Evening star., 1901-05-11

URDAY, MAY It, 1901
company to surround himself with his
practical assistants instead of directors.
DO you know of any disadvantages that
will result from consolidation he was
asked.
None" responded Mr.. schwab, after a
moments reflection. There are none that
l know of which l can speak definitely
When asked if the consolidation would
affect laboring men, and as to the position
of the latter in the Carnegie company, Mr..
Schwab stated that every superintendent
in the latter company was individually in
tereSted in the profits of his department
and received percentage Of them.
Il hope" he added, that results will
prove that the same system will be found
advantageous to the United States Steel
Company
He was asked if he would furnish the
commission with copy of the constitution
and bylaws of the company, and replied
that he would gladly do SO.
And of the syndicate agreement"
Il wouldn't like to promise that said
Mr.: Schwab with the same engaging smile.
That is a private matter and l cannot
promise that at this time.
In reply to a question as to what effect
consolidation would have on prices, Mr..
Schwab said:
Il think the tendency will be toward
somewhat lower prices. l do not think
there is a probability OF higher prices un-
less something unforeseen happens
Continuing. he said prices of steel and
iron were fixed by the law of supply and
demand.
Regarding the lower prices charged on
exported goods to those sold at home, Mr..
Schwab said that exported goods were fire.
quentfy sold at loss in order to keep the
foreign market and keep the mills going.
as. it was better to take the insurance of
low prices than close down.
Gould you afford to sell all your goods
in this country at export prices and pay
prevailing wageS?'
NO. was the emphatic response. Moth
ing like it.
rs it true that all manufactured goods
sell cheaper abroad than they do at homer
Il think that is true,
'DO European manufacturers follow the
same course in selling to us?"
Most undoubtedly.
He was brought back again to advan-
tases by Mr.. Phillips and said the consoli-
dation would result in another great ad-
vantage by doing away with great eXpendi-
lures in plants. Present plants could be
improved at much less cost. He estimated
that his company would produce about -
per cent of the steel and iron output of the
country, but did not think this preponder-
ance would give it a monopoly. He recited
several other advantages and was then
asked about tn" protective tariff.
The Tariff and Labor.
Reduce the tariff" said Mr. Schwab,
''and the wages of labor will be reduced
Labor forms the largest element. Our
greatest exports have been in rails and
billets wherein labor is the least factor
comparatively and not in the lines upon
which the most labor is exerted'
Asked his opinion upon allowing ore to
come in free, he said it virtually did so now.
I'VE now own mines enough to supply
ourselves, but we have assumed contracts
from elsewhere formerly made by constitu-
.tat "A
put liberal price on ore. Biologists have
established the fact that there is only a
certain amount of ore in this country
Ihe English are suffering because
they did not husband their raw mat arial
They are now getting ore from Spain and
even from this country. We know ;he
value of ore, and that it is not going to
last many more years, SO | am const antly
asking our people to realize the necessity
of putting the right valuation on ore Free
ore would have no effect on American con-
S,imers.'
In reply to a question as TO what effect
corporate consultations would have on the
chances of men for employment Mr.
Schwab said
appointments We're never so great
before as they are now for men of brain
and energy who are willing to work There
was never so great a scarcity of the special
men who are required by manufa tories
Men with exceptional abilities have chances
equal to any such men ever had / doubt,
!
tai have"
Labor and Organizations.
Mr.. Schwab was then asked to give a
comparative statement of his knowledge of
wages past and present in steel and iron
industries. This proved to be one of the
most interesting of his contributions.
The average wages at the Carnegie COM
pany,' he said, have been greater each
ho, in,
preceding 1892. There has been no aristoc-
racy of labor at Carnegie since 1892. under
which some men We're paid 500 and some
men 81 day.
up to 1882 labor organizations controlled
the Carnegie works. Since then we have
had no labor organizations in the works
althouSh there are some on the docks.
Since that time the lower-priced men have
been given better wages and the higher
priced ones reduced. No man there gets
800 day now. or half of It. Under the
control of labor some men in the rolling
mills got three or four times as much
wages as other men doing the same kind
of work in similar mills.
Ihe relative wages were in countless
other ways unjust. At Homestead once
for instance, the labor organizations not
only selected the foremen hut named those
VINO were to succeed them in case of va
cancies The elimination of the system
was not question Of wages, but one Of
business.
Mr.. Schwab paused moment and then
said slowly:
AS you perhaps know. I have been a
workingman, but If I was workingman
today In one Of the mills, ! would not be-
long to any labor organization. Labor or-
ganizat1ons put all men in the same class
of work on the same level. If was a
bright, wide-awake, active, vigilant an. l
would. under the rule of the labor orsani-
cations, be put in the same class as the
poorest equipped workman Of the lot
Continuing, he said that last year at
Homestead an average was struck Of the
daily sums received by all employees, IN
cluding boys who received wages exclud-
Ing regularly salaried employees, every
working day being counted, whether the
men and boys worked or not, and the aver
age received by each was 81
What was the minimum reeeived?' he
was asked.
"One dollar and fifty cents fm the men,
for the laborers" answered Mr.. Schwab.
What was the maximum?'
Mr.. Schwab's reply convulsed commits
sioners and others alike
II was in Weber & Fields not long
ago. he said, "and Fields was asked:
What would you do for $10,O0eT His re-
ply was: I am ashamed to tell you! So
I'm ashamed to tell you what that maxi
mum was; but it wasn't &700 day, or half