New-York tribune., 1916-07-19
Eighth Effort to End Gar
ment Makers Dis
pute Fails.
NO PEACE IN SIGHT,
DECLARES GOMPERS
Employers Insist That Workers
Repudiated Their Own
Agreement.

While 100000 men, women and chill
dren were anxiously waiting yesterday
for the news that the strike had been
settled, the union leaders and cloak
manufacturers in conference at the
Metropolitan Building undid what had
been accomplished in twelve weeks of
dickering and diplomacy and brought
TO an unsuccessful close the eighth
attempt to restore peace in the gar
ment trades.
Samuel Gompers. president of the
American Federation of Labor, opened
the meeting at 10.30 o'clock He was
hopeful. he said, Of settlement be-
fore .nightfall. The leaders of both
factions had decided to eliminate the
preferential shop from the list of sub
jects to be discussed. The employers
had already conceded this point to the
strikers. The first topic suggested was
the "base rate" or the system of hav-
ing union representative in each shop
to fix prices for the various classes
of work
Employers Will Not Yield.
ave are unalterably opposed to this
proposition" was the statement of a
representative of the employers.
"Then nothing can be DONE" re-
turned a union leader. ave can go no
further"
Mr.. Gompers, the Manufacturers AS
sociation and Benjamin Schlesinger, for
the union. issued statements. The
strikers explained that the employers
and workers in the cloak industry
would never be able to compose their
differences without the intervention of
an impartial body of men. such as a
board of arbitration. The manufacture
ers asserted that the demand for an
"outside expert" was something they
could never consent to and maintain
their self-respect. Mr.. Gompers mere
ly rehearsed what had taken place in
the few minutes that the strikers and
employers were in conference yester-
day.
81 am grieved TO be forced to leave
without having paved the way to peace
for the strikers and employers" Mr..
Gompers said before leaving for Wash
ington.
"The six day conference between the
representatives of the manufacturers
association and the union,' read the
statement prepared by Benjamin
Schlesinger and Morris Hillquit, at
torney for the union, "has conclu-
sively demonstrated that the employers
and the workers in the cloak and suit
industry will never be able TO compose
their differences without the interven-
tion of an impartial body of men such
as board of arbitration.
What ROsses DemA nded
"When the manufacturers locked out
their workers on April 2S they an
4 nounced that the supreme issue be-
tween them and their employees was the
unrestricted right Of the employers to
increase and decrease their force OF
workers in accordance with the needs
of the shop and the dictates of business
efficiency.
"This right was accorded to them by
the union as a basis for a conference on
the remaining issues. On the very first
day of the conference it became clear
that the employers association was
unalterably opposed to all wage in
creases and Improvements of shop con-
ditions. More than chat, they made it
clear that they proposed to reduce
standards OF earnings and TO reintro-
duce the sweatshop system. They re-
fused even TO discuss any provisions
for the maintenance of a standard
hourly base rate of earnings for piece
workers, although such piece workers
comprise about rs per cent of the work
ers in the industry, and have heretofore
adjusted their earnings upon the basis
of established hourly base rates.
"Time and time again, in the course
Of the conference, it became apparent
that the manufacturers had come to
/ the conference in an irreconcilable and
uncompromising mood, fully deter
mined to dictate terms of employment
without regard to the rights of work.
ers to justice or reason. Time and
time again the union representatives
renewed their offer TO submit all out
standing differences between the
parties to arbitration But the atti-
tude Of the manufacturers remained
obdurate They would not consider
arbitration.
Hold Employers to Blame.
"Under these trying circumstances,
the union remained in conference with