Glass Manufacturers preparing for Flint Glass strike in East

THE GREAT STRUGGLE.

GLASS MANUFACTURERS PREPARING FOR

THE FIGHT.

Eastern Mills Will Shut Down — Result of the New

York Conference — No Aid for the Men From

Their Brethren at Work —

Origin of the Trouble.

NEW YORK, November 4. — Representa­tives of all the pressed glassware factories in New York and the New England States, and a committee representing the manu­facturers in the balance of the United States, held a secret meeting yesterday at the Astor House. The conference is of the greatest importance to the 7,000 skilled workmen known as the Flint Glass Work­ers' Union, of America, 3,000 of whom are employed in the Eastern district, compris­ing a portion of Pennsylvania and all of New Jersey, New York and the New Eng­land States Before the adjournment of the meeting it was decided to shut down every glass factory in the East, at the close of the present month. Messrs. D. C. Ripley, of Pittsbnrg, Pa., and R. J. Beatty, of Steubenville, O., as a committee represent­ing the Western Flint and Lime Glass Manufacturers’ Association, met the man­ufacturers of this district.

The trouble between the glass firms and their men throughout the west, has been growing for three months. In submitting the annual scale of prices, the workmen demanded that the ‘‘gathering boys” be allowed in full for all glass gathered by them, irrespective of the amount ruined or destroyed by the pressers or finishers, or for what damaged ware came through the bars. The manufacturers refused this de­mand, and avowed their determination to hold the gatherers responsible for their share of the work. Under the rules of the Associa­tion a strike can be proclaimed only on 30 days notice, and finding the manufactur­ers firm the western glass workers gave notice of a strike. Factories in the East­ern States are not affected by this trouble, their scale being adjusted on another basis. With the factories throughout the East running, however, a strike in the balance of the country might be prolonged indefinitely, the workmen here being in a position to contribute large sums to support of their fellow craftsmen. If, how­ever, the Eastern manufacturers could be induced to close their factories when the strike was inaugurated in the West, the New York workmen would he unable to assist, and the union would be crippled throughout the entire country.

To urge the shut down of Philadelphia, Brooklyn and Boston factories, Messrs. Ripley and Beatty came to New York and succeeded, as stated above. It was more readily agreed to by the Eastern firms from the fact, as alleged, that there are differ­ences existing between employers and their men in nearly all the glass factories here. The contest will take an added interest from the fact that the war of extermina­tion is to be waged against one of the strongest organizations of skilled labor in the country. The glassware trade is in good condition, with good stocks on hand, and the manufacturers say they can main­tain a strike with ease all winter. In fact, it will be beneficial to the trade.