New Britain herald., 1918-01-18
FACTORIES WILL
 NOT PAY WAGES WHILE SHUT DOWN
Manufacturers Say They Have No Intention Of Following Fuel
 Administrators Suggestion
FOOLISH" IMPOSSIBLE"
 AND JASMINE" :" THEY SAY

Merchants Call Meeting to Discuss Monday Cfosing-Social Affairs ill eSchools Ordered Discontinued-City Hall Offices Will Remain Open FYremcn and Policemen Consider Plan to Aid in Conservation of Fuel. The first day of the almost nation wide factory closed down sees New Britain with approximately 10000 idle fatW0ry workers. Every factory has responded to tho order of Fuel Ad- ministrator Harry Garfield, but not willingly according to various opinions expressed. When the usual hour for beginning work was reached at o'clock this morning but one whistle -.bleW, that at the Stanley Works, <khcrc several hundred workers whose machinery is operated by water-pow- CT were permitted to return to work. At none of the local concerns how ever has the federal fuel administr;, tioo yet granted any exemption fro the drastic rule. Also, at none of | factories, so far as can be learnC. 1nd practically every one has bee asked it's attitude, is the recommends ton of Dr. Garfield that the workmc- be paid during the five days they arc idle being considered. Terms ranging from "foolish notions" "impossible' to "asinine" are being applied by the various manufacturers.
 At the North & Judd Mfg. Co.,, where big government contracts are Wing handled, Assistant Treasurer Frederick M. Holmes stated that his entire plant is idle and no exemption has been granted. He also states that no steps are being taken to pay the men during this time of enforced idleness.
 President Henry c. M. Thomson of the American Hardware corporation states that all of the concerns mak- ing up this corporation are idle to- day Asked if any consideration was being given to the request to pay the workers, he said: Nothing of the kind is being contemplated"
 c. F. Bennett, second vice presi- dent of the Stanley Works, said that it is a foolish notion" to suggest that ~ the factories pay their help when 'they do not work and his concern was not going to do it. Absolutely not" stated Joseph F. Lamb at Lan- ders, Frary &5 Clark's when asked if the pay of the employees is being con tinued. This entire plant Is closed down. The Traut x Hine Manufac- turing plant is also shut down and Sno attention is being paid to the rec ommendation to continue wages.
 io1y ent of the Stanley Rule and Level company, declared that the plant is entirely shut down but as yet no plans have been formulated in con- nection with possibly changing the two shift working schedule Re garding the paying of workers when they do not work he said that as fa1 N vas he knows this is not being con sdered and he personally thinks suc1 a plan would be an unreasonable load for the manufacturers and em- ployers of labor to shoulder at thi: time"
 The New Britain Machine company another large war order plant, is shu down tight today. The heads of the concern likewise state that they have Yo intention of continuing the wage. of their employees for the days or which they do not work
 At other local concerns where off cials have been questioned the sam, answers are being given.
 Merchants to Meet.
 Members of the mercantile bureal . If the Chamber of Commerce an, hose of the city not aligned with tn organization, will meet at 7:30 ocloc1 his evening in the rooms of the or sanitation, to discuss the closing o he stores at an earlier date and als the new holidays as proposed in tn ruling of Fuel Administrator Garfield Other matters of interest to mer chants are scheduled to come up fo discussion.
 Suspend School SociaIs.
 Pursuant to recomm endatio from Governor M. H. Holcomb, Su perintendent of Schools Stanley F Holmes has advised all teachers, prin tipSls, pupils and janitors at the var tous school to suspend all social \, which take place evenings or afte school hours until the fuel crisis over
 City Hall Will Not Close.
 Gloom waa prevalent in City ha today when it became known that tn E,unicipa1 offices would not be close pn Mondays in common with othe offices about the city Many of tn employees had looked forward { having an extra holiday on Monday Tor tA" next ten weeks but the gov s"nInent cdict prevents this when lConti&ucd On Fifteenth Page).