Great Falls daily tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1895-1921, 1920-12-16

menC Dy WlCnnOlQlng steer lFOI
iron workers.
Whether the corporation will extend
Its policy to other parts of the countr$,
the witness said, depends entirely on
what effect / should expect it to have
on our general labor situation
Severe GriIIiua
The steel magnate, who was on the
witness stand nearly an hour. was sGb-
jected to a severe grilling by Samuel
Cntermyer, the committees counsel who
has stated that he. ITntprmyer' is the
largest stockholder in the Bethlehem cor
poration.
Charging Mr.. Grace with fencing
and evading his questions. Mr.. Inter
myer several times during the examna
ton appealed to Senator Carson, actin
chairman Of the committee. to order The
witness to answer his questions.
Acted independently
While his corporation was a member
of the National Steel Fabricators' as
sociation, Mr. Grace declared. it had
acted independently Of the associations
open shop" program and had not en-
tered into any agreement with any other
interests to sponsor the movement.
Asked if he believed tile Bethlehem
corporation big enough to carry out its
open shop principle if every other steel
company decided otherwise, the witness
replied;
THAT is matter of judgment
Denies Dictation
Denying that he had attempted to
dictate to union builders. as to how
they should erect steel, Mr. Grace as
serted, II told them they cannot have
our fabricated STEEL
When the witness denied knowledge
of the movement among Fabricated steel
manufacturers in the United States to
withhold steel from union shop builders,
MIR. Untermver asked:
DO you think it is a proper thing for
manufacturers throughout the country
to get together and to dictate to the
builders in the different cities of the
country whether or not they shall erect
steel on union or open shop principles!"
AS to the question to getting together
/ do not know" replied Mr.. Grace. The
question Of whether it would be a good
principle. / should say it would be-
Union Non-dscrimnatory
The steel head admitted that the struc-
tural iron workers union had not dis
criminated against the nonunion pro-
duct Of the Bethlehem corporation but
said 1T may happen.
Declaring he never liked the term
collective bargaining Mr.. Grace said
he believed in system Of employees
representation.
He explained that the Bethlehem en-
ployes elected their representatives to
deal with the management of the com
pany, ''in all phases affecting the ser
vice rendered by them" and that the
plan is working very satisfactorily
If DO per cent Of the men in your
shops were union men they would not
have anything more to say as union
men? asked Mr.. Untermyer.
Changing Attitude.
isn't it fact, Mr.. Grace" asked
Mr.. Untermyer, that, in times of great
business activity unions seek to domin-
ate the situation, and in times Of de-
preston, or when labor is plentiful, that
the employers seek to eliminate the
unions?"
Il do not know about that" replied
the witness.
'You don't know about that and you
employ as many as 10000 men and when
business is active as high as 10000"
smilingly replied the committees counsel,
continuing another line of examination
Mr.. Grace asserted the policy to
sponsor the "open shop was adopted
dIOuDu september IDIJ WHeD the
American Federation of Labor attempted
to organize our plant"
When the steel magnate said he be-
lieved it would be better for the steel
workers in the United States to be
banded together in a single organiza-
ton" Mr.. Untermyer asked him if that
is the reason you are refusing recogni-
tion?"
Union Men Employed.
Naturally, I think it is better" said
Mr.. Grace who said he believed there
were some union men working in his
shops and they were not Disseminated
against.
During the examination of the steel
head, Mr.. Untermyer told him that he
disagreed with the corporations policy
and methods and "hoped they would
change them
Mr. Untermyer said that If Charles
NJ. Sehwab, chairman of the directors of
the Bethlehem corporation, desired to
appear before the committee to make
statement, they would be "glad to
hear him"
Additional testimony was heard
Wednesday by the committee from con-
tractors showing that building costs had
been INCREASED by the action of the fabri-
Gated steel manufacturers compelling
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