Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1904-04-28

reliable sources that the tin plate work.
ers have voted against the reduction. II
Is not known at this time what action
will be taken by the association in this
event, but it is probable that a number
of the union tin plate mills will be
closed. At other plants where the men
voted in favor of the reduction, as they
did at the Greer G. Shenango works OF
the American Sheet & Tin Plate COM
pany at New Castle, Pa, the plants will
likely continue to operate at reduced
wage scale. The whole situation from
the Amalgamated associations stand
point is serious, and it will require the
greatest diplomacy on the part of the
officials of the organization to hold it
together"
The Wool and Cotton Reporter OF
March 81 mentions a 5 to 10 per cent. re-
duction in wages at the Arlington mills,
Lawrence, Mass, affecting 1000 of the
1000 operatives, which took effect on
March %. It also says that the wooden
mills at Newcastle, Del, and the Ches-
ter (Pa.) Manufacturing company have
closed down for indefinite periods. Also
that the West Warren Cotton mill
(Mass.) has shut down No. 8 mill and
that the mills of the Lonsdale Or. -
company will, in future, run only five
days a week.
Turning to the New York Journal OF
Commerce of March 81 we learn that
some of the drawer finishers in the Har-
rover Knitting mill at Troy, N. Y, are
on strike because of a cut of 2H cents a
dozen on the goods handled. Again, on
April 1, it tells us that 10000 textile OPP
eratives in Philadelphia are idle because
of poor conditions IN the cotton and
wooden goods trade and that Gin the
next few weeks it is probable women
and children out of employment will be
increased materially" 1t says that
"many mills are running on half time,
and some have closed down entirely.
Among the latter are the Dobson Cloth
& Blanket mills at M%anayunk, and the
Winfield Manufacturing company"
| Other trade and commercial organs
contain similar news as to industry. Only
two or three weeks ago 10000 soft coal
miners voted to accept a reduction in
wages of over 5H per cent. 1t has be-
come known that the average reduction
in wages of those of the 16S, 900 employees
of the steel trust who were not discharged
a few months ago was more nearly 80
than 10 per cent.
The window, flint glass and silk in
dustries are perhaps in as bad condition
as are those of. steel, textile and coal
mining. Railroad earnings are greatly
decreased, notwithstanding that thou
sands of men were recently laid off and
that hundreds of thousands have had
their a g reduced. Only a few days
ago President Mellen, of the New York
New Haven & Hatford railroad, an
nounced that the trade depression In
New England had become so severe that
his road had found it necessary to cur
tail its passenger service.
These are some Of the facts that indi.
cate that republican tariff andstrust leg
i~slation is rapidly reducing the size Of
the working mans dinner pail. No'
only have MONEY wages declined greatly
recently, but the cost of living, according
to Dun's tables of prices, is now 43 pc,
cent. higher than when the Dingley tar
iff bill became law. If dinner pals arr
to be full this year, they must be very
very small. To get a feeling of fullness
the working men must wear shorter
belts than usual and keep them bucklet
up tight.
.. BYRON w. HOLT.