The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-02-17
STRIKE MAY BE CALLED OFF.
PLUMBERS AND BUILDERS En-
CHANGE COMMITTEE CONFER.

ferences Between Master Plumbers
and the striking JOurneymen Dis
cussed at Length by Both Sides.
There was little done yesterday toward
a settlement of the differences between the
master plumbers and the striking journey
men.
1t was expected that, at the meeting of
the Builders Exchange, which took place
at II O'Clock and lasted several hours,
some decided step would be taken, and IL
was supposed that 1t would provide that
the members of the exchange be notified
10 shut down on all building work until
the strike is over
Such course of action had been decided
on at a meeting of the exchange previous
to the strike Of the plumbers,
and Mr.. L. A. Mccarthy cali
ed on the members to put it into execu-
ton. Before proceeding TO such meas
ures, however it was decided to appoint
committee Of six representing the trades
in the exchange to confer with the Board
of Arbitration of the Building Trades
Council, which held meeting at Labor
Hail at o'clock in the afternoon. The
committee. consisted of Messrs. I. J.
O'Brien. chairman; C. c. Pacetti, r. X.
Bragdon Peter Rabey, p. Schaml, aud
John NJ. Mcbride.
The meeting at Labor Hall was
presided over by Chairman A. L.
Buck of the arbitration board. There
were present about fifteen members of the
Plumbers Union, about ten of the com
bination men, as they are known, and
Messrs. T. j. O Brien, l.. A. Mccarthy
and p. a. Herman of the Builders Elk
change.
The meeting was opened by the reading
by Secretary Frank Creamer or
the letter of Jan. %, which was
sent al of the plumbers of the city and
IN which were contained the demands OF
the journeymen.
Nj. Buck said that the meeting had been
called for the purpose of avoiding strife
between the master plumbers and the
journeymen. He explained the demand
of the journeymen, and stated that he
would like to hear from some of the mas
ter plumbers.
MIR. Mccarthy stated that if the journey
men could be classified according to eff
ficiency and rapidty of work, he had no
objection TO the scale of wages demanded,
and was, in fact, paying practically she
same rate as that demanded ar the time
his men had gone on the strike. Mr..
competency the master plumbers would
have 10 be the judges, but Claimed that
the union could not lake cognizance of the
period in which a man might take to do
a-certain amount of work, and con tended
that If capable of doing the work at all,
he was entitled to the scale of wages spec
flied in the demand. In support of this
argument he cited a suppositon case of
two stenographers, one of whom might
be twice as rapid as the other. but whom,
he said, should get the same oompensa-
sion for the same amount of work.
Mr., 0'Brien replied taat the slow one
might be entitled to the same pay
received by the more rapid one, but that
If the chairman would investigate such
case he would find that the man who
did the greatest amount of work in the
shortest time was certain to the larger
salary. Mr. Buck admitted that sucn
might be the case, but thnt such condi-
Tors would rot obtain were unionism as
general as Il ought to be,
The meeting lasted for considerably over
two hours There were numerous
speakers On both sides and the discussion
was not always germane TO the matter
that they had been called to consider.
The gist of the meeting was that the mas
ter plumbers, who are members of the
Builders Exchange. were unwilling to sign
any contract 10 which the signature of
al. of the plumbers. particularly the COM
binaiion men. could not be obtained.
Mr. O'Brien said that at a meeting of the
union before the strike, and shortly after
the demand had been made on the master
plumbers, this had been explained to the
tourneynlen and they had promised to APP
point a committee for the purpose of get
ting me combination men to ally them
selves with the others in the agreement:
hut that the committee had never mad.
any further mention or the matter and
the next thing he knew Of the difficulty
was when the last letter was received. a
short time ago, repeating the demands OF
tfse former communication.
Mr.. Buck said that no answer he'd been
made 10 The master plumbers because 1t
had been IMPOSSIBLE to get all of the COM
bination men to sign, only six out of four
teen who were approached for their sigma
tuTe having consented to sign it: that the
journeXmen, finding this condition of the
master plumbers impossible to comply
with bad resorted to their first pan and
demanded the terms Of their letter from
the plumbers as a whole.
The chairman was anxious to have the
question of adopting the scale of wages
voted on, after which the question of the
hours would be taken up. Mr.. O'Brien
objected to the vote having come to the
meeting expecting. he said. that he was
20 meet ard discuss the question and re-
port back 70 the Builders Exchange at
the meeting that viii be held this morn
ing IL he ard other members of the ex-
change. he said. might be excused from
voting he had no objection TO the presiding
officer securing the view of the combiua-
ton men; this was agreed on and those OF
the combination men who had remained
Up TO this stage of the proceedings signed
the demand, with the proviso that 1t
should not be binding on. them as indi-
viduals unless il was agreed to and signed
by all of the other plumbers, both mas
tiers and combination men.
On motion of one of the union men a
committee of six men were appointed TO
meet the committee from the Builders
Exchange and make another effort to set
tie amicably the questions involved in the
demand. This committee consists OF
Messrs Downey, Manning Carroll Nc
Cam, Carney and A. L. Buck.
The meeting OF the two committees viii
take place tonight al s o'clock at the hall
Of the Builders Exchange
CLUB OPENS TONIGHT.