Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1901-07-27
NATIONAL TUBE WORKS
ASKS ITS MEN To SIGN
AOH.UN|ON CONTRACTS.
An IRoN-BoUND AGREEMENT NOT
TO BELONG TO ANY ORGANi-
ZATI0N, PRESENTED
m THE SKILLED W0RKMEN
FOR THEIR SIGNATURES
THE CoTRACTs ARE TO REMAIN IN
FORCE FOR A YEAR. AND
SOME WE'RE SIGNED.
MOVE CAUSED CONSERVATION
OPINIONS OF INDEPENDENT MANU-
FACIURERs on STRIKES
PROBABLE DURATION.


PTrTSBURG. Pa, July 26.-The Ma
tfoual Tube Company at McKeesport
r8s made an unexpected move intend
. n checkmate the Amalgamated AS
.J-iarion. Their skilled workmen have
baen asked to sign individual contracts
10 practically repudiate any union
Thor. and they have been given but a
.5oft time to think the matter over. 1t
Understood that should they not sign
+5e contracts they will find their posi-
IONS vacant and the axe is expected to
a,i tomorrow.
II transpired to-day that late on
thursday evening the 500 welders of
fre mills were paid off and then taken
MO the office of the general superin-
tendent. where they were presented
wth the individual contracts to be sign
n for at least year. Some demurred
while others signed the contract.
This movement, fighting fire with
fire. carried CONSERVATION into the
ranks of the strikers. The welders are
highly skilled workmen and with their
ca-8peration the big plant might be
closed down. With them in line the
piaat will probably keep on running as
though nothing had happened. 1t was
minated tonight by friends of the
walders that they would all sign the
contract
Definite Announcement
that the officials of the American Sheet
Steel Company would start the w.
Dcwess Wood mill in McKeesport as u
H5n=union plant on Monday, reached
tae headquarters OF the Amalgamated
association early to-day. The news
WAS received in silence.
That the move would not be permit
ted to be made without a decided at
tcmpt to check it was subsequently
saoWn by long and earnest conferences
mat took place during the Afternoon
President Shaffer was closely confined to
his private office and there was con
slant stream of visitors calling on him
Wlo were shown in as soon as possible.
hese visitors were mostly millworkers
and number were recognized as Me-
heespoht residents. The door to the
conference room was kept closed and no
one was allowed to get within hearing
distance of the place. Important plans
We're being discussed and preparations
feing made to act promptly the Emo
ment the Sheet Steel Company attempt
cd to bring non-union men into the
Mekee5port mill. while the rank and
file of the strikers are not acquainted
with the plans OF the campaign, they
Low believe that there are some import
ant developments to take place which
viii change the aspect of affairs con-
sleraby. There is apparently less CT
the confidence that was noted in the
Inst part of the week, but there was a
lot Of determination expressed by the
men who consented to talk at all.
Ihe report that an attempt would be
made to start the Demmler plant of the
American Tin Plate Company was
secuted by the Amalgamated officials
Iney said that there was little cause
Tor worry over
The Tin Mil Situation.
III ADDITION to this denial was one from
Manager Percy Denner, who was al
eyed to have been attending a confer
tAce In the Demmler plant on Thursday
Aght with mill managers and discuss
J" the plans for getting the mill start
60 Mr.. Denner said to-day that he
"da not been at any such conference
ana was too busy working the Mones-
sen plant to the limit of its capacity
10 think of any other mill.
Among the officers of the manufac-
'eieFs the same studious silence is pre-
served. The only statement obtainable
A@s been that the situation was I'M
Hinged, that the manufacturers had
-4e strike and did not intend to so faI
DIS hnoWn locally.
rs viewed by manufacturers not in
>'eS'ed directly with the strike, the
EQUATION was summed up to-day II
'''s way; The strike is not affecting
l'e united States Steel Corporation as
iousiy as was expected by the Anal
e'H4ted Association. The feeling of the
"a'hs officials of the trust is that the
@''iAe VIII not last long after the sum
'''sF weather is past. That this is the
D'-'el Is indicated by the little effort
''dy the company is making to force
'1ef mills into operation. If the OFF,
s,ais OF the United States Steel Corpor-
1Non seriously believed that the strike
a9 gong to be long one they would
NNaouotedly have made some organ