Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1901-06-27

the following 1n1unotiOn. InhJ StepS
be taken to abolish piecework. A
vote of the members showed 5.297
against the praotice, while only is
we're in its favour. This, together with
the question OF "systematio overtime"
formed the officially recognised CAUSES
OF the dispute OF 1862, which, as we
have already been informed, "fizzled
out. At the delegate meeting OF 1874
"a new rule was inserted laying down
the conditions ON which members
could work by the piece, and this
was afterwards re.noulded Ia the dele
gate meeting OF 1892. These conces
sions TO the absolute necessities OF the
engineering industry did not, however,
prevent members Of the society under
taking strikes against the introduc
tion of piecework. In 1875 strike
Was conducted against piecework at
Firth (which dragged its weary length
along to an unsatisfactory conclusion
In May of the following year (lS76l.
And again: 1.-The outstanding feature
OF the year 1890 was the strike against
piecework at the shops Of the Maxim
Nordenfelt Company, Mt Firth, which
began in Nogembef, 1859, and con-
tinued until September of the following
year. In the abstract report issued just
afterwards, the Council said. Not in
the history of the society were ever ar
rangements 50 complete with view to
bringing strike TO a successful and
rapid termination. Every member of
the society, and thuse OF the steam
engine makers, left. For the first time
in a strika, all foremen were with
drawn, old and young, but without
effect, as ultimately the strike was
failure in spite Of literal Ieouniary
support rendered from our trade fund
and from voluntary subscriptions 1t
should be here said, y continues Mr..
Barnes, THAT this. strike was also
noticeable by the fact that the mem
beers OF the Gas Workers Union had
turned out in support of the engineers,
and granted money towards the expense
OF the movement The climax of the
agitation was reached in 1893, when
the society had to CONFESS itself utterly
beaten. The first Inns of the clause Of
the agreement relative Co piecework
runs as follows; 1.-THE right to work
piecework at present exercised by many
of the Federated employers shall be ex-
tended to all members of the Fedora
tion and TO all their union workmen. -
Further comment Is unnecessary.
The great struggle of the Amalga.
mated Society from the date Of its for
nation down to the present time has
been concerned with what Is generally
described as "the machine question. "
1t Is one which occurs with greatest
frequency in its history. The attempts
OF the engineers to control the machines
have not, however, been crowned with
success, With the exception of q partial
triumph over Messrs, Hilbert, Platt &
Sons, of Oldham, in 1851, the whole
movement appears to have been dire
failure. The great lockout of 1852
originated primarily in dispute with
the Messrs HILBERT \ Platt, aforemen-
toned. This firm, under pressure, it is
said. assented to conditions of employ
ment which embraced, inter ALA, the
following: eThat in future the ma
chimes be worked either by mechanics
or apprentices, to be taken up by them
as they fall vacant,' and ''that the
labourers be not unduly interfered with
before Christmas, 1851. when the ma
chimes shall fall entirely into the hands
of the mechanics, but il any OF the
labourers are discharged or the ma
chimes otherwise become vacant, the
vacancies shall he filled up by the
mechanics as they OCCUR This agree
ment vas but Of short duration, and in
the following December the employers
banded themselves together and deter
mined to support Messrs. Plstt by
means of a sympathetic lockout if the
demands OF the engineers were persisted
in. These, IL we are to accept the
statement put forward by the employers
on this occasion appear to have been
as follows: That all the men now
working at planning machines be dis.
charged and their places supplied by
mechanics belonging TO the trade
union. This stringent policy OF the
| Oldham men never seems to have met
with the sympathy of the executive
committee Of the society, and they
issued a note to the employers to the
effect that they had neither demanded
the discharge of persons at present
working self-acting machines, nor was
it their inter tion to do SO. " but, "
SO the record runs, Hall this was OF no
avail, and the society was held respon-
sible both by employers and the public
for the claim in reference to
machines. !" Although defeated on that
occasion, the engineers society has
never yielded its claim to the control Of
self-acting machinery. Even at the
present day IL is one which is frequently
urged by the delegates in the several
districts with consequent friction and
trouble. This ia one OF the questions,
however, vn which there appears to
have been a continuously divided
opinion between the rang and file 81
the members and the executive COM
mittee IF the society. Coming as faI
down as 1897 we find thata strike topH
place at the Pallion Forge. Sundar
land, against horizontal boring lathes
being manipulated by handy
men," A conferences was held between
the executives of the employers fedora
tion and of the trade society, when the
officials put forward the suggestion thai
"a mutually satisfactory rolution Of
the difficulty is to be found in loca
committees with reference to thu
Board of Trade, such committees tt
Misunderstanding due regard to class o.
machins, quality of work, and STANDARD
rate of district-upon the wage to bt
paid. (" These proposals were, however
rejected, and the machines were re.
started on the lower rate, the men a
the same tima being induced by thu
; council to remain at work. Severa
disturbances Of similar character
broke out during the early summer o.
the same year; and in every one o.
them the members of the executive
committee were against the men ia
their demand to make the differences
cause of industrial war. The Londor
movement in favour OF the eight houI
day INTERVIEWED, and this was made tn,
occasion of the great trade struggle
, which resulted SO disastrously for tht
, engineers society ID January, 1898
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