The Clarksburg telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1874-1926, 1907-11-21
WINDOW GLASS FACTORIES
TO SHUT DOWN NEXT WEEK

L -
Unless the Revised Columbus Scale
4 is Accepted by the CLASS.
workers..
|! ULTIMAruM DECIDED UPON
New window Glass Concern Is Now
bringing Machines Into
West Virginia.
Members OF the United Window
Glass Manufacturers of West viz
gina and Southern Pennsylvania an
nounce that unless the Amalgamated
Window Glassworkers Association
accept the revised Columbus scale.
which Is protective and cooperative
in Its nature and one designed to.
permit the manufacturers operating
their factories without a loss. the.
factories in this section and South
eern Pennsylvania will close down
= . =
within seven days after meeting 10
be held tomorrow at indianapolis
The manufacturers VIII present the
above ultimatum at this meeting 20
the association, G. A. Wiley and G.
H. Harding having been appointed
a committee for that purpose. The
ultimafum will be presented to the
wage committee OF the Amalgamated
Association.
4 The American Window Glass Com
pany is the cause OF this action, the
manufacturers claim. For six years
the American has been using ma
chimes extensively and 1t sets and
contrals the prices of the manufac-
tured product. The American makes
\ one-third of all the glass mnnufac-
,tured in the country and It is easy
for it TO fix prices They claim that
tire years of struggle and conflict
have tasen pace with the result thlt
lprices can no longer BIO manipulated
in the markets. Manufacturers
have seen that 1t is useless to keep
stock on hand and take steps to
!. bring about a scarcity or to food
the market as these tactics are mo-
J longer effective. After having spent.
! three years learning this fact, they
say there is but one thing to do now
and that Is to reduce tho cost OF pro-
duction, II they hope at al to COM
Lpete with machiue-made glass. Their
J raw material is the manufactured
I product Of other concerns and be-
cause Of that there Is no opportun-
Iity to get cheaper raw material.
Thus nothing remains for them .o
] do, according to their presentation
of the case than to reduce the price
OF labor.
The cost of making hand-manu-
factured glass is largely for labor.
that is. SO per cent. OF 1t is for labor
and II per cent. for raw material,
taxes and SO on. and now the decis-
ion is to hedge only on skilled labor.
| They assert that the only chance
to operate their plants without SER
ious loss is to bring the factories to|
la cooperative stage, or for skilled
| labor to divide wage PROFITS with the
manufacturers SO they can all Jog
along together. Refusal to do this.
the manufacturers say. win mean
that the factories viii 80 out of
business and the employees will be-
tout Of work, ana. .thsa, staiss assert.
I It Is up to the workmen themselves
to say whether tho factories shall
continue.
Il Manufacturers claim that under
1.-THE present 1914 per cent. reduced
scale they are manufacturing glass
at a loss OF IS to IS per cent. The
i revised Columbus scale is designed
to overcome this and to provide al
margin that win justify operation.
1 Under it men receiving $l60 a month
Twill draw about $t10 q month.
i Besides. in this State there is a
movement to install machines Dis
patches say the Interstate Window
Glass Company, new concern. will
soon begin to operate extensively
and viii install machines. It is the
owner of the Franklin machine and
so far, 1t is stated. has purchased six
factories in West Virginia. These