Republican farmer., 1918-07-05
REMINCTON-A ARMS LAWYER REQUESTS FULLER FREEDOM Interference in System of Organization Would Be Calamity to Production. MEN WANT
 REWARD EXPLAINED Attorney Merritt Outlines Position of Manufacturers
 of This City.
Tuesday, July ?

uSSudys uly
 Claiming that any classification such as is desired by the machinists and toolmakers would upset their en- tire organizations the manufacturers set forth their position as regards the awards recently made by the govern ment and asked that unless the Taft Walsh board found it absolutely inn perative that it decide against this classification. The representatives of the machinists declared that such a classification must be made in order that the wages as determined by the last government award be apportioned correctly.
 John J. Keppler, vice president of the International Machinists, spoke this morning regarding the minimum wage which the men feel must oe established in this city. He claimed that under the award it is impossible to tell which workers belong in the different classes and declared that the War Department had not made any thing clear on this subject. The machinists and toolmakers want an interpretation of the award and MT. Keppler claimed that to be the pur- pose of the last conference which | took the men from their work for three days.
 Attorney Walter Gordon Merritt outlined the ideas of the manufac- | turers on the subject and said that 1 to attempt to put any general classi- | fication into effect at this time would be nothing short of a calamity. Each manufacturer has his own system Jf | classification and an arbitrary rule would result in great complications as well as make possibilities for great 1 misunderstanding. He declared the manufacturers were prepared to show that the wages paid were liberal and | fair and that they had kept pace with i the increased cost of living.
 He stated that there must be a con- tinuous production flow to meet the government needs and the test as far i as this city is concerned is that thc war program be efficiently carried out. The manufacturers do not want anything changed that hasn't got tc be changed to meet the increased cost of living and this part of the program they intend to meet auto maticalIy and fairly He pleaded that the internal conditions of ths plants be not disturbed at this time Attorney William Wallace of New York started a statement on behalf of the Remington Arms Go. which was interrupted by adjournment for the noon recess. Attorney Wallace said his firm is prepared to furnish a list of all the trades and crafts in the factory and he also stated that it was impossible to change conditions as tC wages in his factory without the con sent of the U. S. officer at the factory in charge of the contract.
 He made a plea for the other go per cent. of the employees in the fac tory and asked the board that some fair and equitable adjustment be made in their case. The danger of inter- ference with the flow of munitions was emphasized. MT. Wallace stated that 9S per cent. of all cartridges made are made by the Remington and five other firms, but that ene-half o1 this output came from the Remington factory. Production has been increas. ed 20 fold since 1914,
 
 is ahead of it's contract schedule over 100 million cartridges. Before the last three small outgoings or strikes it was ahead of it's schedule of con- tract production in every other par ticular. Before we get through i may be necessary to hire women tc the same extent that they have beer employed in Great Britain and France We must keep up intensive training for the successful upkeep of this great organization. To stop thi. training will break down this organi zation on which so much depends"
 F. N. Judson of St. Louis, presidins in place of w. H. Taft. asked that the points of difference be formulated 1T ; as concise as manner as possible by both sides and submitted to tht board. Questions were frequently pu to the speakers by w. H. Johnson O. , the labor group on the board ant also by Frank P. Walsh