Barre evening telegram. (Barre, Vt.) 1898-19??, 1900-05-01
Barre Po|ishers Stop Work To.
day Pending a Settlement
The CARPENTERS WIN
President Gompers Defies an
Injunction of the N. Y.
Court.


members. This takes in all the men
employed in this particular industry
in Barre. 1t also includes Montpelier.
After the initiation the discussion
was taken up, as to whether they
would go to work this morning or not,
as it was decided at previous meet
ing that if their demands for eight
hours and the same pay as they were
getting for nine hours, was not grant
ed by May1st, they would not work.
A vote was taken as to whether
they would 60 to work this morning
as usual and leave the matter to be
settled between the several commit
tees, or if they should go out and
then allow the committees to decide
the matter. The expression of the
vote was that they should 60 out,as it
then could be settled more quickly, if
they showed the bosses that their de-
mandS were not unreasonable and that
all they wanted was an equal basis to
work on as the cutters and tool sharp.
nerS had.
The demand is not as arbitrary as it
looks. on the face of it, as when work
ing nine hours the prices ranged from
p cents per hour to 30 cents, and
sometimes 33 cents. This was all
they could possibly make and it took
an extra good man to make the lat
ter price.
Considering this it is noticeable
that they cannot make any better pay
at eight hours than they were maxi
ing at nine, SO that unless man is
worth it he will only be making the
same as he did for nine hours. 1t
practically brings their demands down
to decrease in the amount of labor
of one hour.
The following letter was handed a
TELEGRAM reporter, which explains
itself:
May |, 1900.
Chairman of the Employers of Polish
ers Committee.
Dear SIR
Last night at a meeting of the
National Granite Polishcrs Union with
full attendance it was unanimously
agreed upon that they should be glad
to meet your committee at the earli-
est opportunity you may wish to meet
them during the day. Their place of
meeting is in carpenters hall, Prindle
& Averill block. d. e. WHITE.
Recording secretary.
In further conversation with the
chairman of the employers of polish
ers, he stated that it was not the de-
mand of eight hours and the same
pay as for nine hours, that was kick
ing up the row, but the fact that they
will not allow an apprentice unless
there are five machines running. At
present it is one apprentice to any
number of machines, which practically
allows all the polishing shops to have
one apprentice. The employers claim
that if the new demands are granted
it will almost do away with apprenti-
ces, and that they cannot very well
see how it would work for their bene-
fit nor for the benefit of those who
have boys they would like to become
polishers.
The matter will be taken up by the
employers at 4 O'Clock this afternoon
and thoroughly thrashed out, and if
necessary settle the matter for tomor-
row morning, even if they have to sit
until midnight.
Boston, May 1.-The demand of the
union carpenters of Boston and vicin-
ity for eight hours day and a mini
mum wages scale of $3.50 per day was
granted by As firms this morning.
The engineers in the breweries
struck this morning. The total num-
Der out is not yet known. The en-
ployers refused to grant them a new
schedule that raised their wages.
New York, May 1.-Samuel Com
pers, president of the American Fed
Grafton of Labor, has taken special
pains to violate the injunction issued
by Justice Freedman of the Supreme
Court, prohibiting the officers and
members of the Clgarmakers 1nterna-
tional Union from paying benefits to
the striking employees of S. Levy 4
Co. He advises that the injunction