Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1903-03-25
A STRIKE IMMINENT.
stone Cutters ut Federal Building OBJ
ject 10 Machine Work.

The use Of labor.saylng machine at
the Federal building threatens to result
In the strike or Withdrawal Of the
union stoneculters from that job. and
he substitution OF nOn-uniJn N0rkmen
as far as may be found necessary The
threatened Casus beli Is the new stone
planer, which win DO the work OF g.
men. and which was first brought out
In Chicago. The device Is one Of the
most effective ever invented for rapid
work and Il Is claimed. that II shaves
or planes of n stone with the east of an
ordinary planning mill on lumber. When
first introduced i'm Chicago IL did the
work apparently SO quickly and we'll,
that contractors all went in for II, and
one result was the throwing Of so many
stonecutterg out OF work az to threaten
the destruction OF the industry of hand
cuttlng except in ornamental work
This Of course excited the opposition
of the stonecutters. but their efforts
were ineffective. and the planer was
nut into general use However, the
cutters kept cases on the results
of as use. and they claim experience
showed that the tremendous force nee
essary to shave stone with the Iapidity
of a board. killed the life paralyZcs the
texture of the stone 90 the depth Of one
inch. so that on buildings In Chicago
where the rock planer had been used
in dressing the stone the face OF such
buildings partly disiutegrated ia a
year or two, demOralizing the appear
ance Of the fronts II IL claimed that on
this account the use OF planners was
4 l.t.f . hrf
work over that Of machine work was
SO great that contractors would not re-
turn 10 Handwriting. and a substitute
for stone was found in terra Gotta, so
that this last material Is now being used
more than ever in construction OF busl-
ness fronts.
The stonecutters further deprecate
the use OF the planer as cutting so
many salt Lake cutters out of Job,
and so much wages out of local circu-
latlon. They propose to lay the matter
before the United States senators on
their return from Washington, and
claim also that the spirit and intent OF
the specifications mean handWork rath-
er than machine work. Moreover the
bylaws OF their union forblds any
union men working on any Job where
paner Is employed.
Contractor Campbell holds that the
stonecutters are mistaken in their OPP
position 10 the machine work and that
70 is IN line with the spirit OF the de-
pelopment OF the age IN which so much
has been done TO reduce the cost OF
production and constructions and that
the same spirit was manifested years
ago when labor organizations We're so
bitterly antagonistic 20 labor-saving
devices. Then parties Of men even
went 80 the extent Of going about the
country burning up planning mills be-
cause they threw so many lumber
Workers out OF employment for the time
being The contractor does not con
slider that the planer Injuries the stone
ana holds that opposition on this
ground is misplaced He has no wish
to antagoui2e any OF his men and does
not propose doing anything that he can
see will work them any injury. But
40 The same time ne efficacy OF ma
chine work in general stone dressing Is
SO manifest. and the reduction OF cost
so great that he Intends going on with
the planer, and 70 the men walk out on
him. why he VIII Dc forced % employ
any help he can get whether % he
union or not fle hopes, however that
there VIII be no trouble.