2/9^ COLLECTIVE BARGAINING 147 



reported to be selling above the official card rate." In 

 June, 1895, an agreement was made with the bar-iron manu- 

 facturers that prices should be based on " the average sell- 

 ing price of base sizes of bar iron.'' This estimate of the 

 average price received for the total product sold during a 

 sixty-day period by all mills represented in the Association 

 fixed the wage rate for the succeeding two months. The 

 manufacturers furnished the secretary of their association 

 with a sworn statement of prices; and, in case of doubt, a 

 committee of the union might examine the employers' books 

 and bills of sales.^^ 



The number of mills entering into these settlements has 

 varied. In 1907 only the mills of the RepubHc Iron and 

 Steel Company and the independent plant of the Union 

 Rolling Mill, Cleveland, w^ere represented in the bar-iron 

 settlements. The sheet and tin prices were submitted by 

 the American Sheet and Tin Plate Company. This was 

 sometimes a cause for complaint, since the independent 

 firms alleged that the "trust" at stated periods paid their 

 selling agents one dollar per ton " rebate," whereas their 

 original quoted prices did not include this differential. The 

 union, in rejoinder, said that the American Sheet and Tin 

 Plate Company had granted the advance to union and non- 

 union mills alike, and thus maintained " the same relative 

 competitive position " as previously. The average prices 

 for 191 5 were based on returns from four selected mills in 

 the case of boiling and finishing, and on three plants each 

 for sheet-mill and tin-plate workers.-' 



The foot-notes determine the working conditions. Until 

 1905, they set certain limits upon output. At present, they 

 fix prices for " extras," or special classes of articles, and 

 make provision for shields on furnaces, supply of top bug- 

 gies, payment for lost time, and payment for spoiled mate- 



25 Financial Statement of the Amalgamated' Association for quar- 

 ter endinp January 31, 1887; National Labor Tribune, January ji), 

 1887, p. 4, col. I ; March 31, 1888, p. 4, col. 2. 



2c Proceedings, i8y6, pp. 5014-5019. 



-7 Proceedings, 1916, p. 11, 5i4. 



