OCR Text |
Show FIFTY THOUSAND STRIKERS. Whether the strike upon which the 50,000 iron puddlers of Pittsburg have resolved, will result in any violence after the manner of the great riot of 1877, is a question which should not be too confidently answered in the negative. When such a body of Pittsburg workingmen strike, serious trouble is probable. In spite of the fact that the price of iron has fallen many dollars per ton, within a few weeks, the puddlers demand an increase of pay to $5.00 per ton, and to obtain it they agree upon a strike. That their movement will be disastrous, not only to the manufacturers, but to themselves, admits of no doubt. Experience has taught iron manufacturers that to wholly stop their business the moment it ceases to be profitable is the most prudent course. In some kinds of business it is better to keep the works in operation at some loss while awaiting the advent of more prosperous times, but iron mills should be closed whenever business cannot be done at a profit. <br><br> Now, since it is difficult to see how the manufacturers can make money if they accede to the terms of the puddlers, it becomes probable that a general strike will close the mills, and the puddlers will have as the result of their strike the less of their summer wages, without the hope of obtaining better pay when business is resumed. Were the manufacturers to pay the $5.50 demanded, and raise the price of iron to meet the additional expense, the result would be to open the market to foreign competition again, and increased importations would certainly diminish the work of men employed in our own mills. High prices at once induce vast importations of iron. It appears, therefore, that whether the strikers obtain or fail to obtain what they demand, their strike will be disastrous to themselves. Had the 50,000 puddlers been content with the old prices for a time, the revival of the iron industry might have continued, and the promotion of all interest would have been the result. But, foolishly, a strike has been ordered, and loss to all concerned must be the result. The experiences of 1877 should induce the Pittsburg authorities to take every precaution against a riot, and promptly punish all unlawful proceedings of the puddlers. - N. Y. Mail. |