Il8 ASSOCIATION OF IRON, STEEL AND TIN WORKERS [^250 



men (a puddler and his helper) can handle to advantage. 

 It has also been found to be an economical charge as regards 

 waste. In case the charge is excessive the iron must remain 

 in the furnace longer, and the longer it is in the furnace the 

 gceater is the percentage of waste. 



In puddling mills where the restriction of the union has 

 applied, the production of each furnace on double-turn mills 

 was 30.250 pounds a week." In such mills the puddlers 

 regularly puddled that amount per week, barring accidents 

 or other causes. There were no complaints that the limit 

 of output was not reached ; but in three-turn mills five heats 

 were impossible in puddling certain kinds of iron. In sum- 

 mer the puddlers sometimes made only three or four heats 

 in a turn — occasionally only two — on account of the ex- 

 treme heat. The production of non-union mills was often 

 not more than the union scale, and in some cases even less.^' 



The Amalgamated scale placed the hmit of time for each 

 heat in a single furnace at an hour and three-quarters." 

 The time was reckoned from the moment the door of the 

 furnace was dropped after charging until the heat was 

 ready to draw, barring accidents and unavoidable deten- 

 tions. If a majority of the furnaces required longer time, 

 the management was notified. 



In the finishing department limits were adopted from time 

 to time, but without success. ^^ These limits on the weight 

 of a day's output were replaced by a restriction as to the 

 time. The nine-hour-and-fifteen-minute rule applies, that 

 is, nine hours and a quarter is allowed for rolling " from 

 the regular time the mill begins to roll" (say, five o'clock 

 in the morning) " until the first furnace commenced to 



1* This was calculated as follows : 550 pounds per charge X 5 heats 

 X II turns per week. The union allowed hut one turn on Saturday, 

 and no Sunday work. 



^5 For instances, see Eleventh Special Report of the Commissioner 

 of Labor, 1904, pp. 243-244. 



'"The time for larger furnaces was proportionately longer. Sec 

 Western Scales of Prices, 1904-1905, p. 6; 1916-1917, p. 5. 



^'^ Proceedings, Iron and Steel Roll Hands, 1873, p. 9; Proceed- 

 ings, Amalgamated Association, 1880, p. 414; 1888, p. 2290; 1892, 

 p. 4108. 



