The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1893-12-29
BIG STRIKE PROBABLE
Northern Pacific Receivers Having
Trouble.
ANOTHER REDUCTION IN WAGES MADE
New Schedule, of Wages Rejected Blythe
Employees, OOO.MeR May Quit Work
January IAN Injunction.

MILWAUKEE,, Dec. 27.-A conflict is on
between the receivers of the Northern
Pacific railroad and IT'S employees, in
Guiding all the engineers, conductors,
fremen, trainmen, switchmen and so
on. The new schedule of wages adopted
by the receivers, which implies a cut of
from to 10 per cent in the employees
pay, was rejected by the employees rep
resentatives at conference held in st.
Paul with General Manager Kendrick,
and the prospects are that on Jan. I,
when the new schedule is to go into eff
feet, $500 men employed all along the
road will quit work. This outcome of
the controversy was foreseen by the re-
ceivers, for as early as Dec. 8 they APP
piled for and obtained from Judge Jen-
kins, of the United States court of this
city, an order authorizing and directing
them to put into operation the new
schedule OF wages and restraining the
employees and their unions from "com-
bining and conspiring to quit with or
without notice the service of the roal
with the object of crippling or embar-
RAISING its operation, and generally
from interfering with the officers and
in any manner by actual violence, in
timidation, threats OF otherwise"
This injunction was held back until
Tuesday, the receivers having expected
to arrive at an amicable agreement
When they found such an agreement
impossible, they telegraphed to their
agents and attorneys all along the line
to have the injunction served by the
United States marshals on the proper
men and to make the injunction gener-
ally known.
The order of the court restraining the
Northern Pacific employees from ''com-
bining and conspiring to quit the service
of the road" is an extraordinary docu-
ment. 1t is the first order of its kind, it
is said, ever issued in the United States.
A somewhat similar injunction was
issued by an United States Judge IN
Michigan during the strike on the Toledo
and Ann Arbor road, but that injunc-
ton was issued after the strike was in
progress.
Wanted Too Many Reductions.
The grounds for the issuance of the
present injunction are set forth in a long
petition Of the receivers which was filed
OO~s 10 IL appeals A1OA4 Tic pSllb.On
that two days after their appointment
august 10 the receivers, finding the af-
fairs of the road in deploTable condi-
ton, ordered reduction of salaries vary
ing from 10 to 20 per cent of all officials
and employees, whose pay per annum ex-
ceeded 81, 200. That reduction went in
to effect at once and was cheerfully ac-
cepted. About a week afterwards
august 26) the receivers ordered a re-
duction of 5 per cent on all wages run.
ming from $50 to $75 and of ten per. cent
on wages averaging from SO to 500 per
month. This order of the receivers did
not go into effect at once.
They concluded TO investigate and re-
wise the entire system of wages and the
different schedules of pay. the task being
imposed on the general manager. At a
meeting Of the receivers on Oct. %, reso-
buttons were adopted abrogating the old
schedules of pay, directing the general
manager to prepare a new schedule for
the engineers, tIainmen and telegraphers,
for August. The petition says that in
the old schedules the employees were
paid for services not performed.
Chief Officers EFjeined-
In enumerating those who are en-
Joined from striking or ordering strikes
the petition for receivers mentions the
names Of 80 men who served ON the con-
ference committee with the receivers,
and asks that they be enjoined from or
dering strike, which the court grants.
The petitioners say the employees cannot
carry on q strike without the pecuniary
assistance Of the different organizations
to which they belong. They. therefore,
pray that these organizations through
their chief officers, such as P n Arthur,
E. P. Sargent. D. G Ramsay, S. F.
RIBans Tabules !: for torpid nxar