2 5 l] RESTRICTION OF OUTPUT II 9 



charge the last heat."^* RolHng all that is in the last 

 charge, however, may require another hour. The scale also 

 provided that " on all finishing mills the last furnace shall 

 not be charged later than one hour after the first furnace." 

 The object of this rule is to have each shift out of the way 

 of the shift next in turn. 



The sheet mill hands' scale fixed the limit of output per 

 turn. The limit was expressed in number of bars, usually 

 by " pairs. "^^ At first the union viewed with disfavor the 

 operation of the third turn. In 1885, however, sheet mills 

 were allowed to run three turns, of eight hours each, pro- 

 viding " no turn shall exceed 180 pairs single, or 105 double 

 iron, and that no single or double turn mill shall exceed 216 

 pairs single, or 120 pairs double iron, for a turn."-° Subse- 

 quent scales for many years were based on the limit of 105 

 pairs, or 210 bars, per turn for rolling in doubling mills, 

 with but slight modification. This is on the basis of seven 

 heats of 15 pairs per heat. The limits for iron and steel 

 were identical ; and a heavy penalty was provided for wilful 

 violation of the scale.-^ 



About 1900 manufacturers began to chafe under the 

 union restrictions upon the output of its members. They 



1* Western Scales of Prices, 1908-1909, and subsequent scales. 



13 Sheet steel is made from steel bars varying in size and thickness 

 according to the desired dimensions of the finished sheet. To pre- 

 pare the bars for rolling they are heated in what are called " pair " 

 furnaces, because the bars are heated in pairs. Fifteen pairs, or 

 thirty bars constitute a heat, but often in practice a smaller number 

 are heated at once. The bars are first rolled in a roughing-down 

 mill, and then taken to a finishing mill. Sheets that will finish 24 to 

 28 gauge are matched in threes ; sheets lighter than 28 gauge are 

 matched in fours — that is, three or four sheets are rolled together. 

 The sheet is ordinarily reduced one-half in length by doubling under 

 a press, after which process it is reheated and rolled to the proper 

 dimensions. The edges are then sheared to the required size. The 

 team wiiich operates a pair furnace and a set of rolls consists of 

 seven men — a pair heater, a rougher, a catcher, a matcher, a heater, 

 a roller, and a doubler. One shearman, one opener (who separates 

 the sheets — and they do not adhere if properly rolled), and one scrap 

 boy can generally handle the sheets that three teams produce. 



2" National Labor Tribune, August 15, 1885, p. 4, col. 2; Pittsburgh 

 Scales of Prices, 1887-1888. p. 18. 



-1 Proceedings, 1890, p. 3167; 1903, p. 6773. 



