The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1884-10-14
A TEN PER CENT CUT
Causes a Commotion Among
the Employees of the
Pacific Shops.
No Strike Anticipated and an Am
icable Adjustment of Diff
culties Expected.

For some time past the railro ids
throus hout the country have been com
planning that freight business was fallins
off in consequence of the farmers hold
ing their wheat Rack from the market
In anticiI alton of araIse in the price and
the roads were losing money every day.
The Missouri Pacific and branches were
no exceptions to this rule. Not only is the
wheat held back but coal shipments which
are generally very large have been delayed
by the prolonged hot weather, and the
BAzoo was LAST night informed by Col. Reck~
we'll that the Missouri Pacific company
had six hundred coal cars alone lying idle
on the 81, tracks and scattered all over
the country.
As might be expected the existence q
this state of affairs vas bOund to tell sooner
CT later, and the crisis came yesterdas
when orders we're issued from headqua, tsrs
at ST. Louis and sent over the entire sys
tenn, notifying the employees gererails,
with the exception of runners, that aflee
date they would be subjected TO s10per cent
reduction in wages, ard the working time
would be reduced to pine hours.
Not only this, bur cd many OF the
shop men were discharged and everything
possible done to curtsil expenses and pat
The road on footing whereby il could hold
its own until business picked up again.
The reduction in wages of course caused
dissatisfaction among all the employees, and
all day long they were quitting,
and last night 1t was said
that not less than forty men
had csllel for their time. Those who quit
were mostly sirg,e men, who, not bound or
family ties could pick up and leave al any
time. The men of family were of course
diss satisfied, but they took the situation
more cooIly and most of them signifieS
their intention of stay ing with the railroad
company and hoping for better TIMES whec
their former wages will undoubts dly be re-
stored to them.
The cut is general and ex.euds from the
msstermechsric dewn to the wipers i'm
the round house. A cut of ten per cent
! and reduction of one hour in working tims
is, of course, equivalent to a twenty per
cent cut and is .enly felt by all.
A BAZoO repre- eatatiye visited the shops
yesterday evening and found
all quiet and orderly. Although
there h ,d been good many
men discharged and good many mors
were quitting still there was NO demonstrs.
tAVb Ou thCh PdAt tBdL WOukG
lead to the belief that anything ser:ous
would be the result between the officials
and the employees. Neither was there ans
signs of a strike of any kind.
The BAzoo realizes the fact that the re-
duction will fail heavily on the shoulders
of good many of the employees, yet it sees
no reason why the men should enter int
a strike and cause disturbances which can
not possibly result in any good to them
selves and may possibly cause great deal
of harm, and it hopes that employer and
employe may come to some amicaole uu-
derstapding.
Following is special dispatch to the
Globe-DemOcrat, dated Parsons, Kansas,
Oct. s.:
"a sweeping reduction was made ia the
Missouri Pacific shops at this place to-daF,
both in the force and in the wages of those
retained. Seyenty-6ve men from the DIFF
ferent departments of the shops were dis.
charged. Considerable hardship will Be
the result of this reduction, but no trouble
is anticipated from those who are let out or
those whose wages were reduced"