Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1903-10-22

nlgn OIL pay is expected TO TALL
on the unskilled men, whose wages are
held to have been advanced far out of
proportion to The value of their serv-
ices.
Indications of retrenchment are seen
on every hand. The railroads through
out the country have started to lay OIL
men,, the mine operators are c%urtailing
expenses, and factories are employing
reduced forces. All big employing o n
Germs are refusing to grant any further
increases in pay.
The labor leaders generally admit
alarm, those who were in Chicago at
the convention of the National Civic
federation being free in their express
sions.
Big Pay for the UnskiIled.
The tendency toward retrenchment
is attributed to the abnormal increases
that have been exacted by the unskilled
Worhrnen. While expert mechanics,
such as the machinists and the brass
their pay only Is per cent, their help
ers are receiving rs to 80 per cent. more
pay than four years ago. The same
condition prevails in othe rtrades.
1t has been estimated that before the
close of the year the big employing con-
Germs of the country will have dis
charged nearly 1000 600 men, most OF
them laborers and general utility work.
eYs. OF this number the railroads are
expected to drop from employment 2OO,-
o0o men, the mine operators $4,000, the
machine shops and iron, steel n tin
plans 100000. and the building trades
more than 100000.
In the case of the railroads repair
and construction work will be brought
as near to a %standstill as it is prac-
ticable 10 bring it.
Caught in Organization Wave.
In the wave of organization that is
nov subsiding labor leaders formed In
to unions all the toilers who We're will
ing to Join. In almost all of the In
dilstfies the skilled men demanded that
the unsltilled be given a new and uni
form wage scale.
In the stock yards of the country the
lahorers who We're being paid from
SIPS to S1.50 a day until swept into the
labor movement. Then came an in
crease to SITS, made possible by a
determined stand on the part of the
skilled workers.
For three weeks the skilled men, the
butchers, sausage makers, and can
ners, have tried to get more pay for
themselves. They have found, how
ever, that the increase granted the la
borers-which meant $1,500,000 a year
to the packers-brohght the employers
10 a realization that a halt must be
called.
RaiIroada Reach Limit.
With the railroads conditions are
similar. The engineers and f1remen of
tlia roads running east from Chicago
arc clalnoring for better pay, but the
unslsilled men of the business already
have taxed the pay roll of the company
to the limit.
The average daily wages paid by the
railroads in different sections of the
country Is shown by the following ta-
BILE:
Engineers. Firemen.
Middle Atlantis tates.....$3. s2la
New England states....... $50 1888
Southwestern states $500. 4.09 2i2
Pacific states ............... 4.5S 2.bi
The eastern worker look with en-
vious eyes at the western scale, but
when they informally approached the
railroad officials they We're told that the
track men, the repair men, the section
hands, and bridge men have been
raised all the way from 10 to SO per
cent. iii pay. and that h pay rolls of
the eastern companies have been lifted
from sGlO,0 09,5S0 in 1901 to $G76, 025, 594
III 1903.
Building Industry Crippled.
In the building trades the number of
idle nlen is increasing every week, the
contractors finding 1T almost impossible
10 do business under the wage scales
atlop!ed last spring. Both skilled and
sumsSiilei men were conceded better
vases then. but the advances granted
he labcrers are causing the greatest
concern to the contractors.
The hodearriers are now getting 3G19
coats ;rn hour. or 9 cents more an hour
Is paid an expert machinist and
- cents a day more than that paid Il
.eig&1GlaKer. The building laborers are
~settifis 20 cents an hour, or s cents
mere than IL clerk OF shipping room
eIililage in the wholesale houses
Tho plumbers helpers are paid $3.50
a day. the junior steamfitters $2.23. the
Electrical helpers S2.25, and the ma
hinistS' helpers 81. Is.
u feST weeks ago International Presl-
dent James O'Connell of the machinsts'
union cent out a notice to all affiliated
locals warming them not to make any
eWrther wage demands. He asserted
that The National Entail Trades associ-
tioa already was contemplating a cut.
riais notice was sent out in spite of the
fact that the union. so far as its skilled
fnea are concerned, has been able to
secure but little more pay than in dull
tiHics.
Warning From Chicago Leader.
An officer Of the Chicago Federation
II Labor yesterday added q warming
that organized labor should not ask for
better wages in the face of a falling
t~aarltet. 10 prove that unskilled labor
Sss leen granted an abnormal wage
incfcasa lit gave out the following table
of Tie Increases already granted some
Of tho umshil!ed workers of Chicago:
.,-;t5eEvara employees 81, go, GO
ilpdcarricrs 229,ovo
fe9!9Stfri l,luV,VUo
dot@i employees .................. $4,000
Miscellaneous 3Vo,0oo
'Ihe employers are beginning to re-
t,enoh,' he said, and we have feared
such action for some time. What is to
30 done ! do not ltnow.f The skilled
mc.l will always he i'll demand, but
~ceaital can d%itpensc with the unskilled
10 4 certain extent, 1t seems as il we
make paid too much attention to the
faScre3s and helpers n must bear the
consequences. " many men are laid off
senl Unions Will probably go to pieces
ala the success OF the entire move
meat WEI be threatened"
.
Quick Steer SHINING.
Denver, Col. Oct. 1a.-By dressing a
I .2AN-pound steer in 3 minutes, So sec
olds, Jacob Baer, employed in a local
packing plant, has reduced the worlds
raeovd by 30 seconds, and incidentally
wen the western championship. The
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