e union restrictions as to the employment of
apprentices should be removed. The union argued that a removal of the
restriction would cause unlimited competition among molders and
eventually the founders could employ them at their own price. They
likewise failed to agree on the matter of classifying molders.

Owing to the stalling of the conciliation machinery many strikes
occurred in violation at least of the spirit of the agreement. July 1,
1901, the molders struck in Cleveland for an increase in wages;
arbitration committees were appointed but failed to make a settlement.
In Chicago and San Francisco strikes occurred for the same reason.

It was at last becoming evident that the New York agreement was not
working well. In the autumn of 1903 business prosperity reached its high
watermark and then came a sharp depression which lessened the demand for
molders. Early in 1904 the National Founders' Association took advantage
of this situation to reduce wages and finally practically abrogated the
New York agreement. In April, 1904, the founders and molders tried to
reach a decision as to how the agreement could be made effective, but
gave it up after four days and nights of constant consideration. The
founders claimed that the molders violated the agreement in 54 out of
the 96 cases that came up during the five years of its life; and further
justified their action on the ground that the union persistently refused
to submit to arbitration by an impartial outsider the issues upon which
the agreement was finally wrecked.

An agreement similar to the New York one was concluded in 1900 between
the National Metal Trades' Association and the International Association
of Machinists. The National Metal Trades' Association had been organized
in 1899 by members of the National Founders' Association, whose
foundries formed only a part of their manufacturing plants. The spur to
action was given by a strike called by the machinists in Chicago and
other cities for the nine-hour day. After eight weeks of intense
struggle the Association made a settlement granting a promise of the
shorter day. Although hailed as one of the big agreements in labor
history, it lasted only one year, and broke up on the issue of making
the nine-hour day general in the Association shops. The machinists
continued to make numerous agreements with individual firms, especially
the smaller ones, but the general agreement was never renewed.
Thereafter the National M