New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-08-12
REPLIES TO BUCHANAN.
WHAT THE BUILDERS SAY.
More Housesmitks at Work-Ne5c
Unions Organise.

H., ,,,as considerable comment yesterday
,-,ore members of the Building Trades En-
,,,o,,e~e, Association the letter to the en-
-,,o,,ers of President Buchanan, of the Interna-
ttoaa1 association OF Bridge and Structural
-, Z.-orl,ers in which contrary to expectation,
- or,ects 70 the employers arbitration agree
-. late Yesterday afternoon the board of
a,ors of the Employers Association consid-
go that Buchanans letter called for reply.
TIC following statement was given out after a
brief meeting Of the board:
with reference to the statements Of Mr.; Blu Blu
- bis local union. il is fact that the union DID
make a Of Structural Iron
Of which the Iron League were members ms , aS
agreement. evidently made to mislead should not
pass ui IN v,ee broken by the union This was
Notably during the teamsters strike, and after.
g TaI9 @"s al Fiffyfth-st and Ftth-aye Hotel
Imperial new addition; New-fork Ielepnone o 3di
ION and others notwithstanding the fact that me
- svnnat hetic strikes and that before any strike
should be ordered the matter in dispute should De
tude OF the locd , oio ttitde Is dictated not to
yerv large extent. but absolutely. We believe by
"a he dictator in the building trades. The mem
US NJ The Iron League finding themselves unable
~ obtain material assistance from the Mau4 4B
cfanau in compelling the local union to i've up 20
its agreement were reluctantly forceo 10 "I'4iu1"
ron si-e stated in Mr. Buchanan's letter that in
many instances the employers demanded OF Mn
that the members of the union should comply WIN ~,
ali the OF the April agreement; Moun trl
, a6EPe 2jol a9Sd t been sa TseSSSa
hSS tvffbstandng ali this the Employers Associa-
.ion and the Iron League made repeated eIiorIs 10
confer with the officers and member OF the doea a
body but all such so aeen Tere noieu OS
The Iron League mad no 26yeco4S e 10 oc cg union
nsving fast and loose with any OF its PROVISIONS
~, s1bitration plan leaving only very few still
sntagonisffc il would that the merits OF the
. rs5e and there no longer remains a valid excuse
which would prevent its universal adoption
Secretary c f. Cheney, of the employers as
ISOLATION said he had 10 comment to make on
President Buchanans letter. He had not re-
ceived # personally. but knew what it was
about. The general situation was improving
he said. and more housesmiths were at work.
Permanent organization was effected yester-
da,, nv the business agents Of the unions which
have signed the arbitration agreement at the
meeting in Curran's Hall. Eighty-sixth-st. ana
Third-ave The new body is to be known as
the Board of Representatives of the Building
Trades of Nev-York and Vicinity, and VIII
meet on Tuesdays and Fridays. The following
permanent officers were elected: Thomas NC
cracker. Brotherhood Of Carpenters. president;
Milton Maxwell. Cement Masons' Union, vice
president: James J. Daily, Tile Layers Union
sergeant-at-arms and John Cronin, of the
tile LAYERS helpers. sergeant-at-arms. gen
eral statement was made after the meeting
which said in part:
The unions and their representatives in this poard
viii take neutral ground in the olspTtS hch
be1e not signed its plan of arbitration but are pre-
pared 10 taTg he Members Of the board feel that
they have lost none Of their rights D9t on %
that the right to order toollsh ana lldlilolua
sympathetic strikes
The statement ended by saying that the plan
Of arbitration when in full operation, wouio De
. benefit to both employers and employees
The Plumbers and Gas Filters Union signed
the plan Of arbitration last evening at NO. LIS
Broadway and its members will be at work TO-
day A delegation from the marble industry
whose unions have signed the arbitration agree
nent had a conference yesterday evening with
the board Of governors of the employers associa-
ton about bringing the Marble Mill Hands
Union under the operation of the arbitration
agreement James Fitzgerald of the Reliance
Labor Club Of Marble Workers, when seen, said
that the marble industry would stand by the
arbitration agreement.
In discussing the general situation Charles L.
Eidlitz president of the employers association
said that the only way to bring about stable
conditions in the trade was the general adoption
Of the arbitration agreement. In the mean time
some large buildings We're not ColLple'eu "1i4Nii
were to have been ready for occupancy on
July !
He instanced the case of one building which
would bring 10 its owner $4,000 a year gross
in rent if completed.
The general arbitration board of the Employ
ers' Association met yesterday and decided on
plan Of operation. This plan provided, among
other things that complaints shall be first ad-
dressed in writing 10 the general secretary of
The board and signed by the secretary of the
union or Employers Association, with seal at
tached. The persons complained of will receive
copy Of the complaint from the general secre-
tary, as will also the secretary of the associa
ton or union parties TO the complaint.
Provision is then made for the selection of
special arbitration in disputes and for bringing
the matters in dispute before the arbitrators