The sun., 1901-07-10
WORD FOR MACHINISTS.
Citizen Writes to "The Sun" Con
cerning Their Claim.

70 the Editor of The Sun:
Sir: The machnists Of our city and
generally throughout our country are
asking for nine hours day at the same
wages as for ten hours, which in my
opinion is Il reasonable request. All the
work shops OF our city have complied eX-
cept two, the j. Morton Poole Company
and the Harlan and Hollingsworth Com
pany, two of the oldest shops in our city
fhey began business about sixty years
ago and acquired their present plants
by the toll and labor and sweat OF their
workmen.
The III. x III. Company sold to the
Wilmington and Northern Railroad and
the Landenburg Railroad tract of land
in front of the works for $4,000. The
people of our city purchased the stock
Of the said roads to bring in cheaper
coal from Pennsylvania. 1t never mater
alized. They bonded the stock and the
lu Points purchased Il majority of it at
thirty cents on the dollar and put Henry
iu Pont, Jr., i'll as president. 1t was
sold to the Reading railroad and is oper-
ated by that company. Still we get coal
no cheaper in Wilmington, but as gen
eral rule pay from SO cents to 81 n ton
more for it than it sells for in New Cas-
tie and Delaware City, and nearby towns
BY reason of the railroad crossing at
West street the lives of 1900 operatives
IRE in constant danger of being run down
in getting to and from their work.
Did | say operatives? Yes, they are
the producers of all the engines. boilers
Shaftins and gearing, steamships and
railroad cars and other miscellaneous pro
ducts in wood and iron that could not be
produced without them. They are the
bone and slime of the State, the country
lnd the world.
One man today does more work in one
lay with the improvements than so men
could do in the same time 100 years ago
For example take the steam hammer
the Doaring mill, the large planer, the
Slotting machine, the vertical drill,
boaring 80 holes at one time
What a revelation. Take the popula-
tion of the United States in 1775-esti
mated at 100000. The last census OF
the poulation Of the United States was
| I6.3O4.0Oo. add TO that 1O,0OO.O0O in the
| Philippines. Take Hawaii, 5000, 900. and
Cuba. 100000. which makes a population
of 92.364,OO0. The question may fairly bt
asked if we have gained SO. 1864, 900 off g.
100000 in 125 years what will the popu
'ation be in 1876 years. II might be safet
approximate it at 35O0O0,00O. With suci
dense pouation as that is il not rea
sonnble to suppose that the working hour.
Of the machine shops. factories and gov
nrnment and municipality will be re
duced to half what it is now at tn,
same rate of wages as il will take n.
much then to live and more than 1t doe.
now.
Now to go back to the III. & III. Co.
which started in 1888 on Front stree
under the firm name of Belts, Pusey IN,
Harlan. 1t removed TO the present plan
IN the 4O's. Mr.. Harlan took Eliza Hol
lingsworth in the firm. He was fore
man in the Baldwin locomotive shops |,
Philadelphia. The concern then got th
franchises of West and Washington
streets for very little. UnfortunateI,
those fronting on the Christiana ar
still back about As degrees. This doe
not give it MS good chance to do tn
work as If they were parallel with tn
river. Especially in launching vessel
and moving them around. Consequent
the matter was reported to the war de