The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1893-07-21

plate Glass Trust Makes Trem~noooe
Profit. W lille n Reduces wages sso
aeaycs Men Idle.

tariffs a. applicd 10 piatc HiaSS 70 - NJ"
from the National Glass Budget where
IL is credited To ~. NJ. g., in New York
sunday People" #. NJ. e." Is I'M
donbtedlv Mr. r. NJ. Gessner. one Of
the best posted glass workers and edit
ors in the glass industry Ills opinion
j. indorsed by thousands Of glass work
ers who consider him their clear-headed
Spokesman. With but slight variations
these statements can Ike applied To
window and To green glass, for the
whole industry has been blasted by
..protcction." IF. NJ. G.'s" arguments
should have great weight with con-
gress. lie says:
ut is a condition. not theory.
which confronts the capitalistic method
az production in the manufacture OF
plate glass. The following facts VIII
prove interesting: A tariff OF from IL
to IA, per cent. was placed upon plate
glass as early as 1864. The amount OF
tariff collected annually on plate glass
imported has averaged about ss.Ooo,00O
annually since 1894 The American
ueople have therefore contributed near
| lv $50. OOo. 900 in the last thirty years
| for protection of American labor en-
gagged in plate glass manufacture
"l'he total value of all the plants in
operation to-day. including waterea
| stock and all. does not exceed sl5,ooo-
o0O During the past month trust
has been formed which controls about
IS per cent. of the entire production OF
the country. and there exists an under
standing between the manufacturers
| - kx. truS relative To
the selling price and the regulation OF
production. There are now four rae
tories shut down, and II has been de-
cided TO close down all works in the
country for sixty days In order TO e
duce stocks and make repairs About
q. 900 men are now idle, and another
Il 900 will he thrown out of work within
the next few weeks reduction of
wages amounting to 90 per cent is an
ticipated by the workmen when the
works resume
The first plate glass was made in
, New Albany. Ind. in lsss. Natural
gas caused capital to flow into tins re-
munerative industry. and additional
works were built at Creighton, Iares-
| tum and Butler, Pa, in 1883 and 1856
at Duouesne. Pa. in 1889; Charlero,
and Irwin. Pa. in 1890; kokomo and
; Elwood. Ind. in 1891. and Alexandria,
Ind. is9s. Colossal factories were
built, hundreds of acres we're bought
up by capitalists at a low value. OF agTi-
cultural land. and sold TO the thou
? sands of workmen. attracted to these
new industrial towns. at city lot prices
AT several Of these towns the officers
and stockholders ia the plate glass
: | comrvanies and the land improvement
| comr>anies were the same persons, ano
in several cases. for the convenience o.
= the v,orkmen. the glass company ant
the rand company occupied offices II
: the same building. so that the wage
! paid out for labor in the plate glas
J. works at one window could be paid IL
for purchased lots at another window
To this must he added. in order to ge
an approximate idea Of the enormitie
- of the profits made by these concerns
>, that the dividends for years past. eve'
q on stock watered 100 per cent, nav
"a been 81 per cent annually. stock ma
- been worth 5000 on par value OF so
~ per share, and there has been none 10
= sale even at that figure.
:, There are now in enforced idlenes
= hundreds of plate glass workers in a
!. these glass towns with half-paid-for LOT
=, and homes, and as workman with
= Mathematician house on his back make
the poorest kind Of striker, one ca
- see that the plate glass trust will has
!. the softest kind If snap when r
a duction of wages Is announced alt'
several months of idleness.
The productive capacity OF America
works at present is ls.OO0,000 squal
feet per annum. The amount of IN
~ ported plate glass reaching our shor
has been between 3. ZOO, 900 and 10000
- square feet during ten years past, al
- last wear was reduced by domcst
!. competition to J. 500, 900 square feet.
"'Thc consumption Of the country h
never exceeded 15.O00,000 square fec
and there is consequently surplusal
-, of glass annually of say =. 100000 squa
- feet of imported and a surplus domes'
product Of 4, 1000, 900 or 100000 squa
;.h feet
1--WE cannot displace the import
glass without cutting down cost OF RI
~ duction. wages and profits.
- 1--WE cannot meet foreign glass in 4
- eirn markets which the foreign mar
- facturer can meet at freight raj
cheaper than he reaches our own por
but reduction of cost would not
- large our available markets. and
duction Of selling price would only
duce dividends.
THE easiest way out of the difiicu
has. therefore, been adopted. and
Ia duction has been curtailed in order
reduce stocks. We mnst wait M
~. hal ting and leaden-heelcd demand os
~ takes present over production
- Hailed capital. orphcus like, Is pi
ing that sweet strain about supply
- demand And yet our ixion's whce
% not still. the stone of Sysiphus rest
not and the furics do not rclent.
boris rent bill and store account &c
,.,sa and mortgages, like rag weeds, "
mai day and night.
Broad are the shoulders OF la'
viii Atlas ever weary OF his 10
viii the men whose unpaid labor =
80. the giant works and the towns in WI
- they are now hungry and idle.