Evening star., 1901-07-19
mills with non-union men before they ask
for a conference.
Workers Must Pay the Cost.

Workers Must Pay the Cost.
President Shaffer has not yet made
move toward extending the strike to other
plants of the great steel combine. Extra
measures will not likely be taken unless 1t
is found to be absolutely necessary in order
to win. The contributions of the men at
work are needed to carry on the strike.
If a general strike was ordered the aSSo
citation. among other donations, would lose
the substantial one of S64 600 a month
from the Federal Steel Company employees
alone. The men employed in other plants
owned by the steel corporation who would
be affected by a general strike order arc
expected to make liberal contributions to
the strike fund.
long strike is now expected in some
quarters. consumer of sheets. who had
placed some large orders with the Amcri-
can Sheet Steel Company for delivery .tur-
ing the next three months. has written to
steel brokers and jobbers in this city to
aid him in securing the sheets needed to
meet his requirements. He added in enc
of his letters that the combine informed
him that his order could not receive atten-
tion for at least three months. On this he
bases the prediction that the strike will
continue for two months.
Single Organization Aimed At.
telegram from Detroit stated that w.
D. Malone. president of the Street Rail-
way Employees Association, had left that
city for Pittsburg by request Of President
Shaffer. and that conference would be
held in an endeavor to perfect a general
federation of all labor unions. Mr.. Shat
fer denied that he had asked Mr.. Malone
to come to Pittsburg and said there was
no truth in the matter at all He said that
it was his ambition. however. to federste
steel corporation. into one organization. It
matters not their trade. BY this means
alone. says Mr.. Shaffer, can labor hope to
successfully cope with capital.
No official reports of the situation at
Wsiisville has been received at Amaga
mated Association headquarters up to
noon. but the officials seem confident that
the members of the association will re-
main firm. Only two desertiOuS from the
ranks are recorded and their work in the
mill will not affect the situation 1t is pos
itively known Tow that the combine has
planned to break the strike bv starting the
two plants that have Just been lost, and
when that is accomplished attention will be
turned to union mills where evidences of
weakness can be found.
Rumors of Peace Conference.
PITTSBURG, Pa, July 19-The Leader
says:
Rumor is busy today that efforts are be-
ing made in New York to call another
conference between the manufacturers and
workers. 1t is said that John Jarrett,
labor secretary of the American Sheet Steel
Company. and Joseph Bishop, secretary of
the Ohio board of arbitration. are in New
Crk IN the interests of peace. At the
Amalgamated Association Offices here no
Information OF this point could be obtained
although several of the officials smilingIy
said there would be many surprises for
the public before the termination Of the
strike. One Official states that he had been
Informed that Jarrett was In New York to
procure noa-unionr men for the sheet
plants, but he placed no credence in the
rumor. The visit Of Bishop to New York is
he Wever, significant. as it IS known that
he has President Shaffer's authority to
make arrangements for a conference if one
can be arranged that viii give promise of
settlement of the strike.
sch.ab Is stilI Silent.
NEW YORK, July 19.-President Schwab
of the United States Steel Corporation de-
clined again today to discuss for pubIica-
tion the steel strike, policy which he has
preserved since the conflict began. His
refusal to talk was communicated through
his secretary. who would only say, THE
president has nothing to say for the pres
ent"
No Prospect of Early Settlement
The Iron Trade Review this week will
say:
Contrary to prediction, the threatened
strike Of the Amalgamated Association
has come, and that organization has closed
all the union mills of the American Tin
Plate Company the American Sheet Steel
Company and the American Steel Hoop
Company, in addition to three mills of the
last named company heretofore non-union
Neither side now offers any compromise and
as surrender need not be expected without
a test of endurance there is no room FOR
predictions of early settlement. The first
effect looked for, though not yet in evil
dence is d scarcity of tin plates and sheets.
The non-union plants of the sheet COM
pany and the independent mills have been
crowded for weeks, and there is little or
no chance to expand, except as the irde-
pendent works may be able to draw on the
ranks of the strikers and organize triple
tu:ns. Tin plate production is reduced
nearly 80 per cent by the strike, and only
small fraction of the remaining 10 per cent
is available for the market.
The shut down of all the American Steel
Hoop COmpany's mills but one creates a
famine in hoops and cotton ties, and re-
duces the output of bars. A cOttOn-tie mill
of the American Steel and Wire COMPANY
in Cleveland will be started at once Al
together plants having a yearly capacity
of about 1,JO0, 600 tons or about - per cent
o the entire furnishing capacity of the
United States Steel Corporation are in
vOived in the strike.
Sharp Advances Looked For
There IS already a slight advance in the
price Of bars as a result of the strike, and
advances that may be sharp are looked for
in sheets and tin plates. Jobbers have no
stocks to speak Of and Independent sheet
mills have two or three months business
on hand. so that consumers will feel
promptly the pinch of the shut downs An
accumulation Of steel and of Bessemer iron
will be realized at once in central western
plants, and already the steel market Is
anticipating this condition. Quotations be-
low S24 Pittsburg are now announced and
independent finishing mills will have the
double advantage of lower prices on steel
and higher market for finished material
Meantime independent furna ces are at sea
as to the demand upon them in the second
half OF the year, and there is introduced
INTO the ore situation another element Of
uncertainty"
DAMAGE BY LIGHTNING.