The sun., 1898-01-21
STRIKING MEN WALK OUT
StakerS at +. Blumenthal 4 Go.
Are Dissatisfied.
HANDICAPPED BY BAD SKINS
Men Claim They Must do a Certain
Amount Of Work or no Pay---Can
Not do SO With the Bad Skins
Given Them.
HANDICAPPED BY BAD SKINS

Fory-ninc men walked out of the
morocco works of +. Blumnnthal & Co..
Yesterday.
The strikers claim that the trouble is
over the wages and the number of work
ing hours.
The trouble was brought to crisis by
a complaint made to the bosses bv the
superintendent, Richard Patzowskv.
Richard Patzowsky.th superintendent
Of the works. on Wednesday made an
inspection Of the department in which
the strikers were employed, and found a
state of affairs which, he said. could be
tolerated no longer. Frank Herman, the
foreman, and Mr.. Patzowsky then had a
conversation, which revealed the follow
ing remarks: Mr.. Patzowsky said that
the works were now doing their work
anything but satisfactory; that u feet of
each dozen OF skins were short with the
corresponding week of 1897. One state
ment brought on another till Mr.. Herman,
on his own accord, thought it advisable
to leave, as Mr.. Patzowskv seemed ignor-
ant of the fact that Mr.. Kernan's state
ments were true. When Mr.. Herman
decided to leave he was followed by
William II. Straughn, first assistant, and
Thomas Montgomery, who is boss over
the perching machines.
Alter it was learned that the three
bosses had left, six men followed their
example ard yesterday forty-thrpe more.
The bosses make the following state
ment: They say Maurice Blumenthal,
the assistant foreman in their depart
ment gave orders to place all skins, hal
and good, on the machines. Preceding
his orders it was customary to only
place the good SKINS in the machines.
Now as both bad and good skins were to
be run by the machines, the men claim
that it was no fault of theirs that many
skins were torn and short. The object
OF the machine work is to soften the
skins and get their measurement. The
bosses also state that Maurice Blumen-
thai is greatly responsible for the exist
ing state of affairs, for if he had ordered
the bad separated from the good and
given the bad to knee stakers to work
on. the present trouble would never
have arisen.
\ large number OF the strikers are
stakcrs, and they are asking for an in
crease in wages and less work per day.
They claim their work upon bad skins
requires more labor than upon perfect
skins. They get paid salaries from 81 to
$40 per week and are required to turn
out a certain amount of work or the sal.
AIRY will not be paid. Now if bad skins
are to be given them to work upon then
they claim they will not be able to earn
the amount already given, and com
plant is made by the walking boss.
Richard Patzowsky, the superintendent,
makes the following statement: Yes
lerday ] went over to the stalking depart
mcnt, to which this trouble is confined |
and found some of the machines very
much out Of order. called the atten- !!
lion of the three men whose duty it is to
keep them in working shape, to their
condition and reprinanded them. They !
.ook offense and walked out. and several !
other men did likewise. This morning
we found that about forty men in that
department. had struck, but we have ex-
ocrienced no difficulty in keeping the /
department. running the same as usual,
md we are not inconvenicnced in any
particular
MANY OF the men who went out were
aught the business right here in the fac
DRY. None of the strikers will be taken
pack. We have hundreds of applicants
or their places. There was no demon
ration on their part this morning. We
re informed since the strike that some
II the men wanted $40 all around for
iity-four hours work week. At pres
mt the rate is from So to $40 for sixty
lours' work. They sent no delegation to
is to state their grievance, and such a
curse on their part would be useless
low, as we shall decline to treat with
hem.'
Yesterday several of the striking mo-
occo men gathered near the Blumenthal
forks and, in speaking OF the situation,
aid that they hoped an amicable settle
nent would soon be made.