New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-07-13
Garment Makers Leaders
Say All Will Be on Strike
by Tomorrow.
EMPLOYERS STILL
SHOW FIRM FRONT
Question of War or Peace for
Women Employees Likely To
Be Decided To-day.

Leaders Of the unions engaged in the
manufacture Of mems clothing conf
IDENTIFY prophesed yesterday that by to-
morrow night the strike of the pants
makers would have led out garment
workers to the number of 10000. The
pantsmakers include only between 5000
and 10000 of this number, but their
organizers, taking the position that the
manufacturers would not accede to the
demands, said $4,000 workers on waist
coats, 10000 coatmakers and $4,000
workers on children's clothes would
walk out of their shops.
Meetings were held yesterday by the
trousers makers, but no definite step
was taken toward a conference with
the manufacturers. Meetings of the
vestmakers will be held to-day, and to-
morrow the coatmakers will hold ses-
sions to decide whether to strike. The
pantsmakers, although already on
strike, seem to be waiting until the
other unions have taken a stand be-
fore proceeding with their grievances.
Pants Situation Serious.
So up to this morning the only part
Of the mems clothing workers actually
on strike are the trousers makers. An
expert in bifurcated production calcu-
lated yesterday that a good, earnest
pantsmaker could turn out twenty pairs
OF trousers in day. With 10000 men
on strike, as the unions claim, this
amounts to shortage of 100000 pants
per diem, something like 7O.000,0O0
pairs in twelvemonth This makes
serious situation for the male popula-
ton.
1t was made plain, however, by both
the officials of the Ladies' Garment
Workers of America and the Cloak.
Suit and Skirt Manufacturers Protec-
tive Association that the workers on
women's clothes are not ..ffected by the
strike declared yesterday. The manu-
facturers' union and the womens
clothes workers union will both have
representatives present before the
Mayors Cancellation committee this
morning, and it is expected that the
grievances will be settled.
The pantsmGkers blamed existing con-
ditlons yesterday on the contract sys-
TEN, but said the onus really lay with
the manufacturers who employ con-
tractors. A man conversant with the
views of the manufacturers explained
the contract system By saying chiefly
on account of hard times and the high
value of real estate many manufacture
ers in Manhattan could not afford to
own land suitable for factories They
farm out their clothing TO contractors
who have establishments in Brooklyn
and The Bronx, and who agree, for
certain price, TO make up the cut gar
ments into the finished product. Some
times these contractors sub-let their
contracts.
This makes a divided responsible
ity," said this speaker. THE worker.
complaining Of low wages, goes to the
contractor, who says the manufacturer
because of bad business conditions has
made a close bargain and thus he (the
contractor) can pay no more than he
is paying. The worker then goes to
the manufacturer, who says: 4 gave
the work to a contractor. | can't run
his shop for him. I'm sorry, but he's
paying you, not l.
Opposed to this outside system is
the inside system, in which the manu-
facturer does not let by contract but
makes up his own goods. He is direct
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