12 



or tliiMkliiK tlic jmbllc luul ns woll get uscti 

 to lilt' speotnoli' nml iidniit Itsi-lf to tlir 

 situiitioii, for tlii-y n-prosoiit a coiiilliiini 

 ■which has foiiic to stay. 



Thf Inliiir unions doniaiul hlKhcr wat'os. 

 sliorliT hours and bettor comlitlons tJOiicr- 

 ally for those who work for wanes. The 

 oniployers will, of course, light that <le- 

 maiul to the tleatli so Ions as It Is tluir 

 belief that the better eondltlons ^ue to be 

 secured at their (the eiuiiloyers'l exiieusi". 

 When, however, they liinl the liKlitlni: \in- 

 prolitable. It naturally sUB^ests Itself to 

 both sides that If they ean eoniblne t<i 

 make the public not only pay for the bet- 

 ter conditions for the laborinj: people, but 

 also to pay an Increased profit to the em- 

 ployers, they need tlsht no longer. 



Such combinations between the uni«ins 

 nnd employers' association exist In Chi- 

 cago to-day, and many of them are In lines 

 affecting the building trade; nnd their ex- 

 actions and extortions are having a serious 

 effect on business. Hrlckwork contractors, 

 sheet metal workers, stone contractors and 

 a number of other lines are organized to 

 control the work and share the profits in 

 Chicago, and they are acting in harmony 

 with the labor unions, and between tlieni 

 they have nearly got the city by the throat. 



For instance, it has been proven that 

 the sheet metal makers of Chicago have a 

 combination among themselves embracin.u' 

 the principal Urms of the cit;-. When a 

 contract of any size is to bi- let they agree 

 among themselves as to the price to bo 

 charged, who shall take the contract and 

 how much of his profits shall be divided 

 among the other members of the combine. 

 That such an organization exists and that 

 it has for two or three years controlled the 

 situation absolutely is not denied. 



Under such an arrangement it really 

 doesn't matter greatly what wages are 

 paid to employes. All the bosses bave to 

 do is to add the extra wages to their price 

 nnd the public pays it. And in considera- 

 tion of good treatment In such matters, the 

 unions support the combine and. in fact, 

 give it its greatest element of sti-ength. 



For Instance, there was one firm which 

 became dissatisfied with the pooling ar- 

 rangement and withdrew from the pool, 

 and began to fight It on Independent lines. 

 In fact, the firm seems to have been what 

 we term in the luml>er trade a "pirate.' 

 and withdrew, not from any lofty motive 

 or even because of unfair treatment, but 

 because it believed it could, by not bavin;; 

 any rebates to pay, cut prices enough un- 

 der the pool's prices to get most of the 

 good jobs. 15ut here the unions came in 

 and kept up their end. A strike was called 

 at the plant of the independent operator, 

 and it has been in a state of siege ever 

 since, until the firm is on the ragged edge 

 of ruination. 



We cite the case of the sheet metal 

 workers because that is a well-proveii case. 

 A case almost as well proven is that of 

 the brick contractors' union which is snp- 



THE HARDWOOD RECORD. 



ported by the brickmakers' union and the 

 labor \inlons. It Is allegetl that. In consider- 

 ation of certain prices paid for brick, the 

 brickmakers' miion agrees to sell no brli-k 

 in Chicago to firms outside the pool; and. In 

 consideration of certain wages paid, it Is 

 agreed that the labor unions shall do all 

 in their power to hamper the operations of 

 the hidcpei)denl operator. With this klni! 

 of backing, the brick contractors' union 

 procetHls to hold up the public, adding the 

 extra cost of the brick and the extra cost 

 of labor to an extra profit for themselves. 

 ;ind then tacking the Increase to the prices 

 formerly asked. And the man wishing to 

 erect a building, or the school board wish- 

 ing to erect a schoolhouse, or the city wish- 

 ing to build sewers, is called upon to pay. 

 .\nd under this arrangement it is alleged 

 that a brick contractor of Chicago had to 

 join the pool or get out of business; in fact, 

 there are several well authenticated in- 

 stances of Independent operators having 

 been ruined and (h'iven out of business, not 

 because the combine could underbid them, 

 lint because it was impossible for them to 

 operate. The brickmakers' iiniou would, 

 they charge, refuse to sell them brick and 

 the labor unions would call strikes; and 

 Avlien the independent opci-ator endeavored 

 to continue with non-union labor he had 

 to face riots and all sorts of difficulty. 



Such a condition causes surprise to a 

 good many people. After all these years 

 of bitter fighting between capital and la- 

 bor, it does seem strange to see them fight- 

 ing under the same banner. But, as wo 

 .said at the beginning of this article, a little 

 reflection convinces one that it Is a uatural 

 outcome. For years the industries of the 

 country and the laboring classes have been 

 organizing along the same lines, with the 

 view to controJIing and consequently ad- 

 vancing the price on what they have to 

 sell. But after fighting one anothei- for 

 years, endeavoring to wrest some advan- 

 tage one from another, they have realized 

 that they cannot get much in that way and 

 that the thing for them to do is to join 

 hands against the public l)y which each 

 side will get what it wants and the public, 

 the great unprotected public, will have to 

 pay tue bill. 



The trusts believed for a while that the.v 

 were strong enough to control the situa- 

 tion and fleece the public by themselves. 

 The unions, however, have demonstrated 

 their strength and usefulness and demand 

 to be taken into partnership, and are being 

 so taken. The public was edified last year 

 by the spectacle of the great anthracite 

 coal strike and the august tribunal and its 

 learned findings in favor of the strikers. 

 And who doubts that the public has paid 

 and is paving the award? 



And when the day comes that the people 

 and the trusts close in a death grapple for 

 mastery of this country the labor unions 

 win be found fighting under the banner 

 of the trusts. 



IN STATU aUO. 



1 l:n''l\\ "<mI liniibcr conditions, as re- 

 gai'ds dciiiand and price, are In niatu quo. 

 Wc ilon'l often use Latin and are not alto- 

 gellicr certain that "In statu (luo" Is 

 Latin, but as we understand it means that 

 there Is not much dolng-that things are 

 about as they have been ami that neither 

 side is gaining. If that Is what It means 

 It expresses what we wish to convoy, and 

 we use it. not as so many use ]>atin, merely 

 to niakc a vain show of their learning, 

 but because It conveys the idea more 

 brielly and imintedly than il can be ex- 

 pressed in English, thereby enabling us 

 to enconomize on time and space. 



Tlie buyers of hardwoods are Insisting 

 that ])ri<es should be lower and the sellers 

 are Insisting that that cannot possibly be, 

 that if any change is made, prices should 

 be higher. Such a divergence of views 

 leaves room for argument and both sides 

 are taking advantage of the fact that this 

 Is the dull season to argue It out. 



The buyers point to the fact that money 

 conditions are more or less j)i;nicky, that 

 the bnililing trade Is being seriously 

 checked by the great advance In cost of 

 construction and by labor troubles, that 

 hardwood prices have advanced to an un- 

 reasonable point and thai auyliow they 

 are reall.v getting lumber at a red\iction. 



The sellers don't admit any of the points 

 raised. b\it state that even if they were 

 all correct it wouldn't make any difference. 

 That there is so little dry hardwood In 

 the country and it is so firmly held that 

 it is impossible that prices .shall go any 

 lower. And the prospect for the future 

 supply is such that no expectation of over- 

 prod\iction is justified. As for the .state- 

 ment of buyers that they are obtaining 

 concessions in price — well, llicy will have 

 to be shown. 



And we believe tliat the sellers have the 

 better of the argument and that the com- 

 ing in of the fall trade will sweep away 

 any hesitancy on the part of the buying 

 trade. And if any shippers are selling be- 

 low the market at this time they will wish 

 later that they had not. One thing Is cer- 

 tain, you can't talk lower prices to a 

 man who has recentij- made a tour of the 

 producing sections. He knows the lum- 

 ber isn't there, nor anywhere. He knows, 

 too, that the prices of stumpage and logs 

 have advanced to a point where the pro- 

 ducer and dealer is fully justified in ask- 

 ing present prices. In fact, he can't pos- 

 sibly sell for less and make a living profit- 

 The man who has recently made a tour 

 of the producing sections is invariably a 

 bull on the market. 



Ther(^ is at this season always a special 

 attempt made by the buyers to boar the 

 market, but this year they have not met 

 with any great success, and when the full 

 tide of fall ti'adc sets in we see no reason 

 why prices on ' most kinds of hardwoods 

 should not advance, rather than recede. 

 There was never a time at this season of 



