The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-03-21
A COUNTER MOVEMENT.
Machinery Manufacturers Organizing
to Fight the Strike.

New York, March 21-In anticipation
of an extension to this city of the strike
of machinists now in progress in Chi
cago. Columbus, Ohio. and Paterson.
n. J., local manufacturers of machinery
are pushing forward the work of per-
fecting an organization to cope with it
when it comes. Plans for such a body
were laid some time ago, but the
threats recently made by the Interna-
tional Association OF Machinists to
make the Chicago strike national and
call out 100000 men, in addition to the
5000 now out in Chicago and the 1000
in Columbus and Paterson, resulted in
an increase of activity among manu-
facturers here.
AS a nucleus for this movement the
New York and New Jersey, machinery
manufacturers association was orga-
niZed on March IA, with A. 3. See as
president; j. S. Mundy, vice president,
and G. K. Garvin, treasurer. From the
offices of the association urgent pleas
were sent out to manufacturers in this
city, brooklyn, Jersey City and New
ark, stating the demands made in Chi
cago by the strikers and the need of
employers, here uniting at once. It was
stated by an officer of the association
that it would comprise in it's member
ship several hundred manufacturers,
representing many millions of capital.
Special stress was laid on the demand
of the machinists that the present en-
plOyeS who are not union men be dis
charged and their places filed by union
men. "They also demand" said the
officer, that a fixed minimum of wages
and a nine-hOur day be established. Men
can be discharged only with the con-
currence of the local walking delegate"
According TO Delegate George H.
Warner of the International MachiniStS'
association, the causes that have led to
the strikes of machinistS in Chicago
will, if the Chicago men win, precipi
tate strikes in all the large cities of
the country, New York included, if the
manufacturers do not accede to the de-
mand for nine-hour work day, which
began in Chicago, and is to be made eV-
eryWhere.
f''The machinists,' he said, ''have been
working 10 hours a day up to the pres
ent. The work is very hard and ex-
hausting and so the International Ma
chinists' association determined to de-
mand a nine hour day. We have alb
sorbed nearly all the machinists unions
in the country, and our membership is
nearly double whatit was ayear ago. The
Amalgamated Engineers association
has a good many machinists, but they
work in harmony with us and will not
work in shops that we may strike.
I'VE decided to begin the nine hour
movement in Chicago, and then to eX-
tend it to the other large cities-New
York, Boston, Cincinnati, Cleveland, St.
Louis and Philadelphia. In Paterson
strikes for nine hours have already be-
gun. We may not find it necessary to
wait for our movement to succeed in
Chicago before extending it to the other
cities, and the nine hour demand may
be made in New York and elsewhere
before many days.
However, if any of the firms that
have been struck in Chicago should send
their work to be done in New York, the
meA in those places will refuse to ham
die such work. Among the firms whose
shops have been struck in Chicago, the
following have branch shops in New
York: The +. P. Allis company, en-
gfnes, of Milwaukee, that has shops in
many parts of the country; the Western
Electric company, the Goss Printing
Press company, the Mehlie Printing
Press company, Watson and Stillman,
Wolf & Company, the Ledgerwoods
| Manufacturing company, and the
Worthington Pump company"