Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1893-10-08
rnE IRON AND STEEL SITUATION.
what an Iron Worker Thinks OF Its
Present Aspect and Future
4afA. E5iyor oT fhH RfOister.

To ~ Editor Of tie REGISTER:
SIR:-The outlook OF the iron indus
try from a puddler't standpoint, shows
no sign of Improvement, and his chances
for better prospects in the future are
rather discouraglng. The curtailment
of product by the stoppage OF the mills
does not strengthen the price OF what
iron is made, and in all prooa0illty
prices will 90 no higher until manufac-
turers cease reducing the wages OF their
employees. There would be more pud-
ding done If the puddlerS would act In
9 generous way, or as the
manufacturers desire it, accept an
other 10 per cent reduction to re-
lieve the monotony OF depression
and be content to puddle iron for 81. so
per ton. Oppression and depression has
broughta dark cloud of misery and des-
titution to iron workers in general.
The iron manufacturers Of Pittsburg
and other places are persistent In their
| efforts to delude their employees into
the snare OF accepting reduction after
| reduction to tide over the dull times.
! Oppression and necessity are two pow
| eriul factors to humble the spirit OF the
workers when bread is needed on the
family table. Sacred emissaries are
abroad working on the necessities OF
| the idle wage earners, encouraging them
to accept reductions secretly, so as to
enable their employers to undersell
their competitors. Reports OF this
nature came from PIttsburg and struck
! Wheeling. One of those winged ennis
saries circulated the past week that
| the La Belle puddlerS were working
| for $3.50 per ton, and blackSheeping
| Uncle Sam in his standard OF weights by
giving the La Belle Company twenty
J seven hundred pounds Of puddied iron
| for a ton. This silly report was forcioly
presented as authentic TO the Benwood
! puddlers by the officials Of that plant
! for their approval or rejection; reject II
they did after thorough Investigation.
! They invited the La Belle Puddler's
Committee down to the BenwoOd mill
Office on last Tuesday, which invitation
that committee accepted and refuted
the unfounded rumor as malicious
| falsehood.
The La Belle puddlers had no occa-
sion TO go anywhere to vindicate them
selves. The honorable and gentleman
! ly treatment Of that company to their
men is sufficient vindication, and II all
| the arrangements Of iron mills In the
Ohio Valley would act and do by their
men as this company does there Woulo
be less friction between employers and
| employees. The President OF the mill
signed the puddler's scale as soon as
presented to him for five dollars per
ton, and they pay their workers for
every pound of iron they make.
Who the mysterious originator OF the
| scandalous report Is could not be traced
up. IL was tried and effort was futile.
| However. it is sGrmised that the keen
fabrlcator and his silly subtsrfuge was
not OF the workers, but one who was
| conversant with the plan and had IL
! fully outlined to impute it to the pud-
! dlers before exploding his bomb. There
was an effect to be produced by the con-
trivanCe OF this absurdity. On the Goth
Of last month there was conference
| held in Pittsburg between a committee
of the fnishers and iron manufacturers.
The result Of the conference is as fol-
| lows: sit was then proposed by the
men to reduce the card rate on finish
| ing scale one-h&lf cent, or make 1t q
one and half cent card, instead OF, as
| last year, two cent card This change
Is equal TO ten per cent. reduction.
| The positions reduced ia the conference
last July are not affected by the change
| just made, except where the reduction
m ade last July aid not reach ten per
| cent, In which case such reduction is
added that will make it equal ten per
cent. Boiling remains unchanged"
II this conference committee agreed
| to reduce the puddlers' scale down to
cent and half basis, it would virtually
! chop of second ten per reduction OF
! the puddlerS' wages since July last, and
as this was not done directly by the
! conference, other manufacturers are
scheming to do it indirectly. What an
exhibition of selishness there is to be
observed under the highest protective
tariff that was ever adopted In this
country, for manufacturers joining
forces in an undetermined scheme to
squeeze another reduction from the
puddlers. Is it not an exempli-
fication of the fact that
the more enlightened and
intelligent employers Of labor become,
and the more they are protected In &C
cumulating excessive wealth the more
relentless they become in fleeing wage
earners down to European starvation
wages.
Iron and steel manufacturers COM
plain OF their profits being ontweighted
by their loss In business the last year,
and on the strength Of this they propose
to revolutionise their employees rates OF
wages. They give no consideration
whatever to the miserable condition OF
the workers or their families, but let
them take what they are offered and be
contented There cannot be much con-
| tentment or pleasure with them when
thew are forced TO work one week for
European wages and lay idle four to
eat it up. What are they to
do the coming winter, employment
scarce, wages low and the prices OF the
necessaries of life higher than it ha:
been for years. There is no considers
ton where self interest is paramont as
to how the vast army OF Idle wage
workers will get dollar to give for 6
bushel OF potatoes, 80 cents for pounc
OF butter, % cents for pound OF ham
16 cents for a pound OF b eef, 25 cents
for a pound of coffee, $500 for barre
of -four, cents for q bushel OF coal
and house rent, clothing and take
higher than last year.
JUSTICE.