Waterbury Democrat., 1901-06-01
AFTER TWO WEEKS
Strike Conditions in Waterbury
 About the Same.
DoNAHUE TALKS TO THE MEN.

 l Man Gone Back to the Farre1 Foun-
 dry Senator Kennedy's Liberal | Contribution.
 The strike situation in this city ap- l pears not to have advanced or retro- 1 gressed one particle The situation Is 1 practically the same as it was two 1 weeks ago this evening, when over 500 machinists laid down their tools and went forth to battle for nine-hour | work day without a decrease in their
 wages. In one factory, the Water-
 not quit, a half holiday every Saturday
 has been inaugurated for the nachin- ] ists, and it is believed that in October
 the nine-hour work day will be estab- 1 ished at that factory. In other fac- tories the officials have stated in more
 or less direct terms that they were l willing to grant half holiday Satur- day rather than give a nine-hour work l day, but the intimation has not been taken up by the men and with the ex- | eeption mentioned above things have l been at a standstill.
 l The expected visit of State Organ
 izer Donahue took place this forenoon.
 He came to town early this morning and went immediately to the strikers l headquarters. The usual preliminaries of the morning, such as roll call, the posting of notices regarding pickcts, I etc, having been done, all the men as- sembled in the main hall and were adr dressed by MT Donahue. The veraci-
 nE IN.~~ | Hartford regarding the settlement of l the strike in that city was the main l thing in which the men were interests l ed. For some days past various opin- l ions have been expressed regarding l these reports and that which appeared l to be held by the majority was that ] they were not wholly correct. There l fore they depended upon MT Donahue l to inform them of the exact status of 1 the situation.
 1 MT Donahue spoke to some length. and the trend of his words was that 1 the adjustment had been made to the satisfaction of the association and l himself, and he so reported ill his mes sage to President O'Connell, who IS in | Toronto. where the convention of the association will be held next week. He asked that President O'C0nnell re- 1 quest the endorsement of the conyeh- ton of the action.
 Everything the men had asked was granted except the signing of the pro- posal, and this was more matter of sentiment than anything else. The manufacturers, it is understood, while they refuse to sign the proposal agreed to post a notice at their factory doors
 embodying all the main features of the proposal which they had granted. This the men considered equivalent to signing the proposal. Thus all doubts regarding the action of the Hartford
 machinists has been cleared up. The men we're given all they asked for. In so giving the manufacturers recOg- nized the association practically and as well as if they had signed the pros posaL If in future they decided to return, or make an attempt to return, to the old order of things their signa- lures to the paper would not hold or deter them. The men will stand by the union; they return to work as strongly union men as when they quit. What more could be desired? Upon the closing of the speech MT Donahue was greatly cheered.
 Committees representing the various shops where the men are out then as- sembled in executive session, at which Mr' Donahue presided. 1t was 10
  the last member of the committed, which jointly is called the central com- mittee, and it was 12:30 when the door opened and they filed out for dim ner. The actual business done at this meeting is said to consist mainly of selecting a committee to confer with their respective factories which have been affected by the strike. This, then, is the first step that the men will have taken toward . reconciliation. Hitherto the advances have come from the employers. Who the members Of this committee are was not disclosed. Negotiations will begin Monday morn ing
 Individually the men appear to he as determined as ever. Many of them have left town to go to work in fac- tories where the nine-hour work day has been established.
 Apart from the committee above mentioned to confer with the manu- facturers, business men seem to con- sider it is time for outsiders to step in and ascertain if the manufacturers have anything to arbitrate. During the past two weeks it has been esti- mated that i'll wages alone the men on strike have lost $1S,00O. What the manufacturers have suffered and what business houses have lost have not been estimated.
 A foreman named Thomas Nolan, 1t is said has returned to work in the Farrel foundry, making about seven men in all employed there now. This number includes helpers, non-union < men, foremen and apprentices.
 Senator Kennedy has contributed S25 to the benefit picnic which the men propose giving next week.
 The employees of Billings X Spencer of Hartford have accepted the offer of a nine-our day with ten minutes each day to wash up, in preference to a half holiday Saturday.
 The trouble that broke out in the moulding department of the Matthews < Willard concern last week was re- peated to-day, with the result that work has been suspended in that de- partment.
 LABOR TROUBLE AT WESTERLY.
 Westerly, R. T., June 1.-Pursuant 1. to the demand of May 20 for an eight hour day with nine hour pay, one hun- dred and twenty-five quarrymen of this place and Mantle went out on strike to-day. With large quantity of rough