The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-11-23
DECIDED STEPS
IN THE STRIKE.
Employing Printers Will Appeal
From Judge Criminals
Decision.
STATEMENT. TO THE PUBLIC
Printers Accuse Typothetac Of
inconsistency and Gouging
the State.

Two Developments OF decided interes
occurred in the printers strike yesterday
one was tho motion or Mi. Wyndhan
| r. Meredith, counsel for the Richmont
Typothetae, made before Judge Grinnan
| OF the Chnnccry Court, for n suspendint
order ill The matter of the dissolution o
| the injunction against Typographical
F! Union, No. 3d. and the striking printers
Judge Grnnan took tho matter under
consideration. He will probably rendc,
a decision to-day The object OF the mo-
ton is to have the courts order dis.
solving the injunction held ZIP until ar
appeal can be carried to the Supreme
Court OF Appeals
The Printers Side.
The other matter was a statement tc
the public from the printers setting forth
their side IN which they accuse the en-
ploying printers OF increasing and
gouging the State by high prices. This
per is given here in full
To The Public
cal Union. No. 90. who have now hee on
what Is commonly known as a strike"
for ten dol weeks, feel that the time has
ihs ne de 81 the n
that we have aught against our former
employers. but inasmuch as they have on
e e
quest, we trust the public will benr with
us q short while as we shall endeavor to
Wnd or we 3hhx aa
employers none but the kndest Of feel
sorry they would ot,aEree to give US the,
friendly feelings that have existed for
Before beginning the statement Of our
case we desire to thank the three daily
napers for the fair and impartial manner
Whole Of ths y S s md
especially for their editorials on the dis
solving Of the, Injunction by Judge Grin
Having granted the restraining. order. this
pure and upright iur'st against whose
character. and dem eanor. no one dare cast
on both sides and hearing the arguments
Of counsel arrived at the conclusion that
we had been guilty Of no Illegal OF, ,a,,
Having afi 6u se esa f bshed QUE c"racfcr
(were that necessary, we believe we can
with 5more confidence crave the public
propose TO. give brief outline Of the
whole affair; II order that our position
may be the better understood.
snn s Sss Wac s &
as the Mergenthaier Linotype Machine.''
Up to that time all composition" had
the ''piece' system. as only the best tt: men
or three men Being retained in each each ONCE
and npeT Re forms ma and
read proof. It will thus be seen that
the. piece men worked largely on solid
to set 1000 ems and case his type pei in ten ten
hours; tho latter requiring two and a half
or three hours: In short. unless a man
generally worked BY the piece. bout on ISIS
this scale was reduced twenty TO? per
{ cent on to Sig per week and 40 cents per
the same---nfty-eight per week. After the
Introduction of the .Mergenthaler ma chine
the two. organizations dhe Interna tional
Union and the United Ty
the question Of reduction of the working
hours. We did not fight he machine. We
knew 1t had come to stay. But all the
While the best of men could average only
! 600 ems per hour, the machine was turn
on 9S an hf 9}hea at the rate
man at Tie machine doing ct tie s Work Of
four and five hand men.
What were we to do? We were told
that no men over 80 years of age would
strain upon their nervous system would
be too great; that they would have to
think four and five times faster than
they had been accustomed to- and would
have no relaxation, such as that gained
In distribution but would have to sit at
the machine and peg away all day. But
the two Organizations finally agreed on
n nine-hour work day. In this city we
were given nine hours and half the
first year, with the promise from our
employers, If business was as good twelve
months from that time as then, they
would give us nine hours. IT was better
at the close Of thai year, and they very
complied with their part Of
the agreement. and ever since, up to the
18th of last September We have been
working on that basis. and business has
been better and our employers have been
more prosperous than ever before. Mono
have reJoiced at this more than we, for
their prosperity meant more and steadier
work for US: and we sincerely believe
the same will prove true II they will
grant us the eight hour work day.
The multiplication Of the machines has
reduced the membership of Richmond
Union from 275 to 1G0. And
even with this number a good proportion
of our membership have been walking
about and unable to provide the neces-