The San Francisco call., 1898-04-16
OBJECT TO
 EASTERN STONE Local Dealers Claim to Be Forced Into Unfair
 Competition. Trouble Threatened on the New Building of Wells,
 Fargo & Go.
w Workn1 en Will Refuse to Set Any Marble Gut Outside the
 State.

| Local marble dealers are up in arms
 against growing practice of builders
 who let out their contracts to corpora
 tions outside the city and State and have determined to make strong fight
 to keep the work here A short time ago the contracts for the interior mar ble works on two large buildings were kept here through the efforts of the Marble Cutters and Finishers' Associa- tion as they were on the point of being let out to a Cincinnati firm This practice not only takes away the | money for the purchase of the marble,
 but also necessitates bringing in work
 men from the outside to set the mar ble, as the members of the association will not touch any marble cut and pol | lShed outside the State. It is also said that many of the Eastern firms which local men have been fighting employ the cheapest class of labor obtainable. In some instances women and children are employed, and in others the work is done by convicts in the State prisons
 This makes the competition all the harder as nothing but skilled labor at good wages is employed by any of the local concerns, yet on several large jobs lately let there has been a difference of less than $200 between the bids of the San Francisco and the Eastern firms In the cases sufficient pressure was brought to bear to keep the jobs at home.
 The latest contract to cause trouble is that for the interior marble work of the new Wells Fargo building on Mis- sion street, which has been let out to Mueller Brothers of Chicago. The stone has not yet arrived, but when it does the contractors will, in all probability, find 1t necessary to bring workmen with them, as local men positively re- fuse to handle it. This action is also likely to cause trouble with workmen in all the other building trades, as stone cutters, bricklayers, hod-carriers, car penters, painters and varnishers and polishers are all organized and will re- fuse to work on the same building with non-union men.
 The following circular has been sent out to the architects of this city by the marble cutters:
 To the Architects of San Francisco-GentIe- Cutters and Finishers' Association. held on the first Monday in January, 1885, the following resolutions were passed:
 Whereas the marble industry of California has long suffered from the competition of Eastern firms and agents located in San Fran cisco; and whereas. legitimate manufacturers who pay taxes in this State are handicapped in figuring work which should rightly be- long in this city, through these agents who carry their office in their hat. Therefore be 1t
 Resolved, That the Marble Cutters and Fin shers' Association of San Francisco and vicin- ity will not set any Eastern marble that shall be contracted for on and after January l. 1898. And be 1t further
 Resolved That this association does object and will object to journeymen plumbers set ting or affixing marble in where 1t Is necessary to handle tools In connection with the marble cutting or finishing craft.