New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-01-25
a TINPLATE DEADLOCK.
MANUFACTURERS ON BOTH SIDES OF THE
ATLANTIC SHUT DOWN.
nrn,,c,Se wAeEs-woRKERs BRING SUIT TO
HOLD EMPLOYERS TO THE OLD SCALE
~ or THE TRADE.

., (speclaDThe manufacture Of
,nnlate has temporarily ceaSeu vi oo'' sues "a .'e
.,an,t. ocean pending the se'oeinen' OF disputes
Aua"u' 60 scales both American and Welsh
over the woe demanding reductions of 25 per cent
manul@c'. they may successfully compete with
IN order that '
each other. 49,. T., u-o,o. 70 o.+r,br.ed "a tho
Ing -. ,ba American manufacturers had gained
i" strong foothod under the Mckinney tarf
such 10 found trouble. even with Mr. Wilson's
that 'ne :, dslodging them. The American manu-
ass.' are having great difficulty In starting
a., nIants on a non-unon basis over 30 per cent
,s,e although the sheet manufacturers are still
arc the "Amagamated. or union. scale. novel
p.oroa is the suit brought by the Amalgamated
,oc,atlon of Iron and Steel Workers against the
,,nsd plate Manufacturers Association for breach
=, ,o,.rac. otherwise the violation of the annual
u,ge-scale agreement which was signed In July
,s, The American timed plate mills have been
,aa for three months because of the wage dispute
a,5 there have been two futile conferences on the
subject ,.,
The suit entered by the Amalgamated, probaoy
,no frs, OF its kind. was prompted by the resump-
ZION O. work about November on non-uhioh
basis at the Demnller plant OF the uniteo states
,ron and Tin Plate Manufacturing COMPANY Oh
u;hlch ". C. Cronemeyer is president. III o'uei '"
tar, non-union Mr.. Cronemeyer withdrew from the
r'red plate Manufacturers Association but since
-. f,,ile conference Of December IL he has applied
Oar and been readmitted to membership the asso-
cat,on (of which Cronemeyer has Always peeh
,resdenO having since that date decided upon a
general resumption on non-union OASIS IL '''e "e"
can be secured ,. - e,oa ~,
The bill in the suit in equity, which was heu oy
~ Rrennan attorney for the Amalgamated AS
sociation rectes that on July last inc annual
sofia Of wages was agreed upon, yet on No'e"oei
a the Demmer Company served notee Oh oo pei
rent reduction for rolling and 70 per cent ~.
sorh,,nr heating and shearing The Amalgamated
- ware employed in the departments above
named The bill also accuses the Demmier ooni-
many with inducing men TO desert tne un,o" ny
means of threats and "brioes. Inc oiii "A
filed in Common Pleas Court NO. o. vi .'' w
he,,, county and it requests the granting Oh an
,,rc,;on 10 restrain the operation OF the Demmier
,,ar, except under the wage scale signed last july
1h,s agreement was made between the CONFER
80 committees OF the Timed Plate Manufac'ur-
.rs, Association and the Amalgamated Association,
the scale 10 remain in force until June 0 i'so' anu
. n,os signed for the manufacturers by w. T. Crohe
ovar nresident and John Jarrett. secretary ana
,ro,sn-ar. and for the Amalgamated Association by
NJ NJ Garland. president. and j. Z. hhgaioh
secretary 1870 ...r
,,acpen,Iv broken by the manufacturers OUT this
t., ,ha frs, a,tempt TO compel them 10 adhere to
contract President Garland says his association
wants 70 find out how much weight this wage
agreement has in court. II wage agreements, "
a, present constructed. are not legally oii'u''e'
then the Amalgamated Association proposes 70 eN-
ercise more care in the future as ~ ''o 9
OF the papers. .
The manufacturers retaliate with the statement
that the Amagamated Association Is an uhincoi
porated and therefore irresponsible oooy A"'
leaves the impression that in the future the manu-
facturers will be more reluctant than ever 70 sign
wage agreements, and the suit entered oy MI
brennan has therefore stirred up bad blood
President Garland's statement in defence OF the
idle tinplate workers Is as follows:
when the Mckinley bill was passed IN le"
steel bets selling at s2s ton. Iheir pres
ent price is SIS So decrease OF IL per cent Ninety
seven and one-half per OF tinpate Is steel the
other ga per cent being pig tin. When the Mckinney
BIZ was passed pig tin was selling at "A cents per
pound and is selling at lS cents Ilnpa'e
bars which are made out Of Steel can be bought
., s,7 from anv concern while those made in local
bar mills sell at sls So which is exactly the cost OF
the bar in Wales.
"Pig-iron costs the same here as in Wales, and
all other material entering into the manufacture OF
tinplate is the in point OF cost IN poth couh-
tries but wages are higher here. In 1881 MI
Cronemeyer gave me a comparative statement OF
the cost Of labor from the bar TO the finished oox
in the countries. which made difference OF
SIG "A against the Americans. One year ago the
Amalgamated Association accepted reduction OF
10 per cent. which reduced the difference TO N3 &c.
with no change In wages IN weSa tac;Ures
sSe w sSat sf tee
Of ,iO 70 In addition the American workmen turn
da The r.
tacturers have repeatedly Informed us that they
een Ts Wd@ ed % Of
an advantage. Nlne-enths OF the tin dipped in this
hands pad lover rate ss. than in Wales
AaSes from Wales to the that the
leading manufacturers have ordered reduction Of
wood Co. are trying TO run their plant at the
reduced wages ana II successful the other manu-
At the recent wage conference in Llanelly. Wales.
Ernest Trubshaw. leading manufacturer; occupied
competition had become formidaDie. inasmuch as
There aPe ALSO t forty plants
the Continent Of Europe with an annual productive
om Of wages IS Accepted Is nv Spon that we
can beat the Yankees and afterwards restore the
present wage rate Other manufacturers spoke In
The Am n Hs situation may be summed up as
bridge Ohio operating four mills '1 has resumed
h sen %ss the rs nss she
70 break away from the Manufacturer Associa-
burg and failed to secure satisfactory new men
through advertisements.
Penn is running successfully on a non-union basis
1t was started December IS under the protection
Attempts were made to assault the new employees
both male ana ana Sne OF the es
The Niedringhaus plant at St. Louis. is in partial
OF police guarded the mills and no violence was
attempted
Operations still In progress at the Demmer |
plant but the labor leaders claim II Is on re- |
duced basis and that the suit TO ties, the wage |
agreement kept many non-union men away from |
The plant.
Several firms. including the one at Blarsville, !
Penn. said TO have offered concessions. re-
yussting their men to return at reduction OF 10
instead Of q per cent. go
Another conference in few days IL not unlikely. |
as the present state of inactivity is costly to
pom sides. Secretary John Jarrett OF the Manu- |
sSetrrers Association. either thinks or pretends TO
.n mn otherwise. however. He says: The mills |
s VII start non-union fast as possible. AT Iron
osIe Ohio. Wallace Banfeld & Co are operating |
nearly their entire plant n-unon." Mr.. Jarrett |
a., ckhowedges that two tnplate firms In Indiana.
N ADDITION 10 the Cambridge (Ohio) concern have
deserted the Manufacturer Association. and are
paying the union scale Mr.. Jarrett Is pleased 10