The Washington times., 1937-01-27
Bx RAYMOND WILCOYE


PITTSBURGH, Jan. ~ G.N.SO
What is there in the manufacture
Of glass that makes it possible to-
day for less than 500 union glass
workers to bottle up the nations
glass industry, threaten the closing
down of a $5,OOO,OOO 900 motor in
dustry, and force 100000 auto
workers out Of work
The glass maker in q glass plant
Is the most important link in a
highly skilled industry. Ten years
experience and training go into
the making Of a first class glass
maker. His job is to watch the
glass furnaces or tanks. Into these
tanks, so feet wide, feet deep,
and 100 feet long, go the raw in
gradients which are molten into
glass.
24-HOur Watch
Forty tons Of molten glass, to a
depth Of six feet, are always in a
tank. Aided by a first assistant
and his helper, he must keep a "a
hour watch over it. Upon the cor
rect temperature Of the tank de-
pends the quality of the glass. Fur
Ghermore, expansion and con-
traction Of the walls Of the tank
make it constantly necessary to
keep the temperature within exact
limits.
Should the temperature at any
time vary out of proportion either
way the walls of the tan would
collapse. Rebuilding a tank is a
three months process.
Regulating the Flow
Next in skill to the glassmaker
Is the glass machine operator. It
is he who stands by the outlet of
the glass tank, regulating the flow
OF molten glass through his ma
chine in the right strength,
amount, width, and quality. At
the Charleston, w. Va, plant of
Libby -OWenS-Ford, for example,
there is no glass machine operator
with less than seven years expe-
rience.
Should these highly skilled
workers go on strike there is moth
ing that can be done except close
down the plant. Substitutes are not
available. Leave the plants glass
tanks without competent attention
for "a hours and they would cease
to be Of use to the company.
WhnYN q n1occ ToloIok io L.,
strike the tanks are permitted to
cool gradually, the fire dies out,
and the 40 tons Of molten glass
always in the tank congeals and
hardenS. It takes q month after
that before the hardened glass can
be melted again and new glass
produced. Consequently, no new
glass will be produced by the Pitts
burgh Plate Glass Company, which
recently settled a three-month
strike Of its employees, for that
length of time. Instead it will
operate on its reserve supply.
Practically all plate glass used
now in the manufacture of auto
mobiles is laminated or safety
glass.
The manufacture of plate glass
(as distinguished from ordinary
window glass; may be, generally
speaking, divided into four parts.
First, the raw ingredients are
poured into a glass tank and
turned into molten glass. It then
passes through a glass machine
and hardens into what is known
as trough" glass. Following that
it is ground and polished. Then
it is laminated, the final process
in the making of safety glass.
For the auto industry to go into
the glass-making industry itself
would not be paying proposition.
The motor industry is too vulner-
able. It has too many weak links
which go to make up its produc-
ton to make it worth while for
it to concentrate on glass. Only
within recent years has the full
force of this observation and de-
duction struck the motor industry
with it's full impact.