The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-05-16
The Contractors Have Made a PropO-
sition Acceptable to Some of
the Strike Leaders.
NEWS OF THE LABOR UNIONS
sWITCHMEN's NATIONAL BOARD
WILL MEET TOMORROW.
The Delegates VIII Arrive in Special
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. for Musicians
National Convention.

Dispatches to the Journal from Bedford.
Ind. last night indicated that the strike of
sawyers. planners and other laborers in the
stone quarries at that place will be settled
Monday. The quarry owners held a meet
ing yesterday in Bedford at which a scale of
wages, acceding to the demands of the
strikers partially, was agreed upon, and will
be submitted to the men for signing Mon
day. The leaders of the strike movement
have agreed to accept the offers made by
the operators, and it is more than likely
that the men will return to work Monday.
The end to the strike in Bedford will be
relief to the building trades in Indiana
and elsewhere. For three weeks the men
have been on strike, in some localities en-
barrassing contractors in the erection of
buildings, and practically paralyzing bust
ness in Bedford. The town is supported
almost entirely by the stone industry. and,
as the sawyers and planners refused to go
back to work In some of the quarries, the
cutters were forced to idleness, and it was
contemplated by several of the large quarry
owners to close their quarries down entirely.
E. C. Strathman, who is experimenting
the erection of the new federal building.
said last night that the prospective settle
relief to contractors. Work on the federal
building will be delayed week or more. he
said, but if the quarrymen return to work
and begin the cutting of stone Monday
shipments may be made to this city in time
to permit the stonemasons to resume work
of setting stone at the building either the
latter part of next week or the first part of
the week following.
WORK SUSPENDED HERE.
The setting of stone on the new federal
building ceased yesterday and will not be
resumed until the sawyers, planners and
other workmen around the Bedford
quarries return to work The cessation
of stone setting throws about twenty
stonemasons out of employment, but
will not cause an end to all work on
the building. The bricklayers, who re-
Gently returned to work after a strike
of some length, will have to quit work
within two weeks if stone is not
shipped to the city for the erection of the
building. Superintendent e. c. Strathman
for John Peirce. contractor, said yesterday
evening that work on the building would
practically stop in about two weeks If the
strike was not settled In the meantime.
Not In Indianapolis alone is the strike
felt, but In many cities where Indiana
stone is being used. Work on the
art institute building in the st. Louis ex-
position grounds has ceased. The contrac-
tor for this building is supplied with stone
from the same quarry as the Indianapolis
federal building, that owned by William
Bradley & Son. The Bradley quarry is tied
up along with ten other cutters of the Bed
ford district, and an unconfrmed rumor is
in circulation that all quarries will be shut
down altogether, as without the sawyers,
planers and other hands the stone cutters
cannot proceed with their work.
The new labor trouble has been an
exasperating one to the contractors
and they are pleased with the prospect
of a settlement. The best weather
for building is going by without the ac-
complishment of any work. The contractor
for the federal building has contract with
the government which provides forfeit If
the building is not completed within the
contract time. The contractors have a
contract with the quarry owners, but strike
clauses are not inserted in them, and the
contractor for the federal building cannot
be compensated for the vexatious delay.