Perth Amboy evening news. [volume] (Perth Amboy, N.J.) 1903-1959, 1915-08-27
Meeting Held Last Night When
1t is Understood 1t Was De-
cided to Demand an 8-Hour
Day at Local Plants.
OFFICERS WILL NOT TALK
Local Men Refer QueSti0nerS to
Aqent in Newark Who Can
not be Reached-Fight is
One of Long Standing.
OFFICERS WILL NOT TALK

Although officers and members OF
Raritan Lodge No. 367, Information
al Association of Machinists, refuse
to divulge information regarding the
proceedings at the mass meeting
held in Union Hall last night, 1t is
believed that action has been taken
by the Perth Amboy machinists that
will lead to strike in all the local
plants after formal demand Tor an
eight-hour day has been made should
the demand be refused. Fred Jorg-
ensen. president of the lodge, stated
,that he had been ordered to give out
no information to the public, and L..
E. Walter, also an officer of the or
eanization, positively refused to
make known the course that the
machinists intend to follow.
Hugh v. Reilly, business agent IN
District No. Al of the international
Association of Machinists, who was
present at the meeting last night
could not be located at the Newark
Headquarters this morning, having
gone to New Brunswick, where 1t IS
believed a course similar to that
planned by the Perth Amboy ma
chinists will be Instituted.
The eight-hour day has long been
the hone of contention between the
machinists employed in the local
smelling plants and the manufactur-
ing concerns, and now a nationwide
movement to accomplish this end has
been instituted In April, 1872,
Business Agent Reilly made his first
appearance in this city, preparatory
to a demand for an eight hour day on
the part of the Perth Amboy me-
chanics. Little was accomplished at
that time, and in February, 1913,
s. r. Young, a general organizer or
the International Association OF Ma
chinists, was assigned to the forty
seventh district of the association,
which includes Perth Amboy and
most of New Jersey. to reorganfze
the unions and prepare them for
demand for a wage raise and an
eight hour day. In May of that year
the machinists of the Barber Asphalt
Paving Company and the United
Lead Manufacturing Company were
increased in wages about ten per
cent. and their hours of labor were
reduced in the former plant from
fifty-four to fifty hours and in the
latter plant from fifty-four to fifty
one hours per week, giving the men
an average rate of thirty-nine cents
per hour.
The local movement is likely to be
simultaneous with the activity of ma
chinists all over the state, for the
object of the leaders is to make the
demand at the same time on all en-
ployers so that all plants will be put
on an equal competitive basis II
they grant the demands of the asso-
ton.
Should the Perth Ambov machin-
lists go out on strike, it is believed
that over a hundred men, including
employees at the Barber Asphalt,
American Smelling and Refining
Company and Raritan Copper Works
will be affected.
DiHsrent local plants pay their
machinists on varied scale, the
highest being at the Uaited Lead
Works, where the men are engaged
in filling war orders. At the \. S.
and R. plant the machinists, on tie
sixteenth instant, were gran,ed a
raise in wages from thirty-six TO thir-
ty-nine and one-half cents per hour
of nine hour basis, and al the same
time other workmen in 1.-The plant
were given an increase of from twen-
ty to twenty-one cents an hour, MAX
ing the latter the minimum wage
scale for laborers at this plant The
minimum wage scale of twenty-ane
cents was also lately put into effect
at the Raritan Copper Works and
the Barber plant.