The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1901-02-02

About two thousand silk mill en-
ployes have now struck for higher
wages. The officials OF the Sauquoit
Silk Manufacturing company, Harvey
Bros. and the Klots Throwing COM
pany all declare that they have offered
their hands as fair wages as they can
possibly give, and that the raises they
have granted In reply to the demands
are more than generous.
Superintendent Joseph Harvey, of
Harvey Bros SILK Manufacturing COM
pany, declared yesterday that he fully
expected the three hundred employees
at the mill to be back to work yester-
day morning, as at conference held
Thursday with q special committee, the
inducements he held out for them to
return were accepted and he was as
sured that all the girls would be back
In their places yesterday morning.
The fact that the Sauquoit girls
struck Is thought to have deferred the
Harvey employees from returning to
work. Between seven hundred and
eight hundred of the workers at the
Sauouoit mills returned to work yes
terday morning and remained until
noon when the weavers presented a
wage scale to Superintendent Davis,
and work for the rest of the day was
stopped.
In the afternoon President Martin d.
Flaherty, of the Central Labor union,
presided over a meeting of the striking
textile workers in Carpenters hall and
at this a committee was appointed to
form a uniform wage and hour scale,
u-I hn IN hn
and afterward to the various mill own
ers.
At the Sauquoit the girls who re-
sumed work were the same who con-
tlnued at their machines Thursday
They had to brave the ire of all the
strikers when they returned yesterday
morning. and In some cases the anger
OF the more hot-headed ones was mani
tested in mud and throwing and
even hand-to-hand encounters. During
the morning all went we'll, but at noon
the strikers had gained an important
acquisition, in the remainder of the
Sauquoit force. The weavers were the
only department to present any wage
scale to Superintendent Davis. Their
department is universally recognized
as the best paid in silk mills and like
establishments and at the Sauquoit a
skilled weaver earns from S. to IS IL
week. An increase is asked, averag-
ing 26 per cent.
If their demands were granted every
weaver in the department would re-
ceive an increase of at least twenty
cents per day, while in many cases 1t
would run much higher. The state
| ment explaining the scale was handed
over to Superintendent of the Weav-
ing Department Renner, who in turn
presented it to Superintendent Davis.
| The latter declaresSthat the company
| has done all it can in the way of a
raise and no further concessions will
| be made.
WILL SHUT DOWN.
| I'VE will, of course, have to shut
! down the works." he said to a Tribune
| man, in response to "a query as to what
action would be taken during the next
| few weeks. in case the strike remains
| in force that long. mo effort will be
made to operate the mill. unless the
| old hands apply for positions, in num-
| bers sufficient to run ii. We Will make
no attempts at securing outside help
The same attitude is taken by Mr..
| Harvey, who yesterday said: Il think
that the action of our girls in not COM
| ing back today is entirely move of
| sympathy. They think that they would
be doing an injustice to the other girls
if they resumed work, and therefore
stayed away. Instead of making any
| further concessions, we may withdraw
| the offer we made Thursday, in view
| of the attitude they have now taken.
At the Klots Throwing company's
| mill the same situatic\ prevails as on
! Thursday and no settlement seems
anywhere in sight.
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