Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1898-03-03
DISPUTE ABOUT WAGES.


MachInists Of tho Diamond state iion Co.
suy Their Fny Has Been Hedueeu--S'''o
ment uf tho Company.
There il n sliuht DISAGREEMENT between
about 10 machiniats of the l)inmonn
State Iron G., and their employora IN
reuRtti to wagon, the men claiming tDhI
their nay has been reduced anu throat
eninR to resign on Saturday next
They sent committee TO sse Preslden1
Todd in relation tu getting back me
old rates paid them. President lonu
refused 10 soc the men in relation to inc
matter and will not have anything 10
do with the affair.
At the meeting Of the men, which
was held in the Smith Building tues
day night, Acting Grand Master lilenn
OF the International Association OF
| Mnohinista, was present and presiueu'
| The melting resolved TO Use all Efforts
| to secure settlement. Some oil tnose
who have said they will resign have
been in the employ OF the firm Tor
number Of yeara. 1t ia not th6ught
that strike will take place.
When a representative Of The lia'
zette called at the Office of the DIR
mond State Iron Go. yesterday, ii. l.
Wallace secretary of the company, IN
reference to the article 10 the Morning
News yesterday referring to the question
of wages with the machiniHta, SAID thht
il contained uumher OF erroneous
statements. lie aided:
Whom the general wage scale was
adjusted at tho works Of our company,
few weeks ago, it was dono bacause
we have been paying a rata Of wages
which was higher than our competitors
with whom we come in most actlve
competition. We had continued at this
higher basis, hoping that values OF
material would 30 advance that others
wonll DO compelled TO advance 10 our
basis rather than that We would lie
obliged 10 make some reduction, 10
compete with them. The changes
which were made vera renl!y m ADJUST
ment, and not "A general reduction. 10
some instances wages were reduced, IL
many they remained exactly the same,
and 10 some cases they were ahvanceu'
so far as tho machinists are concerned,
the greaieHt reductiou To any indirinua
was 20 rents per week, in some chse'
they were not changed at all. Th'
rules of our company provide that any
empluye, who for any reason Is dlssatis
(, lied or who desires to leave, can uo 81
= Ivy giving uR two weeks notice. q
e week or 10 ago few of our machinists
. who no doubt telt that they could d.
+ hotter somewhere else, nr at leas
y would lke to try, gapo uB notice tina
y ending with this week they would leaV
II our employ, and it il fair TO assume tina
they did this with proper thought, an
D that il represented their desire in tn
9 matter. 1t was entirely satisfactory t
u us for them to do so, and MS they hR
cunformetl to our rules in giving us sue
u notice. we, Of course, accepted same
y and we expect them, with tho end c
y this week. to leave our emnloy.
y "Some Of thsss were the men VIII
y called yesterday at our Office to 500 tn
y president OF our company. to discus
- thu matter, and wo presume they wei
y accompanied by the gentleman repre-
10 aenting tho labor association to whic
IS they belong. In the fist place, th
superintendent, Mr. Griffith, in chars
20 Of these msn, is the proper man Il
them to discuss any matters OF tn
10 kind with, and the president OF OF
10 company would certainly not ignore h
10 representative in the head of thie d.
90 partment by treating with them direc
~ In the second place, there was nothir
~ to be discussed, as there IL no gric
81 ance between US. We have kind
interest in Nil our mon, and whenev
they have an opportunity Of bstterir
nu their condition elsewhere, IL ia tho
n right and privilege to do 80, and III,
Is ought to do il, -