Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-06-19
DELAY in Big GUNS.
PROBED BY BOARD
L. S. Wants to Know About
Conditions at Bethlehem
Steel Plant
LABOR MAKES CHARGES

Labor Board representatives have
heard the complaints Of the employees
Of the Bethlehem 'Steel Company in
an effort to adjust the conditions
which. the War Department believes,
affect the OUTPUT Of big guns and pro.
jectiles for Pershing's forces abroad.
This is the first instance in which
the board has been asked 20 settle the
difficulties in any steel plant. and for
that reason the ultimate action will
establish a precedent in that industry.
Already there are reports that com
promise may be effected in order that
the heavy armament program may not
be interferef with.
l:rigadier General 7. NJ Dickson,
chief ordnance officer. assigned by the
War Department. said the output
from the plant here was not up to
expectations. He said he. believed In
adequate housing facilities were IL the
main responsible. The employees con-
tend that labor troubles have caused
the loss of many skilled mechanics and
the force has been 80 reduced that
production cannot be kept to the max.
imum Desired
Labor Turnover Excessive
In support of this statement leaders
OF the employees introduced a state.
ment of the beneficial association,
which showed that a labor turnover of
$1,000 employees was necessary last
year to add a permanent increase of
500 employees to the forces here.
Twelve grievances were cited by the
men through witnesses and deposi.
ftions which have been gathered during
the last ten days by Isaac Russell,
field investigator for the Labor Board.
and a corps OF investigators. The
he f,,l1 ,si,,.,
questions:
Wages, hours Of labor, contract and
piece work and the bonus system, dis
elimination against union labor, equal
pay for women, refusal of the COM
pany to deal with men through shop
committees. attitude of the company
toward labor laws, the companys
/ housing methods and real estate deals
! in which. the men allege. the company.
! in affiliation with real estate dealers.
/ charges eXorbitant prices for dwell
! ings: scalping of Liberty Bonds in the
! bonus offices of the company; using
! the draft to coerce men by saying they
can have men inducted into the Serv-
! ice for refusal to obey orders: changes
! in the bonus system. 80 that the men
do not know. from time TO time. what
! their ply will be. and forcing men to
take of their union buttons.
/ Men Sought Investigation
The present hearing was the out
growth of visit which leaders of the
labor men made to Washington, where
=, they invoked the aid OF the labor board
to investigate conditions. At that
time Eugene G. Grace, president Of the
steel company. said that he would re-
fuse to treat with any shop commit
tee. although he had no objection to
tx-it1 |, nd
The company was represented by
II, T.. Lewis. vice president, who
entered general denial Of the charges
and defended the bonus system, which
was the biggest bone Of contention.
w. Jett Lauck, secretary: r. 8. Han.
rah. chief examiner, and Charles Rice
4 examiner. represented the war board
and took testimony. David Williams
business agent of the local union of
machinists. and S r. F. Duffey. gen.
eral organizer fer the American Fed
Grafton of Labor. and others handled
the case for the employees.
Mr.. Williams said the trouble
started when the company re
fused to pay time and one-half for
overtime on an eight-hour basis. He
also stated that the new bonus sys'
TEN was an iniquity.
Police Prevented Meeting
He called upon committee from
the shops. headed by Archibald Miller
and they rehearsed the grievances in a
statement read into the record. The
report said sanitary conditions. were
poor, that oppressive tactics were
used to crush the unions and cited par
ticularIy the action OF several fore
men and Curtis Davies, the former
sergeant Of the State ConstabularN
and now chief Of police of the Bethle
hem works.
The committee charged that Chic
Davies had refused them the right L
mass.meeting at Colonial Hall, anC
brought Joseph Kresge, the owner, t
testify to this effect.
t Chief Davies admitted that he hac
prohibited the committee from meet
ing. The members were headed b,
Harry Unger. president of the Cen
, tral Labor Council; Mr.. Duffey an,
, , other leaders of the disaffected EN-
, ployes.
II told them they were bunch o
I. w. WIS and pro.Germans." he said
, "and | wasn't going to let them star
+ ANYTHING like that In Bethlehem"
This remark aroused Duffey and hi
associates and they piled the chic
with questions. which he finally ende
with the reply that perhaps he wa
= mistaken when he connected then
. with the I. w. w. and kindred activi
i ties. IN
: W. A. Bloom. secretary of loca
! board 3. testified that the steel con
!: pany fled with the boards every tw
I kyeeks list 81 eu1pa0Yeq who had qui
8; ':;:;:;s n: 3: ~ !; y I