Evening star., 1901-07-11
STEEL MEN CONFER
Employers and Employees Holding
Very Important Meeting.
QUESTION OF UNIONS At ISSUE
2umor That the Two Forces Are
Opposed on This.
CONFERENCE IN SESSION

PTTTSBJ-RG. Pa. July 11.-Surface indi-
cations point to the settlement of the strike
in the mills of the American Sheet Steel
company and the American Steel Hoop
Company at the conference between the
Amalgamated Association officials and steel
combine representatives, which began to-
day at the Hotel Lincoln in this city.
The conference was called for 10 o'clock
this morning. and an hour before that time
the national officials, advisory board
trustees and district vice presidents of the
Amalgamated Association met at their
headquarters to outline their attitude be-
fore comforting with the representatives of
the steel combine. Fifteen of the sixteen
members of the executive board were pres
ent the only absentee being Vice President
W. c. Davis Of Chicago, who was unable to
attend
At this preliminary conference the entire
ground was gone over and the campaign of
the day was mapped out The meeting was
behind closed doors, but when the members
If the board filed out to Join in the gen.
eral conference. there was an dir of conf
deuce about them that preSaged an early
settlement and at terms that they evidently
believed would be satisfactory to the work.
men.
President Skaters Attitude.
President Shaffer said that if an adi1:Irn-
ment was not not reached today he favored
4 continuance of the conference tomorrow
and Saturday. but that the present confer
ence must be final Under no circum-
stances would he agree to a postponement
for a week or more Intervening between
the meetings
Mr. Shaffer said further that the execu-
tive committee was clothed with discretion
ary powers with respect to the nature of
the settlement. but the intimatiOn was that
no deviation whatever would be made from
he original stand
1t was 1926 o clock am. when the con-
terence opened. The combine conIerees
present at that time were Warner Arms.
vice president of the American Tin Plate
Company: Veryl Preston of the American
Steel Hoop Company and William Leeds of
the American Sheet Steel Company
Representatives of the WOrkmen.
The workers organization was represent
Il by the general executive committee. the
highest body in the association. 1t Is COM
posed Of the national officers and the vice
presidents Of the different districts. and
his was the second time in the history of
the association that it had been called to-
g-ther. The members of the committee
are: President. T. ]. ShaHer: secretary
treasurer John Williams: assistant secre-
tary. VI. F. Tighe: business manager, Ben
i4min |. Davis.
Trustees-John Pierce Pittsburg; Elias
Jenkins. Youngstown. Ohio; ]. H Morgan.
Cambridge. Ohio
Vice presidents-First district David
Rees. Pittsburg: second district, Walter
I.arkin. Martins Ferry. Ohio: third dis
trict. Charles H. Davis. Newport. Ky:
:ifth district. Glenn. Jarvis. Anderson. Ind:
sixth district. John F. Ward Youngstown.
ohio. seventh district. F. j. Williams, Bir
mingham. Ala; eighth district. John Chap
pel New Castle, Pa; ninth district, John
w Quinn. Granite City, Ill.
W. c. Davis of the fourth district. Chi
cago. was not present The greatest Sc
Cr-cy is being observed. The rooms in
which the conference is being held are on
the second floor OF the Hotel Lincoln, and
newspaper men have been requested to re-
main down stairs
]. V. jerks of the American Steel Hoop
Company was also present. While it is be-
lieved that the United States Steel Corpo-
ration is directing the movements of the
representatives. Of the underlying compa-
MES. none present would verify the state
nent.
The combine representatives declare 1t
would be unfair to the men to force them
into the organization II they do not desire
To join. They are also willing to concede
the right to the Amalgamated officials to
enter the mills and organize the men, but
will object to expulsion.
II was nearly noon before the conference
got down to business. The situation was
gone over carefully. Every one present
seemed in good humor and everything
pointed to harmonious meeting. but it
seemed that there would be some difficulty
in getting close together at the opening
session. as both sides appeared determined
not to yield any more points.
Rumor of . Hitch.
II was authorit atively stated that the
combine offered to sign the Amalgamated
scale for all plants and make the wages
uniform but declined to unionize the plants
operated as non-union for years. Trustee
Morgan Of the Amalgamated said the prop
osition would not te accepted.
At 12:15 pm. the conference adjourned
for lunch to meet again at 2 o'clock.
The conference refused to say ANYTHING
as to the proceedings except that President
Shafrer had been chosen chairman of the
joint conference. The amalgamated con-
ferees expressed themselves as satisfied
with the OutIonk