The morning times., 1896-11-23
WORK LIKE A ''CHA|N GAM"
Government BOOkbinders Appeal to
Their TaskmaSter.
THEY CALL ON SUPT. ESPEY
Complain of Excessively Increased
Labor by Reason of Machine Work.
How the Deceptive Rounder OPP
erGtes-ArbitratiOn Committee
Can Get No Satisfaction.

There is a life-sized row in progress in
the b,ndery department OF the Government
Printing Office between the employees and
Superintendent II. c. Espey The men
complain Of hardships which they have
asked shall bc arhitrated, but 50 far they
see no chance Of u favorable settlement Of
the difficulty.
There nave been complaints in this de-
partment before but none of the extent of
the present. Some time ago the employees
had Il grievance which was agitated in
The Times and was eventually determined
in favor of the workmen
The present difficulty mas grown out of
the increase of work due to the intrOduc-
uon of the rounding and backing machine
The rounding Is that process which gives
the curve to the front OF bound books
which most people probably think is caused
by an actual trimming of the leaves The
curve is, however. only made by the sym
metrical disposition OF the leaves before
the binding
WHAT WAS DONE AT FIRST.
Before the introduction of the machine
a days work in rounding and backing
WAS ! so books uI the stanuaru siz, OF the
well-known Agricultural Department re-
puIts. Inc process III fOunuIIS Dy naud
occupied only about forty minutes of the
eight hours Of such Il days work. II Is
plain. therefore, that the machine saves
only forty minutes out of the eight hours
forty minutes being one-twclfth of eight
hours
When tho machine WAS put 10 work
however, the days task was increased from
so books to 200 books II this Increase
mad been put on without the machine II
would mean Une-thrd more OF a task, or
work enough tu keep the men busy for
twelve hours. As the machine only saves
the men work which they could do in forty
minutes they claim that there is a vast
dispropurtion bet twcen . human days work
OF 80 books, and that same days work
me rcaScd by 80 books. the machine sa wing
only forty minutes
Another example furnished The Times
was that a days work consisted Of $50
of the agricultural works above referred
To as tie standard. Since the machine was
put to work the number of books has
been Increased TO 3T5, or ninct y-five ad-
ditional books. In this the same proper
ton of an added one-thrd of days work
holds.
MEN STIRRED UP.
This condition of things has stirred up
the men considerably and the discomfort
is increasing. They meet now twice a
month instead of once a month. They say
that perhaps Mr.. Epsey does not realize
the hardship, but this is not because the
committee on arbitration has not tried to
make the matter plain to him. This com
mittec consists of Messrs. James Stock
man, Tony Anderson and Robert thinner
man, with whom the general officers Of
the bookbinderS act. The committee has
discussed the question several times with
Mr.. Epsey without avail
There was scene during one of the
DISCUSSIONS the other day The men got
tired discussing the matter and left the
superintendent in disgust, repairing hastily
down stairs to see Mr.. Benedict. They
threw off their aprons to make the call
1t is not known what happened at the call
on the Public Printer.
1t was stated yesterday that the men
had gained one slight advantage, but il
was one Of Importance. The government is
ROW having prepared volumes containing
the messages of all the Presidents of
the United States from Washington to the
present day. The first volume of this is
being made ready for distribution.
Mr.. Epsey, the men say, insisted On
their doing 200 OF these books for an
eght-hour days work. There was a kick,
but the best they could do was to get ten
knocked off the 200. They say that this
shows that Mr.. Epsey acknowledged the
hardship OF the original task
ANOTHER CoMPLAINT.
Another thing they complain of is that
there Is disposition to have work rated
according to the capacity and ability Of
the mcst expert. This they claim to be
unfair for obvious reasons What they
want is fair days work according to
a fair price list made up in a rational
manner.
There Is good deal of talk among the
men that 1t would take very little now,
SO strained is the relation between employ
ers and employees. to cause the latter to
walk out. They say that they believe
Mr.. Espey is trying to make a record in
view of prospective changes in the offi-e,
hut as one of them said yesterday. this
record ought not to be made by ..makiu.
n chain gang OUT of the workmen" Chain
gang" Is by word a the department and
is used frequently by the men in describ-
ing and talking to each other.