The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-04-23
The Carpenters Favored the Innovn-
ton and the Contractors Refused
to Fight 1t.
CONFERENCE PROVED FUTILE
RESULT REPORTED BACK TO UNION
BY CARPENTERS.
Contractors Claim that There Is Much
Less Building in View This Year
than Last.

penterS yesterday afternoon neld an open
conference in discussing their wage scale.
The open meeting was the result Of the re-
quest Of members of Carpenters Union TO
admit representatives OF newspapers. They
asked that they be given admission in or
der that both sides of the question might
be reported TO the public. as IT is as much
interested in the settlement Of the scale as
members OF the two organizations. The
Joint conference committee was composed
of J. E. Shower George w. Stanley, Ed
Craig, AL Won Spreckelsen and Louis c.
Brandt. representing the contractors. and
Charles Newman, ID. Il. Mcclure, Herman
Longere Harry Armstead and W. o. Sulli-
van, of the carpenters. The meeting was
held in Mr.. Showers Office on North Ala
bama street.
At first the contractors did not take kind
ly TO an open meeting. D. Z. Mcclure
moved that reporters be admitted. In sup
port of his motion he said the newspapers
would send reporters TO gather news OF
the strike and would see various members
of both organizations. with the result that
each paper had different report contain
ing prejudcial information given out in
favor of one or the others organization.
He said all labor conferences are now be-
ginning 10 open TO the newspapers, and
that it gave a dignity to the meetings to
have the proceedings reported in the news
papers. The argument could then be given
to the public, he said, In an unbiased man
ner and the public would receive such in
formation as il desired. He said the car
penters had nothing on their side which
they wished TO conceal. and that as the
question so vitality affected the public he
thought the contractors should take the
same view.
SOME OPPOSITION.
George w. Stanley chairman of the joint
committee, said the contractors had moth
ing they wished to conceal, but that the
differences were so insignificant" that he
did not think Ii was necessary TO have
detailed report of the proceedings. j. Z.
Shower said he was not averse to allowing
the reporters to remain. When the ques-
ton was put the carpenters all voted for an
open meeting and the contractors did not
vote.
Chairman Stanley submitted a compro-
/ mise proposition. offering minimum scale
/ of 35 cents an hour. The first proposition
coming from the contractors association
| was a maximum scale of 80 cents. Their
/ concession was to change the offer from
/ maximum to a minimum scale. Mr.. STAN
i ley made the principal argument for the
/ contractors. He said the price of all build
/ ing material had advanced. so that in
vestors were timid and there is little build
| ing being done He based his argument
/ on the number of building permits issued
/ Monday which, he said, was an average
/ day. Il believe that there are about 1,SOc
| carpenters In the city" said he, land at
4 the rate building permits were issued yes
/ terday all of this work could be done by all
of the carpenters in the city in about one
/ third of a day, leaving them idle the re-
naming two-thirds of the day He said
| minimum scale of 3l12 cents asked by the
! carpenters would mean that the contractors
would have 20 pay all the way from 10 10
| 30 cents an hour for expert WOrkmen. he
! said only about % per cent. of the union
| members are competent workmen, and the
! remaining 10 per cent. are incapable OF
| earning the wage scale asked
| d. Il. Mcclure took the stand for the
| carpenters I'm behalf of their demand by
comparing the wage scale of other mechan-
les with that of the carpenters. He said
| the brick masons receive 90 cents an hour,
/ stone masOns 50 cents an hour, plasterers
| A. cents an hour, painters 80 cents an hour,
| steam filters $3.50 a day, electrical work
! Crs 80 cents an hour and that structural
iron workers would demand 40 cents an
| hour on May l. He said many of the cleo
| trical workers learned their trade in train
| ing schools, and that after Oct. 1 their
| scale would be the same pay for eight
/ hours which would make their scale about
/ 81 cents an hour All the trades men,
/ toned he said. had to lay out only few
| dollars for tools, while the carpenters had
| to expend all the way from $50 to $40 for a
| kit of tools and keep them up besides He
| said If the carpenters were given work
| eight months i'm the year their wages would
average about 81 day and under IN the the
said this was hardly sufficient for a man
TO pay car fare. send his children 10 school
and keep his wife away from the wash
tub He admitted that all members OF
the union are not first-cass workmen. but
ne said it was necessary to establish a
minimum scale. Otherwise, ne said, the
grading process would be employed and
poor workmen would be found working al
reduced wages. and the good workmen,
unless they would take the lowest scale,
would be found walking the streets
ASSOCIATION POwERLESS.
J.E. Shower said that the association had
instructed the committee to submit the
proposition and that it was powerless to
grant anything. He said he had been un-
able TO do much contracting on account OF
poor health this spring and did not know
so much about the status Of building. He
said he had bid on but on contract.
w. o. Sullivan. of the carpenters. said
there were many plans lying on the shelf
in architects offices and that the cOntrac-
tors had a prearranged plan to not bid or
| any specifications until the wage scale was
settled in order that work would not be
stopped. He said Mr.. Shower had stated at
the last meeting that he had been beaten
out of thousands of dollars worth of work
/ by nonuniOn contractors and he asked him
| how lie that he now said he had not
/ bid on work. Mr.. Shower replied that II
was last year that he beaten out OF
| contracts. Sullivan said there was one
thing he wanted the contractors to under.
stand-that there would be no dealing in
dividually with the men. He was asked
/ If William =. Jungclaus had not dealt in
dividually with his men, and Sullivan saiC
he had not; that he dealt with the com
/ mittee and the business agent.
Ed Craig. contractor. said the building
| permits this year were 100000 short of last
year. Sullivan said that IL the specifiCa
| lions were removed from the architects
/ shelves the permits would exceed those OF
last year by that amount.
George w. Stanley said he did not know
OF any "prearranged plan whereby tn,
| contractors were 10 make no bids and sew
eTal of the contractors said they had Wis
tied architects and that they had don,
nothing this year.
At the conclusion OF the conference tn,
carpenters said they would make one con
cession. they would strike out the claus,
asking for pay at the job and allow IN,
contractors TO pay at the office or job. Mr.
Stanley said: Thank you; that Is "A very
liberal concession The meeting then ad
journed
The carpenters committee immedatel,
/ reported TO the union, and 10 was voted [,
reject the compromise offer Of the cOntrac
tors and stand by their demand for 3Ih