Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-11-30
BUREAU WORKERS
SAY AGREEMENT
KEEPSPAY DOWN
Complain Engraving Chiefs
Have Understanding With
Bank Note Company.

Charges that "gentlemen's agree
bureau of engraving and printing and
tho American Bank Note Company
whereby neither one of the contract
ing parties" will enter into negotia-
tons for the services of q. steel plate
transferrer who is in the, employ of
tho other were made yesterday AFTER
noon by n committee representing
tl1ese employees at the bureau.
These charges were presented to
the joint congressional commission on
Redistribution of salaries in the Dis
trict at the concluding session afford
ed the printing trades at the Senate
office building yesterday. They were
contained in a brief signed by Q. IL.
Herlocker and John P. Perry, repre-
senting the steel plate engraFers.
Conspiracy II Charged.
1T is a conspiracy to destroy all
Of such conspiracy" charged the
brief, which had been adopted by a
unanimous vote at a meeting of the
Steel Plate Transferrers' Association
Of Washington, held yesterday. John
Prender, secretary of the union, at
tested the brief.
The brief set forth that there are
in this country practically but two
plants in which these skilled artisans
may find employment-the bureau of
engraving and printing and the Amer
lean Bank Note Company of New
York.
Salary Equalization Prevented.
with these plants competing for
the services Of experienced transfer
rers, there would be hope the law Of
supply and demand would, in such an
emergency as we are now passing
through, operate to equalize these
salaries to q common basis" declared
the brief, after stating that salaries
paid steel plate transferrers in the
American Bank Note Company were
higher than salaries paid at the bu-
reau.
This, however. has not been the
result" continued the brief. why?
Because they might induce some Of
the transferrers of the American
Bank Note Company to accept a po-
sition at the bureau, and this would
be violation Of the 'gentlemen's
agreement between the bureau and
the American Bank Note Company's
officials.
Eyes! We have positive evidence
that an agreement exists whereby
neither one of these contracting
parties will enter into negotiations
for the services Of transferrer who
is in the employ of the other. It is
a misnomer to call 1t 'gentlemen's
agreement it is rather conspiracy
to destroy all competition, and we
are the victims Of such a conspiracy"
Investigation Urged.
An appeal was made to the COM
mission members, who listened as
founded at the charges. to investigate
every statement made in the brief
Members Of the commission asked
whether the presenters of the BRIEF
wished the words to remain in the
record The reply was that the words
should stand as presented, and as at
tested by the secretary of the Steel
Plate Transferrers' Union of Wash
ington.
1--WE are here to state" declared the
brief, "that our compensation is in
no way commensurate with the services
rendered. and by all standards Of
comparison we are very much under
paid" There are today forty-three
transferrers employed at the bureau.
it was stated.
Complaints Surprise Members.
Conditions declared to exist in the
plate vault section of the government
printing Office surprised members of
the committee during the afternoon
hearing. This testimony closed the
Continued on Ninth Page.)