Muncie, IND.; News of Local 23, Gatherer's scarce, insulator glass is hard

MUNCIE, IND.

By J. W. Claspell.

Conditions at the Hemingray Glass Co. are very much improved, and with a good supply of cullet on hand and soda coming in, things look favorable for a good season. Shipping is far from satisfactory, owing to the scarcity of cars and railroad congestion.

Gatherers are a scarce article here. It seems as though brothers working in different branches of the trade are afraid to tackle the insulator proposition, mainly on account of the hard glass. I'll venture to say that brothers who gathered insulators ten or twelve years ago would hardly know that they were working on insulators, as far as the glass is concerned, because it isn't like it used to be. We have some poor glass, that's true, owing to the fact that insulators can be made from any grade of glass. Some brothers have the idea that all that is necessary to be an insulator worker is a thousand dollar arm and a five cent head. Under old conditions that may have been partially true, but the man who makes them today, especially the No. 40 has one of the most complicated jobs in the trade, and the man making them must have more than a thousand dollar arm.

The coal situation in Muncie is much improved, and with a few more days of moderate weather everyone, I think, will be pretty well fixed for this winter in the fuel line.

Some of the boys of Local Union No. 23 who are in Class 1 are expecting to be called to the colors and possibly will be in camp before this article is read. I feel sorry for one brother when it comes to the "army mess," because I don't think he will get his pie. He only eats two or three at a meal under ordinary circumstances. Can't say how many he would eat when hungry. I refer to Bro. Mike Carmichael.

Bro. Earnest Patterson said his father butchered half a hog before Christmas. Being the son of a farmer. Earnest knows more about butchering hogs than we brothers, yet we don't understand how it was he didn't butcher a whole one. Bro. Robert Bailey almost froze his fingers butchering a hog. He said he got the darned thing clean all right, if he did ruin his razor shaving around the flange on its nose.

Bro. Glen Neal slipped one over on us. He took unto himself a wife. He will be at home to friends at 908 S. Brady street. Of course, he keeps his pay envelope now. Congratulations, Bro. Glen.

Bro. Chas. Knecht has moved to the country. Says he's going to raise kraut and weinerwurst.