The indicator., 1904-10-08
WHAT'S THE USE
OF RAPPING? /?
One Newspaper Insists on Pub
fishing Misstatements Re-
garding the City's Lead
ing Industries.

LII tlle last TWO issues OIL tHe
Sunday Opinion Editor ]. W..
Lockin makes open attacks on
the smelters and steel works, the
two leading industries OF the
city, and we would respectfully
inquire what is the matter? What
is up? Why these attacks, which
are as unfounded in fact as they
are untimely?
For instance, in the issue of
September 24th is found the fol-
lowing:
Less than 1900 men are now
at work in the trust smelters in
Pueblo, and the payroll of these
men amounts to about $4,000
month. The talk about reopen
ing the Philadelphia plant is for
political effect to aid Simon Gug-
genheim in his senatorial fight.
The fact is that the plant is al
most entirely dismantled, and it
has not been the intention of the
trust to ever again open it" =
This is probably intended as
reply on the side to the published
statement in The Indicator to the
effect that there are now in round
numbers 1000 men employed in
all the four smelters of the city,
and that the aggregate payroll is
about 100000.
Our statement comes from the
highest official authority, and
still holds good. The burden of
proof for anything to the contrary
lies with those who dispute the
claim. Two thousand employees
and 100000 still goes, and we
challenge anyone to successfully
contradict it.
In a lengthy and misleading
article in the Opinion Of the Ist
inst. appears the following very
misleading and unfounded para
graph:
"The Pueblo steel works open
shop now pays 72 cents day for
common labor. True, it is dear
even at that price, being Jap help,
but it shows the downward
trend of wages by the open shop
policy. Do the business men of
Pueblo expect to amass fortunes
off of 72 cents day mem"
The chief dependence of this
statement is one of deception and
subterfuge. Going uncontradicted
and those who are not posted
would be led into the belief that
the common labor at the steel
works is all done by the Jap
workmen, and that the compen-
sation is only 72 cents day.
The simple facts of the matter
are that there are but 80 Japs
employed at the steel works, and
they get precisely the same wages
as the other men.
And only a few Of the Japs are
working as common laborers at
that, they preferring to go into
the shops, where the labor is not
so heavy and the wages are bet
ter.
The whole matter can be
summed up like this:
There are about thirty Japs at
the steel works.
Some are at the pipe foundry
and get $1,75 day.
Some are at the bar mills and
get $1.75 day.
The remainder are doing yard
lwork and get $1.45 day.
There is not Jap employed
lwho gets less wages than any 9th
Ter man doing the same kind oi
work.
Therefore, the statement that
1.-THE laps are working for 72 cents
a day is absolutely untrue.
There are only about thirty
laps all told at the steel works, as
against $500 other classes o.
men.
Therefore, the insinuation tha'
1.-THE steel works are run chiefly b,
Japanese workmen is very mis-
leading and is thrown out in or
der to make political point.
The steel works is steadily ad
j vancing and becoming a mor'
important institution every da,
! regardless of any and all rapping
And the same can be said OF th'
, smelters. :.
Better that we stick to facts ii
all such matters.