The San Francisco call., 1899-09-21
1t May Give the Port
''a Black Eye"
MEN PRESENT AN ULTIMATUM
WANT AN EIGHT HOUR DAY ON
GOVERNMENT WORK.
All Chartered Steamers Must Be Con
sidered Government Vessels and
Pay Accordingly-The Work
Will Be Done Elsewhere.

The boiler makers strike reached the
acute stage Yesterday. The men want an
eight-hoUr day on all vessels chartered TO
the Government, and If their demand is
not granted within twenty-four hours
they assert that the rule will be made
10 apply to private contracts also. Uncle
Sam, they say, made the eght-hour law
and ne must live up 10 il. A private
contract on a Government ship must be
considered a Government job as far as
the hours of labor are concerned, and if
that point is not conceded, then the eight
hour law will be made to apply to all
work done by boiler makers.
The above ultimatum was given yes
terday afternoon in the office Of the
transport quartermaster on Folsom street
wharf. A conference haG been called TO
see whether some understanding could
not be reached. There were present Cap
tains Barneson and Batchelder and Su-
pervising Engineer Matthews of the
transport service, II. c. Tabrett, marine
superintendent, and II, Arnold, manager
OF the Rlsdon Iron Works; u. Heyne-
mann, secretary; ". /. Criglar, marine
superintendent, and Peter 2. Phelan,
head boiler maker of the Fulton Iron
Works; james Ryan, q. Lillis, Jack Nit
chell, Fred Murphy and j. furlong OIL
the Boiler Makers Union, and John Bull
ger, United States inspector OF boilers.
Mr.. Bulger was chosen as the arbitrator,
but in spite of mis- best efforts he could
not bring the TWO parties 10 an under
Captain Barneson in straightforward,
manly manner explained to the men the
Governments position in the matter.
Boys said he, i want you TO get your
rights as much as you do yours selves. AS
far as the Government is concerned, l
think can promise you, III the name OF
Major Long, an eight-hour day ana dou-
bic pay for overtime. That or course
viii only refer to Government work On
d chartered steamer We have nothing
-l1sr n
ers, except in the ordering OF the work
done. For instance, We charter vessel
Inspector over heT He reports that the
boilers require retubing, and we nouIy
the owner that the work must be done
before We Will accept the vessel Now
the owner OF that vessel employs Wnom
he pleases TO do the work ana he toots
the bill. We have nothing whatever TO
do with ii, ana l certainly fail TO see
how you can make 1t out 10 be Gov
ernment job.
dan, Sherman, keliet and other vessels
owned by the Government you Will get
what you ask, but TO my mind chartered
vessels like the George w. Elder. Ia
coma, Zealandla Valencia, Centennial,
Charles Nelson and others should be con-
sidered as outside jobs, as the owners
have 10 pay for the repairs.
The boiler-makers listened to Captain
BarnesOn quietly and then retired to talk
the matter over among themselves. In
spector OF Boilers Bulger went with them
and the whole matter was gone carefully
over. Mr.. Buger counseled the men 70
make certain concessions, but he failed
TO influence the boiIer-makers. They re-
turned TO the meeting room and gave II
as their ultinatura that any vessel COM
ing here to enter the transport service
should be considered a Government vessel.
and the Job Government job:
pay for an eight-hOur day and double pay
on that scale for overtime.
Take care, boys, that you are not cut
ting of your nose to spite your face" said
Captain Barneson. Il consider that you
are going the right way TO drive trade
away from the city. Remember that we
the troops, and that foreign vessels are
being chartered in numbers Remember
eign owners from having their repair
work done where they please. All we re-
qure is that the transport will pass our
inspectors. We do not care who does the
work so long as IL is done in a workman
like manner. Remember that many Of
these transports which the Government is
negotiating fer are coming from Austria
liza and China, and that If you insist upon
your demands the, owners will have the
Hongkong, and for Gods sake don't let il
go abroad that an American workingman
held uP his own Government in an emer-
There was a long pause after Captain
Barneson had finished and then RYAN,
acting as spokesman for the boiler-mak-
ers said they would give the iron works
people twenty-four hours to consider their
proposals, and if their demands were not
granted in that time they would ask for
still further concessions.
The representatives of the different iron
works are going TO sleep on the mems de-
mands tonight and will give their deci-
sion tomorrow. In the meantime the
steamer Bristol was to have come here
for an overhauing. but she Will now go
TO Seattle, where the work will be done.
The GIenogle requires considerable work.
but she may be passed by the inspectors
and the work will be done at Hongkong
or she may go to Puget Sound and be
outfltted there. The Lenox that was to
come here from Portland may remain on
the Columbia River and be overhauled
there. All in all, the outlook is not very
promising for the port
THE UNION ATTITUDE.