The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-05-11
THE STRIKE AT GREENSBORO.
How the Non-Union Brother Missed
His Relative-Progrcss of Work.
(Snecial TO News and Observer. }

Especial to News and Observer
Greensboro, N c., May 10.-There
is no question about the fact that the
Greensboro union has been or is de-
termined to compel Mr.. Balm either to
comply with their demands or have
all his contracts fall through. He is
a very large contractor, and every one
of his bricklayers who were members
of the union, left him. For several
days new men would come in to work
and were persuaded to quit. Now
there are many good worlmen here
idle, and others are coming from out
side the city getting good wages and
are sticking to their jobs Yesterday
when the train came in at noon there
were at least twenty of these unem-
ployed union men there to use little
moral suasion on number OF brlck-
LAYERS. who were to arrive to work fol
Mr. Balm. Mr.. Balm, who for seVera'
days had allowed this kind of boycott,
ting to go on without heat, even to the
taking of men from their work after
they had actually commenced it, had
got his dander up and had concluded
to stand for his legal rights, was also
at the train with few men to protect
if need be, his expected help. Ihere
was not the least trouble. Seven men
stepped off the train on the other SIDE
of the platform from the side the UNI
ion representatives expected them to,
sSut across to the college locality and
Mere laying brick in half an hour, hav-
ing had their dinner on the train. One
of the unionists was laughing after
wards about the way his brother
fooled him. This brother was one
of the new arrivals, and knowing the.
lay of the land got off on the off side
of the platform. too, and piloted the
others to safety, not knowing that
thereby he missed a very affectionate
brother, who was anxious to shake his
hand and find out how the "old folks
were getting along.
AS the statement made in this cor
respondence last week and obtained
from thoroughly reliable source, that
work on the new dormitory buildings
at the State Normal and industrial
college was progressing satisfactorily
despite the strike now on here against
Mr.. w. G.. Balm, the contractor, by the
Greensboro Bricklayers union, has
been contradicted in a signed article
by Mr.. NJ. G. Stile, president of the
union here, it looked as if it was time
for this correspondent to go and see
for himself and not take anybody elses
word for it. on his arriving there al
o'clock he found exactly seventy-one
men at work on the building, exclusive
of the superintendent and the fore.
man. OF these seventy-one twenty
seven of them were laying brick like
the very old harry. OF these twenty
seven bricklayers there were five who
seemed to be not over seventeen OF
eighteen years of age, the others were
all mlddle-aged men, some Of them
gray-haired and some even baldhead-
ed The work was begun ten days ago
and for two or three days before it
was generally known that the contrac-
tor desired brickmasons, and upon re-
fusal of union mason here to work for
him, or to allow others who came in
to do so, work went along slow. Mr..
Balm was not bothering about this, as
he had to do the necessary prelimi-
nary work before making real be-
ginning. Last week the force was in
creased to twenty brickmasons, yes
terday there were twenty-seVen at
work, and today six more brickmasOns
were given employment, they having
been employed yesterday. While this
correspondent was present he saw
eight different men apply to the SUI
perintendent for work, and hear them
told that all the labor of the kind
sought had been already procured.