New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-10-08
DRIVEN OFT OF BUSINESS.

year ago the Morse Iron Works and Dry
dock Company had about twenty-five hundred
men in its employ and was paying them S23Ooo
n week. The company had many contracts TO
fulfill and there fair prospect or steady
work for the men and a reasonable prOnt Ior
the owners. On Monday last the establishment
was closed and on Tuesday q receiver was ap-
pointed. The natural inference, not based on
particular knowledge Of the case. would be that
the business had been mismanaged, and so had
fallen into disrepute and difficulty. But that
explanation is not suggested by the creditors or
anybody else, and there is seemingly no reason
for hesitating TO accept the explanation given
by the president of the company who says that
it was forced into liquidation by the we'll
nigh incessant embarrassments Of one sort and
another to which IT was subjected by labor
unions
Mr. Morse cites as an example of the injurious
conditions imposed by organized labor the fact
that when. after q large number of the men
employed in repairing the steamship Syria had
been caught lOafing and Boosting Of their idle
ness foreman began 10 discharge such
indolent and impudent fellows, the walking dele
gate served notice that If the foreman himself
was not discharged there would be a strike.
The concession was granted. fOOlishly, as Mr..
Morse now admits, for II taken as sign
OF weakness and tended only to multiply bur
densome demands In ways similar to this the
company was continually harassed. Strike fol
lowed strike and because of the resulting de-
laws ships awaiting repairs were successfully
removed to other drydocks Differences arising
from time to time with men engaged in various
branches of the establishment might prOba-
bly, have been adjusted but the walking dele
gates prevented such agreements. IF they had
planned to ruin the concern" says Mr.. Morse,
they could not have worked more systemat-
'.ically"
IT NAV be suggested that the terms and con-
ditions of this kind of labor are unfavOrable in
this city but in fact the evidence is to the con-
trary 1t is said that the wages of mechanics
employed on ship repairing are higher here than
anywhere else on the Atlantic Coast and their
hours shorter. Even under that handicap it
would be possible TO do business If the men
would perform the work for which they are
maid instead of counting less than half q day
of honest exertion whole one. That other
establishments OF like character are still in OPP
Grafton. while the affairs of the Morse com
pany have reached the climax of misfortune,
does not indicate that the unhappy experiences
which we have recounted are exceptional
representative of the association with which
most of the shipbuilding. repairing and machin-
cry firms of New York are affiliated quoted
Yesterday as aging: The shipbuilding industry
"of this city, through the never ending demands
land exactions of the unions, has gone TO the
dogs The entire trade is being driven out Of
''New-York TO other cities. where different con
"dtions prevail"
II is the avowed object of labor unions TO inn
prove the condition of their members. Can their
leaders believe. or much longer persuade others
10 believe. that methods which embarrass. eur
tail and may ultimately ruin great industry
are helpful 10 the wOrkmen engaged in it? The
establishment just closed had twenty-five hun
dred men on IFS payroll year ago How many
of them are better off and happier to-day than
they were then?