American Flint Glass Workers' Union

GLASS MEN TRYING

FOR CLOSER UNION

Divided Opinions on the Subject

— Fight for the Next

Convention.

The problem of uniting their forces is now up to the two conventions of the glassworkers in session in this city.

The convention of the flint glass workers led off by appointing a committee of five, headed by Delegate Croke, to meet and confer with a similar committee from the green bottle blowers. The latter named a conference committee headed by Richard Stack, of Millville, N. J. They are to deliberate on terms of alliance or amalgamation of the two National unions.

Sentiment of Delegates.

It is taken for granted by the bottle workers' leaders that the outcome will be simply some plan of federation by which the two unions will act together for the common interest, but without either of them giving up the control of its own affairs or its set of independent officers. The feeling on this point seems to be decided, though there are some delegates of the bottle blowers who are for an amalgamation out and out, combining the two unions into one and having a single Treasury and one set of National officers.

The fact that the bottle blowers have nearly $200,000 in their treasury and the flint workers only about $75,000 in theirs, it is claimed, does not form any serious obstacle to this arrangement. The majority of the flint glass workers are favorable to a straight amalgamation.

Hot Fight for Convention.

The bottle blowers decided making it a condition of their new scale that there shall be only one apprentice to every fifteen journeymen employed in the glass factories.. This is the same ratio as last year and the delegates think it works well. The apprentices are to be required to serve five years before being considered journeymen.

Some rivalry has sprung up over the choice of a convention city for next year. St. Louis was considered as having it already, but a movement has started for Toronto and Buffalo, and each of these cities will have friends in the balloting.

Today the delegates will go to the Lagoon and tomorrow to Woodsdale Island. The flint men are trying to wind up their business here today in order to allow their chief officers to go to meet with the manufacturers at Star Island, Mich., Monday for the adjustment of wage scales for next year.