The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1922-01-23
MOUNT AIRY GOES
ON OPEN SHOP" BASIS
Four Firms Began Operations on That
Plan January 1s--Men Offered
So Per Day.

The Mount Airy, N. C., granite in
dustry went largely on an open shop
basis on January Is, 1922. according to
the Mount Airy News OF January 10
and as confirmed BY private CORE
| spondence received from granite manu-
! facturers there. Granite cutters are be-
! ing paid SO per day and apprentices
are being paid 40 cents an hour.
A letter from the North Carolina
Granite corporation, one of the lead
ing firms at Mount Airy states that
on the morning of January Is theEfirm
started IA apprentices who had preyi-
ously been employed there and one
journeyman surface cutter operator
and that on the following morning the
firm had nine jburneymen granite c,lt !.
ters, journeyman tool sharpener and
AN apprentice tool sharpener operating
a tool sharpening machine. The com
pany believes that it soon will save all
the men it requires.
The Mount Airy News prints the fol.
lowing statement of the case from i.
ID Sargent, vice president of the North
Carolina Granite corporation: Joint
conference between committees of the
Mount Airy. NJ G. Granite Manufac
turers' association and the Mount AiEy
branch OF the Granite Cutters Inter
national association which have been
held at various periods since December
Is. last, were concluded last night
lJanuary l7) when at meeting of the
granite cutters the proposal of the
manufacturers that the cutters wages
be reduced from the wartime rate of
$s for eight hours to, So for eight hours
was rejected by them,
"The manufacturers are disposed to
make separate contracts with each in
dividual and have taken steps along
that line BY writing an explanatory
letter to each cutter and with II send
ing him copy Of the personal contract
to apply to him only.
"The manufacturers are advertising |
for apprentices to come into the cut
ting works and learn the trade, and |
on the part of the manufac-I
turers to operate their cutting plants |
in the future independent of the un-
ion, and on the American PLAN"
Then follows copy of the letter to /
the individual granite cutters. part |
Of which, relating to the monumental /
granite iNlustry, is:
"The monumental industry has also
been steadily declining. Such promi-
nent centers in this line Of business
Is Barre, VT. Quincy, Mass, and Wes
serly, X. 4, having been forced to ad
7ance their prices continually TO cover
.hc demands for increased wages and
additional costs caused by the restric
ions placed By the union on produc-
ion and operation of machinery, have
een their business dwindle steadily
Until during the year just past less
han thirty per cent OF the normal
lumber OF men were employed lin the
industry OF these centers, while the
Of marble monuments in
uch centers as Rutland. VT, Tate, Ca,
nd Knoxville, Tenn, all of which pro-
luce fine monuments, has increased
apidly until these places nave become
established and will always
ontinue to be large factor in that
ranch of the industry, TO the exclu
ion OF granite. All these three named
enters operate their quarries and cut
ing yards with non-union men,
The four firms at Mount Airy enter
lg into the agreement are the North
arolina Granite corporation, the J. ID.
argent Granite company, Zimmerman
Hoffman Granite company and Mt ,
iry Granite Cutting company.