The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1907-04-29
Milford Manufacturers Ask
His Aid
TO SETTLE STRIKE THERE
@. wv. Norcr0ss Sends Letter to Milford
Selectmen, Seeking Intervention
Letter Forwarded to Cover
nor Guild

R1fifofd, Mass, April @3.-- Inc AllilOFu
granite trouble has taken wholly new
and unexpected form BY the appeal to
the selectmen by the granite manufac-
turers for the selectmen TO induce Gov.
Child to have the present difficulties
here adjusted BY arbitration in com.
munication sent to the board BY O,
NJ. Norcross. The letter was given to
tae board BY supt. " A. WhippIe Of the
Cutting company, part of the Milford
granite quarries corporation The board
took 40 action Friday night about it,
but Saturday afternoon the chairman,
Lucius Z, Heath, To whom the matter
had been assigned with full powers, sent
q copy ID GOV. Guild, with the advice
and counsel Of town solicitor, Judge
Lowell =. FaIes. Mr.. Heath did moth.
ing further than to state that the Mil.
ford seleetmen received such q letter
and forwarded it as suggested therein
for such action as the governor and the
state board of arbitration thought adj
visable or possible. The selectmen prof
fered no advice iii the matters raised in
the letter.
The situation IS remarkable in that
there Is absolutely no disturbance OF
disorder Of any kind, such as often calls
for outside Intervention.
The cutters have taken no action III
the matter further than 10 bring the
letter to the attention If National See
James Duncan, who will advise them
later az to what should be DONE VIM
Youngson, secretary Of the Milford
branch. stated Saturday afternoon that
the branch took no action whatever in
its daily session today on the letter, Al
il was not officially before the branch
The members take decided objection Il
the tenor Of the letter and protest that
there Is no public condition that war
rants such letter or the contemplated
Intervention by the state board Of ar
bitration.
The payroll for this week, to be paic
next Tuesday or Wednesday, shows that
there are 1874 men to be paid at from
Sc to $l2 weekly, aggregating si,2t5
The behavior of the men striking i,
best evidenced by the court record, that
shows that not a cutter on strike hai
been before the court, notwithstanding
their idleness since April L.
The letter III full, addressed to Tho
selectmen follows
Gentlemen The situation In thu
granite industry in Milford Is such that
! think il proper to write you u plair
statement Of the matter. TO the end that
you may take such action as you deem
advisable in il. II seems to me that
the time has come when this matter
ought TO be brought to the attention Of
the governor and 70 those people whos'
duty it is, if possible, TO correct ana
adjust things that are wrong.
"A number of the inhabitants, and,
presume, the citizens Of Milford belong
TO what Is called the Milford brancf
Of the Stone Cutters National union
Taking advantage of the power which
their organization has given them In
Milford and elsewhere, they have arbi
trarily raised the wages in Milford t
rate considerably above what il Is il
ether places, and have insisted that
their labor Is worth two and d half 81
three cents an hour more in MILFORD
than it Is worth ia Chelmsford, Con
cord, Fitzwilliam and many other places
Several months ago they met and de
cided that it was worth even more thar
two and half cents an hour more fol
the m to offer their services to the own
ers of the Milford quarries than in Other
places, and demanded three cents more
making the price per man doing tn,
same work in Milford five and a hall
cents an hour more, or 42I5 cents day
more than the price paid in Chelmsford
Cape Ann, Htzwilliam, Quincy and many
other places.
@To enforce this demand, they have
left work, and some Of them have gon,
to work at other places Mt 37ia cents
an hour Thus, the situation is pre-
stnted Of men who are inhabitants anc
perhaps citizens Of the town of Milford
using Milford streets, sidewalks, and al
the advantages which Milford offers Al
town, and yet refusing 70 work II
Milford unless paid W. cents per houl
more than they are paid in Chelmsford
Quincy and other places.
"This Is, Of course, sacrifice; it j:
certainly Il sacrifice for man to WORK
away from his home for less than b,
is paid at home This Is, however, q
sacrifice which Injuries the people whC
work in other stone localities. II Is
said that some of these men who re
fuse to work for 3Tla cents per hour OF
40 cents per hour in Milford at theii
own trade Of stone cutting, work In