Evening star., 1927-04-30
PLUMBERS STRIKE
ONLYLABOR BREAK
Brooklyn Dispute Only Mar on
Trade Tranquility in
New York.
Enecinl nisnntch to The Star.

Epecal Dispatch to The Star.
NEW YORK, n. ". April go
With the exception of disturbed con
ditions in New York City growing
directly out of the plumbers strike in
Brooklyn. generally tranquil labor
conditions prevail in the building
crafts throughout the country.
The fact that building activities are
steadily slowing down in almost every
American city, as indicated by the
continued falling off in building per
mits. is unquestiOnablY one Of the
strongest factors controlling the atti'
tude of labor at this time.
According to a national survey Of
labor conditions in the building in
dustry, made public today by S. w.
Straus & Co, there are now compara-
lively no increases being made in
wage scales. Minor exceptions. of
course, exist in certain of the trades
in some cities. Labor generally seems
content to maintain present wage
rates, the Straus survey indicates, and
there is but a meager agitation among
the trades for the establishment of
the 40-hour or fiVe-day week.
Wage Demands Lesser.
"With building permits falling off
everywhere in the United States, eX-
cept in few isolated cities, labor
seems more and more disinclined to
press for higher wages or shorter
hours" says the report.
This decline in building, which has
been in steady progress for a year,
reached the proportion of an 8 per
cent national loss in March, as com
pared with the same month last year,
nd in E.,
leading cities. In some Of the States
these losses have reached surprising
proportions. In such an important
industrial State as Pennsylvania, for
example, the slump is IS per cent for
the first quarter of the present year,
compared with the same period in
1926
In the New England States build
ing conditions continue at a fairly
brisk rate and labor in most of the
important cities of that section is find
ing ample employment.
THE situation in New York City
has been disturbed by the strike of
painters in Brooklyn for $14-a-day
wage scale and the strike of the
plumbers in the same borough for an
increase of 81 a day and a five day
week. which during the past week in
Volved the labor situation in Man
haitian, Queens and the Bronx. In
New York a shortage is reported
among plasterers, bricl1layers and
lathers.
Conditions Held Good.
Builders in Boston. Washington,
Buffalo and Rochester report con-
ditions well stabilized, with the supply
of labor adequate to demand. Con-
struction work in several New Jersey
coast cities has been halted by a sym
pathetic strike called by all trades
to aid the walkout of building labor
The latter went on strike when their
demand for a S1-a day wage increase
was refused by contractors. Asbury
Park, Bradley Beach, Neptune and
Belmar were affected.
In Philadelphia, Baltimore, Pitts
burgh and Cleveland building to date
for 1927 has not kept pace with last
years volume of construction, and
there is a surplus of labor reported
Work has been again halted on the
new Cleveland Union Station by
strike of carpenters. who walked off
the job because of a jurisdictional dis
pute.
"Chicago's building program is ex.
ceeding last years volume, but there
IS q surplus of labor reported in a
number of trades, especially carpen-
ters, electricians. painters and struc-
tural iron workers."