The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-08-19

agreement will probably result in adding
81, 800, 900 to the wages of working men. Here
are some figures:
Value of output .......$ $4,000 600 S6000,000
Wages to workmen 80. 6,O000N 36U,WO
Average yearly imports
under Wilson Dill oo ooo
(boXes).. ...... :....... ......." l0OO,OOO
Expected under Dingley
cain ain in wages to Amer
lean WOrkmen ......,..............s 10VUWU
According to the Times Herald one big
company will not only sell all of the glass
the manufacturers produce, but will buy
for them the raw materials from which it
is made. The last is a feature HERETOFORE
unheard of in trade combinations either in
America or Europe. and brings the indus
try nearer the point of actual practical CO.
| operation than has ever before been at
| tempted in manufacturing. The name
which will probably be adopted
at Tuesdays meeting will be the American
Window-glass Company Into this concern
will be merged the two selling agencies
| which have heretofore controlled the
| greater part of the American output. These
| organizations which expire by limitation
| Oct /, are known as the Western window
glass Company, controlling the Indiana and
| Ohio manufacturers. and the Pittsburg
| Window-glass Company, comprising the
| manufacturers of Pennsylvania and New
| York.
| four immense establishments known as the
| Big Four or cooperating factories and
| also number of small and scattered indie
| pendent factories, which produced about 16
per cent of the countrys output. The big
| Four" will come into the new agreement
| in a body and it is known that fully three
| fourthS of the small Independent manufao-
| turers will also come in. This will form
a strong cohesive. organization which will,
| with the aid of the Dingley tariff law, Of
| fectually shut out all importations of for
| eign window glass, amounting to over l.
| 1000 boxes per annum, the manufacture
| of which would pay over $l,500,000 in wages
| to skilled labor.
| with manufactured stocks as low as at
| present and with foreign glass shut out it
| Is estimated the factories within the Amer
| lean agreement can run eight months. pro-
| duce 100000 900 worth of glass and pay out
| Sc, 000, 600 in wages during the 1897-1898 sea-
| sons blast, as against run or SIX months
| an output of Sc. 1000 900 and wage payments
| of $1,000 900 in the blast of 1862.
| WORKMEN TO GET TARIFF ADVANCE
| 1t is the intention to give the workmen
| very nearly if not quite the % per cent adj
vance in wages which they have asked for,
| if it is possible, but at the same time there
| will be a return to the methods in manu-
featuring which were in vogue under the
| Mckinley bill. These methods paid the
workmen according to the quality of the
standard. Under the methods in vogue
under the Wilson tariff bill the quantity
test was the measure of wages, and the
tendency was to deteriorate the quality
By the wage agreement now under con-
workmen and the manufacturers the labor
cost of glass will be over per cent. of its
total value, and the quality of the best
of 1T will be better than in any other coun-
try on earth. The methods by which the
American Company will control the sale
of window glass so as to prevent demOrali-
cation of the market will be to rent or
| lease the warehouses of each factory. The
| glass will become the property of the
into this warehouse and the manufacture
er will receive pay in cash or the COM
the cost of the glass. The glass will then
be sold by the American Company and
the profits be distributed pro rata at the
end of the season. All losses from bad debts
are by this method also pro rated and like
wise reduced to a minimum.
The buying of raw materials, such as
soda ash, coke, arsenic. sand coral lum-
ber nails and other items which enter into
the manufacture and shipment of glass,
tee elected for the purpose. In this manner
not only will the manufacturers be able
to buy at the very lowest figures. but the
| company can also accurately regulate the
output to the needs of the trade.
The company will also attempt to have
| the freight classification reduced to what
| it deems a proper level. In the window
| glass Industry the consgnor always loads
! and the consignee always unloads cars
| Nevertheless, it goes as fifth-class freight
| when, it is claimed 1t should go as sixth
j. being regarded DID, as tie best class Of
weight By the shutting out of foreign glass
| the manufacturers can return to the old
| style of packing the glass in 1Oo-foot in
| stead of 50-foot boxes thus saving i'm
| mensely in the cost of the boxes and in
| the freight
THE CHAMBERS PLAN.
The plan now about to be adopted as it
| has practically been agreed on is in most
essentials the same as that proposed six
| years ago by James A. Chambers, one of
! the two largest manufacturers in the coun-
| try. The plan was so complete in all it's
details and was so theoretically perfect
| that it was decidedly in advance of the
times and was regarded with suspicion by
some of the manufacturers simply because
| of it's completeness. Nevertheless, it then
came very near adoption and only failed
| because of bad faith on the part of a
| few manufacturers. Since then the latter
| have learned wisdom through trade adver-
| sites. The successful operation of the SELL
| ing agency plan, despite the fact that it
| was full of crudities, as compared with
| the American. has now brought practically
| all of the windowglass workers of the
| country into a hearty Endorsement of the
! latter. The meeting of the manufacturers
next Tuesday is only for a formal ratifica-
ton of an agreement which was practical
! 1y effected some time ago.
| The formal official call summoning the
| manufacturers of the entire country to the
| meeting at the Auditorium Annex next
| Tuesday was sent out by the Western Win
| doW-glass Company and the PittSburg Win
dow-glasS Company yesterday. The follow
| ing table shows the number of window
| glass factories in the United States and
| the States in which they are located:
| Maryland -.
New Jersey NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. 5
New York NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. 3
| ONO
| indiana 80
1otaI 90
! In these are invested over $40 900 900 of
| capital, and the working capacity on a
full working year of nine months is at
! present prices, about $i2.500 COO The wages
paid on such an output would amount to
! $3.50 COO. 1t is not believed best. however.
| to run over eight months the coming sea-
/ son, and the blast for the season of 1897
| IS will begin, it is thought, about two weeks
| late. or about Oct. Is. provided a wage
| settlement is reached at the Cleveland, O.,
/ conference next Saturday Last year the
/ fires were not lighted until Dec. II and
/ there was about two weeks lost through
| shortage Of gas during the coolest weather
! from trade causes.
! 1t is believed that, under the various and
/ fdr-reaching economies possible by the for
/ ma alton of the new company, the cost Of lay
| ing glass down at the door of the consumer
! will not be materially higher under the
higher tariff and the higher wage rate The
| new tariff bill is 81 per cent. higher than