The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1904-02-26
D0WNEY MEANT
WHAT He SAID
Startling Statement Made Be-
fore House Committee.
FIGHT ON ElGHT-HOUR BILL
ERA OF PROSPERITY DRAWING
TO A CLOSE.

-4-
ItEsASHINGTON. Feb 15--Do you
w mean that the Scotch. the irish
or the English labo1ers in the
shipyards at Glasgow can DO go per
cent more work with the same tools
and in the same time than can be
done by American shipyard workers.
demanded James O'Conneu, president
/ Of the international Association Of Ma
chinists, of Wallace Downey. a New
York shipbuilder and a representative
OF the New York Metal Trades assocl-
alton, during the progress of hear
ing today on the eight hour bill be-
fore the house committee on education
and labor.
Paid to Find Out.
Il do mean to say that most en-
phaucaily' answered 1Ir DEWEY,
/ "and I am not making the statement
from hearsay. Tt has cost me 100000
( In the last FIVE years iu addition 10
gray hairs. TO find it out. 7 spent SCI
600 in purchasing the best tools a
acquiring knowledge OF the methods in
Glasgow. and tried for three years 10
convince American Yo-kmeu that by
doing pieceWOrk they could accomplish
more. They would not see 10. and the
shipbuHding interests have suffered. In
turn, the laborers have suffered for
the weekly payrolls have decreased .
Mr.. O'COnnell declared that he had
no belief in the statement Of Nr.
DOWney and expressed the opinion that
American workers in the shipyards
We're far superior to those Of other
countries. Mr.. DOWney responded with
I % Iffrrr.srsHT af
an investigation or consult other build
ers whose words would be accepted by
the world
Cutting the Throat of Labor.
He said that he hoped that when the
systems employed In the English yards
were brought 10 bear i'm this country
that we would be able 70 pass the for
eign yards in the amount and quality
Of work produced but declared thar
such legislation as is proposed i'm the
eight hour bin IS cutting the Threats
of the working people.
can arbitrary eight-hoUr day which
would prohibit overtime Of any kind
would place a handicap on the Ameri-
can shipbuilder that would lose for him
all opportunity OF participating in for
eign trade. said Nir- DoWney- He pre-
dicted that under such restrictions the
sb5pbuiding industry Of this country.
except government work would be
disgrace to the name of shipbuilding
Hearst Asks a Question.
Representative Hearst inquired IF ~
were not possible 10 acquire the means
of manufacture which were used iu
the English yards and thus compete
with them i'm building He cited as
an example OF the reduction of cost in
manufacture that newspapers i'm the
Tee i'm
from and 3 cents a copy So / cent
a copy. and a L the same time the hours
of wOrkmen had decreased and wages
Increased. IF that can be done i'm the
newspaper business. why not i'm your
business If we have out our brains
TO work. why don't your he asked
Disclaiming any knowledge or the
ramifcatons of publishing newspapers.
Mr.. Dowuey proceeded To give his ideas
on the subject. He spoke Of the great
presses and the intricate plants in
stalled at enormous cost. which. NE
said. probably were responsible for the
decreased cost of producinE- And,
now ] want TO say he added. 'rhat Z
take off my hat to the man who invent
ed the machine, the man who had the
means and the courage TO so to the ex-
pense necessary 10 install IT, TO the ma
chine itself rather than 60 the man
who merely stands beside it and feeds
IN the white paper.
End Of Prosperity
"You asked me why we had not used
the same brains in the ship building
trust. Don't say trust, for there is none
now, and. anyway. I was not in it, But
do believe that to be possible although
we cannot do il while staggering under
sitting legislation. Our profits i'm the
foreign trade are balancing on the line
or l. 2 or 2 per cent, ready every min
ute 10 be tOpDled over by the movement
of the hand. The manufacturing i'm
dustry of this country has developed
far in excess of our consumption, and
therefore we need the foreign trade i'm
order to exist. The labOrer needs 1t as
much as the manufacture. I am not q
calamity bowler but I believe the pres
ent period eff unprecedented prosperity
I is nearly at an end, and that the c0un-
try viii settle down to something like
/ q reasonable basis. II is then that the
wOrl1ingmen viii have TO put their
heads with ours and be willing 10 do
( part Of the calculating IN keeping our
thousands of mills and factories in Op-
Grafton"
Question Of Newspapers.
Former Secretary Of the Navy Her
bert inquired IF the decreased selling
price of the newspaper had not been
/ brought about by the better transpor-
tatiOu facilities which aided i'm OBJ
tanning large eireulations and the eGu-
cation Of the merchants Of the country
to the value of advertising and thus
greatly charging the revenues OF the
newspapers
AIr. DOwney said ne would prefer To-
have Mr.. Hearst answer the question
but he would venture that the actual
Iabor. performed by the day had little
to do with the reduction i'm the cost of
production in comparison with the 9TH
or mediums which had been mentioned
Other employers protested against
+ the proposed legislation Another hear
ing viii be held Oh Thursday next
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