212 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[March i, 1904. 



ranks of the union men, it is claimed, hav aided the manufac- 

 turers materially in keeping running. 



James O'Donavan, a member of the local union and an inter- 

 national organizer, who is conducting the strike for the union, 

 gives this account of the strike, from the standpoint of the 

 union : 



" The wages paid in the Trenton mills are less than those 

 paid elsewhere. On December 4, 1903, the union made its first 

 demand on the manufacturers. This included the recognition 

 of the union and the adoption of the new wage scale, averaging 

 about 8 per cent, increase ; the adoption of the label was left 

 optional. To this the union asked an answer on or before Jan- 

 uary 4. The manufacturers answered by posting notices in the 

 mills to the effect that the 1903 wage scale would prevail dur- 

 ing 1904. Then the union appointed a committee to visit the 

 manufacturers to secure their ultimatum. The final word of 

 the manufacturers was that the demand would not be granted. 

 In order that all possible means might be tried to settle the 

 matter amicably the union asked for a collective conference 

 with the manufacturers on the question, which was ignored. 

 Then nothing was left to the union but to strike. The night 

 we voted to strike 471 members were present, out of a total 

 membership of 621. Over 800 men went out when the strike 

 was inaugurated and we have lost only seven men." 



As soon as the strike was declared, headquarters were open- 

 ed by the union, and have since been maintained. On the 

 night of January 25, Samuel Gompers, president of the Amer- 

 ican Federation of Labor, came to Trenton and addressed the 

 rubber workers. T. J. Edwards, of Boston, president of the 

 Amalgamated Rubber Workers' Union has been here twice. 

 Arrangements have been made by the union by which the mar- 

 ried men among the strikers are paid $7 per week and the sin- 

 gle men $4 per week. Many of the local unions in other trades 

 have voted financial aid, and several benefit performances have 

 been held. 



It is now five weeks since the strike was declared. The man- 

 ufacturers claim to have got into better shape with every week, 

 and that there have been a number of defections from the 

 strikers' ranks. The labor union claim, on the other hand, not 

 to have lost strength, and that, with the support of sympathetic 

 labor unions in other industries, they will be able to pay strike 

 benefits indefinitely. It is known, however, that some of the 

 strikers have left Trenton, to find work elsewhere. Some of 

 the Trenton factories have been placed on the " unfair list," 

 which means that a boycott has been ordered against their 

 products. 



All the rubber manufacturing companies hold membership 

 in the recently formed Manufacturers' and Employers' Associ- 

 ation, which includes representatives of practically every manu- 

 facturing industry in Trenton, besides many merchants who 

 are large employers of labor. Richard C. Oliphant is presi- 

 dent, Alfred Lawshe, vice president, and Lewis Lawton, treas- 

 urer. The affairs of the association will largely be directed by 

 the executive committee, composed of the officers named and 

 Charles H. Oakley, of the Grieb Rubber Co., Clifton Reeves, 

 and Alfred K. Leuckel. Then there is an executive board com- 

 posed of one representative from each industry included in the 

 membership. The objects of the association are mutual pro- 

 tection in labor difficulties, and to act as a sort of general clear- 

 ing house for hiring labor and other like matters. 



THE GREAT BALTIMORE FIRE. 



The balloting by bondholders of the Tehuantepec Rubber 

 Culture Co., for an inspector from among their number to visit 

 the plantation this year, resulted in the choice of Mr. Grosvenor 

 Calkins, whose report will appear soon. 



THE city of Baltimore was visited on February 89 by one 

 of the most disastrous fires that ever attacked an Ameri- 

 can city. In point of loss and destruction it was second only to 

 the great Chicago conflagration of 1871. Beginning at 11 

 o'clock Sunday morning the flames raged for thirty-six hours, 

 burning out thirty blocks and destroying nearly 1500 buildings. 

 The total loss is estimated at something like $70,000,000, with 

 a loss falling on the insurance companies to the extent of $50,- 

 000,000. Washington, Philadelphia and several small Pennsyl- 

 vania cities sent engines to assist the Baltimore fire depart- 

 ment on the first day of the fire but as more help was needed 

 New York was appealed to and two special trains dispatched 

 carrying ten engines and a hundred men. It was largely due 

 to the excellent work of the New Yorkers that the fire was not 

 more destructive. 



The United States Rubber Co., at No. 102 Hopkins place, 

 were in the line of progress of the flames, and at one time it 

 seemed that the building would be completely destroyed. The 

 direction of the progress of the fire was suddenly changed, how- 

 ever, and, while the building was seriously damaged on the out- 

 side, no harm was done to the contents. A new location, which 

 may te regarded as permanent, has been secured immediately 

 across the street, at No. 101 Hopkins place, where new offices 

 have been fitted up and the stock of goods put in position. 



The Baltimore branch of The Manhattan Rubber Manufac- 

 turing Co. (New York) ; at No. 23 South Charles street, was 

 completely burned out, only their books and papers being 

 saved. The loss amounted to about $30,000, which is fully 

 covered by insurance. A new location has been secured, at No. 

 200 South Charles street. 



The Linthicum Rubber Co., wholesalers of rubber footwear, 

 lost their immense warehouse at No. 25 Hanover street, with a 

 stock of about $225,000 worth of " Banigan " and " Woonas- 

 quatucket " boots and shoes. The company expect to have 

 their warehouse rebuilt within six months, but in order to be 

 able to serve their trade meanwhile, a warehouse has been 

 leased at York, Pennsylvania, and another at No. 309 North 

 Howard street, Baltimore, where the company's office will be 

 located for the present. By March 1 the company expect to 

 have a full new stock of goods, manufactured expressly for 

 them. Their salesmen started out with full samples while the 

 fire was still in progress. 



George P. Thomas, Jr., at Baltimore and Charles streets, was 

 burned out. He has secured a new location at No. 115 Sutton 

 street for his wholesale business, at No. 220 North Howard 

 street for retail trade, and at Hopkins place and Lombard street 

 for offices. He writes : " This is a little mixed up, but it is the 

 best we could do under the circumstances." Mr. Thomas handles 

 rubber footwear and clothing and mechanical goods. On ac- 

 count of using the sign "Goodyear's Rubber House," it was 

 generally reported that the Goodyear Rubber Co. had been 

 burned out. The Goodyear Rubber Co., however, had no 

 house in Baltimore, though Mr. Thomas handles some lines of 

 their goods, as also do the Baltimore Rubber Co. and the Lin- 

 thicum Rubber Co. 



The Baltimore Rubber Co., No. 41 South Liberty stree\ were 

 among the concerns burned out. A new location has been se- 

 cured at No. 414 West Baltimore street, where business has 

 been resumed. This house is the Baltimore branch of the New 

 York Belting & Packing Co., Limited, and the Stoughton Rub- 

 ber Co., and agents for the Fabric Fire Hose Co. and H. M. 

 Sawyer & Sons — an oiled clothing firm. The Baltimore Rub- 

 ber Co. have discontinued their rubber footwear department. 



