The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1911-02-09

quirements OF certain crafts. To the
best OF our knowledge this additional
profit has not insured to the benef1t of |
the contractor.
The plumbing contractor has been
subjected to criticisms. owing to the |
plumbers license ordinance. which re- |
quires the taking out OF a plumbers
license, costing 5000 the nrst year and
500 per year thereafter. This perhaps
tends to eliminate some desirable COM
petition in this trade, but at the same
time 1T protects the city from the oper-
atoms of the INSCRIPTIONS plumber.
The CITY, ordinances covering this IL
cense, the Seibeu trap and other build
ing requirements, we are assured by
city officials in a position to know.
were carefully drawn before passage.
and that the operations Hereunder
have proven satisfactory
1t has been openly charged and en-
phatically denied that the plumbers
association" composed of local plumb
ing contractors. can control the sale
of plumbing supplies through the
plumbing supply houses of the country
at large, to the detriment of the in
dependent local plumbing contractor.
Inasmuch as the proof of this charge
would bring punishment under the
laws of the land, the presumption is
that condition does not exist. $50 much
for the cause of the high cost of build
lingo
Now. in reporting our findings to
ties, your committee has been compell-
the cause of the present labor dificul-
ed to confine themselves largely to the
conditions prior to the date of the re-
lcent labor troubles, as conditions since
.
will. therefore. understand the follow
ing findings bear only on those crafts
!employed in the building industry who
are not working for members of the
contractors association.
DO They work Enoughs
The question of wage scale has not
been considered by your committee.
That scale was agreed upon between
the contractors and laborers, and has
not been in dispute. Nor has your COM
mittee based it's findings upon the
labor question. upon any comparison
with other cities whore less scale
prevails than in Gary.
General complaint has been entered
before your committee as to the amount
of work rendered by the various crafts
in return for days pay. These COM
plants have been more prevalent as
but little complaint has been lodged
In the opinion of your committee. these
complaints are generally well founded
; Unions Are Scored.
AS intimated heretofore, the various
crafts have certain restrictions incor-
porated in their bylaws. These re-
strictions are founded upon sound
principles. but the Interpretation and
reinforcement thereof, in some crafts
have been not only to the detriment
of the general public. but to the crafts
themselves. and have contributed large
lily to the trouble that now exists. We
find that these restrictions and re
I quirements have constantly caused ar
unsettled condition to exist here AND
a that not only the contractors but the
general public have suffered from the
! disputes arising therefrom. Our rec
ords show that these disputes have In
linnumerable instances caused not only
loss of time in construction, but have
added materially to the cost of build.
, ling operations in Gary. We find tina
in the past the contractor has arbitrat
, ed these disputes and conceded to labor
q the point contended for. fearing the
possible loss of time to the owner ant
' the effect of trouble upon the public
at large and at the same time incident
ally appreciating that with the arnoun
of work in sight he could recover the
possible loss from future contracts
These disputes have increased from
time to time, as shown by the record.
of the arbitration committee of the con
, tractors association. together with evil
, dence of disputes settled withou
formal arbitration
Rosts the Electricians.
The Collins McNulty faction Of cleo
trical workers have contributed large
ly, both directly and indirectly. t.
2 these disputes, and 1t was through
their constant and unreasonable de-
e mands and requirements that the cleo
= trical contractors were finally com
. PEELED to bring in the Reid Murph,
faction of electrical workers.
1t has been agreed by all sides II
this trouble. that this was the cause o.
the present difficulty. The various 9th
er crafts have been drawn into the
fight through their Affiliations. Som,
of the crafts, while not countenancins
the principles Of the local branch o.
: COLLINS McNulty electrical workers. ant
while even allowing themselves to e.
so far as to openly condemn the opera
tions OF that local, have at the sam,
thine permitted themselves, through ad
mittedly poor leadership. to be drawn
into the fight. and are today, either
l, directly or indirectly, taking q stant
O favorable to that faction. So that IL
. the opinion of your committee the en-
I tire dispute revolves itself into tn,
solution of the question of whethe
the Reid-Murphy faction of electrical
workers are union men or not TIL,
Testimony shows that the Reid-Murph,
faction embraces from sixty to ninet.
per cent of the electrical workers in tn
United States, and that in many cite
they are in the majority and are AM
have been recognized as union men b.
the other crafts. while locally 70
weeks the carpenters. bricklayers an
lcement fnishers have worked side b,