
worlmen attracted to these new indus
trial towns at city lot prices.
| At several Of these towns the officers
and stockholders in the plate glass CON-
panles and the land improvement COM.
panies were the.same person, and in sew
eral cases, for the convenience. of the
workmen, the glass company and the
land company occupied offass 31n the
same building, SO that the Wages. paid
out FOR labor in the plate glass works at
one window could be paid in for puc-
chased lots at another window. To this
must be added, in order to get an ap-
| proxlmate idea.of the enormities of the
profits made by these concerns, that the
dividends for years past, even on stock
watched LOO per cent, have been 80 per
cent annually. Stock has been worth
$500 on par value of $500 pen share, and
there has beenmone for sale.even at that
| figure.
There are now in enforced idleness
hundreds Of plate glass workers in all
these glass towns with half paid for lots
and homes, and as q workman With a
half paid house on his back maAes the
| poorest kind of q striker one can see
that the plate glass trust will have the
sottest kind OF snap when q reduction
OF wages Is announced after several
months of idleness.
The productive capacity of American
works at present is IS, 000, 000square feet
per annum. The amount of imported
plate glass reaching our shores has been
between 5000 900 and 10000 square
feet during 10 years past, and last year
was reduced by domestic competition to
1850, 900 square feet.
The consumption Of the country has
never exceeded 100000 square feet,
and there is consequently surplusage
OF glass annually of 100000 square feet
of imported, and q surplus domestic
product of 1900, OO0~or $500, 900 square
feet.
We cannotd isphce.the imported glass
without cutting. down the cost Of pro-
ductlon. wages and profits.
| We cannot, meet foreign glass in for
| eign markets<which the foreign manu-
facturer 'can;reach carbohydrates cheap
er than he1reaches OUT own ports
But reduction, of cost would not en-
large our availablemarloets and reduc-
ton of selling pricsweuld. only reduce
| dividends.
The easiest way ont of the difficulty
has therefore been adopted, and produc-
ton has been, curtailed in order to re-
| duce stocks. We must wait until halt
ing and leaden heeled demand overtakes
present overprpductlon.
Bafied capital, Orpheuslike, is play
ing that sweet strain about supply and
demand. And yet our Ixion's wheel is
not still, the stone of Sisyphus resteth
not, and the Fnries do not relent. La
! boris rent bill and store account go on
and mortgages like rag weeds. grow
day and night.
Broad are the<shoulders of labor Will
Atlas ever weary of his 1oad9 Will the
men whose unpfd labor built the giant
works and the towns in which they are
now hungry and idle ever come to their
| rightful possessions?
When the morlkey-in the deep iungles
of Africa has laboriously gathered sur
| plus of cocoal1uts, he sits at leisure,
grins at the Sunlight, plays with over
hanging branc b or shading leaf, eats his