The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-02-24

dollar for labor or gold, to do the same
thing, but l cannot compete against firms
whose employees work on the minute sys-
tenn and like those in the combination
against you, who put twenty penny
Weights of lead in a so-called solid gold
forty pennyweight case They wanted to
drive US out Of the business with low
prices, but failed. This senseless oppres-
sion Of employees, cutting prices and de-
basing of the goods has got to stop some
time, and we would like to have it termin-
ate at once.
we are glad that you have taken the
stand you have and this company will
assist you in every possible way. If you
have any engravers who are in need of
work let US know their names, and we
will do our best to keep them employed.
If they need us to assist them in getting
here, please let us know.
'The same argument now advanced by
the Trust was used against US in the
fight twelve years ago, when we won
single-handed and alone Then our
enemies said: We will bust Dueber up in
thirty days. They felt quite sure of it,
because with one stroke of the pen, the
combination took away all our customers
Had we not been supplied with sufficient
money to send our travellers to the retail
trade, this factory would have been
closed.
(SigneO JOHN C. DUEBER,
President
At request twenty of the local engrav-
ers will leave today for Canton, O. If
necessary a second installment Of men
will go to the Buckeye state in a few
days. The Dueber factory, the largest in
the world employs 3,OOG hands, including
125 engravers. Arrangements have been
made since the lockout by Mr.. Dueber
whereby so or 100 more engravers may be
put to work.
The minute system, by way of explana-
ton, provides that a case must be en-
graved every thirty minutes The men
are employed on the basis of 600 minutes
to the day. Whenever more than thirty
minutes are taken by an engraver to
finish case it means that it is taken off
his time. Poor workmanship is the
natural result, as the only object is to get
As many cases completed in a given time
as possible. It is also worse than what
IS designated as the Sweating System"
about which so much is heard. There are
very few engravys who can accomplish
the demands Of the minute system, and
as a consequence they suffer in losing
much time that is really employed most
The watch case manufacturers held a
meeting in New York and combined to
combat the union movement of the indie
pendent Watch Case Engravers of Ameri-
ca. Mr.. Dueber was requested to ioin
the manufacturers combination to break
the backbone of the engravers' associa-
ton but unfortunately for them he de-
clined.
Mr.. Dueber says to all engravers: 1--WE |
will not join. We need no protection.
We will not assist to enslave them. We
will furnish work for all good men who
nee1 work, and assist you in any way
possible"
AS Mr.. Dueber has recognized the union |
in his factory. the Canton branch at their |
meeting Sunday instructed their secre |
tary to write Mr.. Dueber thanking him
Tor his stand in their behalf Had he |
joined them, pressed cases would have |
been put on the market by every factory |
IN the country as substitutes for engraved /
ones. But since Mr.. Dueber has refused
to Join the combine he viii be able to !
supply the market with fine hand-engrav- I
ed watch cases which the other shops |
must finally come TO if they desire to |
hold their trade. The locked-out engravers
nave now the support of all the engrav |
ers in the United States, morally and
financially. as well as the American Fed
Grafton Of Labor and the recognition of
Mr.. Dueher