Democratic Sentinel, Volume 16, Number 11, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 1 April 1892 — Heavy Wage Reductions. [ARTICLE]

Heavy Wage Reductions.

The following is a partial list of the wage reductions which have been announced in the high-tariff journals since January 1, 1892: “The reduction in the wages of the employes of the Brooke Iron Company, at Birdsboro, this county, announced some time ago, took effect, and all the puddlers, heaters, and ether employes continued at work, excepting some of the nail feeders. The firm employs nearly 409 hands.”—Philadelphia Ledger (Hep.), Jan. 27, 1892. “The wages of the puddlers in the employ of the Chesapeake Npil Works at Harrisburg, Pa., have been reduced from $4 per day to $3.50 per day, taking effect on the 15th instlron Age Fe.b. 18, 18V 2. “On the same day a reduction in wages varying from 7 to 11 per cent, went into effect at the Central Iron Works, Harrisburg, Pa."—The Iron Age, Feb. 18, 1892. “The puddling department of the Central Iron Works at Harrisburg, Pa., shut down Saturday night, throwing between 200 and 300 men out of employment. The men would not accept the

reduction.” Boston Commercial Bulletin, Feb. 20, 1892. “Cofrode & Saylor, of the Reading Rolling Mill, at Reading, Pa., on Thursday night notified their employes of a 10 per cent, reduction of wages, to take effect next week. The firm employs about 630 hands.”—The Iron Age, Feb. 25, 1892. Also by Associated Press, Feb. 19. “Early last week the Jefferson Iron Works of Steubenville, Ohio, notified their nailers of a reduction in wages amounting to 25 per cent”—[This was afterward withdrawn.] —The Iron Age, Feb. 25, 1892. “The Columbia Iron and Steel Company, of Pittsburg, whose plant is located at Uniontbwn, Pa., have made a demand fsr a reduction of 25 per cent, in the wages of their employes/—The Iron Ago, Feb. 25, 1892. “The Pottsville (Pa.) Iron and Steel Company will reduce the wages of its 600 employes at Pottsville 10 per cent.” —Boston Commercial Bulletin, Feb. 20, 1892. “Pittsbubg, Pa., Feb. 28. —Following the discharge of the puddlers from all the furnaces at J. Painter’s Sons mills last week came the dismissal of 200 puddlers on Saturday by Jones & Laughlin. * * * There is but one thing to do, and that will be to reduce tho wages of puddlers. ” —Special dispatch to tho Chicago Inter Ocean (Rep.), Feb. 29, 1892. “Lawbence, March 1. —A cut in the wool sorters’ wages at the Arlington Mills goes into effect to-day. It is said that 12,000,000 pounds of wool are used yearly at the mill, and that the price list now going into effect will reduce the wages of the men in the aggregate 20 per cent.”—Special dispatch in the Boston Herald, March 2, 1892. “A reduction of wages of about 10 per cent, took place yesterday In most Of the piece-work departments of the Singer Sewing Machine Works.” —Associated Press, March 2, 1892. “It has been definitely decided by the tin-plate manufacturers that wages on black plates must be reduced.” —Special dispatch from Pittsburg to the Philadelphia Press (Bep.), March 2, 1892. “We can state that all the nail factories in the Pittsburg district are being operated under private arrangement with their men as regards wages to be paid for cutting nails. While it is true reductions have recently taken place at one or more mills, the men have no recourse in the matter.”—The Iron Age, March 3, 1892. In nearly every one of tho above cases tho manufacturers appeared before the Ways and Means Committee asking for higher duties on their products, not, however, for themselves, but for their workmen. Chief among them were those who intended to manufacture tin plates. Now that the duties on tin plates has been increased from 1 cent to 2 2-10 cents per pound, instead of raising wages, they have ordered a reduction of tho wages of the workmen who are engrged in rolling black plates for tinning. They are bound to appropriate all the tariff bonus for their own profit, and by their organization are able to add a little more to it by making a reduction in wages, and yet, in spite of this, they pretend that the tariff is for the benefit of the workmen only.