The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-10-03
At That Hour the Troubles With
the Plasterers Will Be Settled.
THE ULTIMATUM'S TERMS
They Win Be Enforced to the Letter,
With the Difference That. on Re-
quest. the Hour II Changed
From 9 O'Clock TIL Noon.

ticular change yesterday. till late In
the day. The trouble is one that awak-
ened a good deal Of interest in Butte
In view Of the fact that in several in
stances Interruptions to building opera
with the result that buildings which
had been contracted to be finished be-
fore Oct. / are still incomplete, some
of them being a long way from being
ready to be handed over n occupied.
| The Standard gave, yesterday MORN
Ing. the causes Of the latest break In the
operations on the big block on Main
street. The piastering was far ehind
In this condition. several days ago, the
plasterers demanded an advance in
wages from Sc to 81 a day. The testi-
mony OF the contractor is that, among
other things. the plasterers' rule is that
the days work shall be s. yards, but
that in several instances the work has
actually not measured 25 yards for the
day. II is known to all hands that
there is great anxiety to get these
buildings completed ahead of winter
weather. The builders had frequently
granted union requests and, rather
than be thrown back in the work, the
contractor concluded to pay to the plas-
terers the extra dollar a day.
The next step was an effort to in
crease the force of men. AS was an
nounced yesterday in the Standard.
Boss Plasterer Smith stated his case in
these words: THE present difficulty is
primarily the result of the previous
strike, when a higher rate of wages was
demanded. When the increase in wages
was demanded I paid 1t very readily
and supposed there would be no fur
Their difficulty, but the pressing neces-
sity for getting the Hennessy and Hale
house finished has resulted in another
controversy. We had to get these build
ings done, and to do IL had to have
more men. They were not TO be had
here. so we wired TO Minneapolis and
had 10 plasterers sent on. They were
all union men and brought their cards,
but when they got here the local union
refused to recognize them. supposing
We had brought them in to take the
place of local men and reduce the wages
back to So a day.
This was not the purpose. however.
and We were to pay the new men the
Increased wage of 81 a day. the same
as the local, and as I said. the men
were merely brought in because I could
not get men enough here to get these
buildings done as early as was desired.
The local union refused to view the
matter in this light, and claiming there
are men enough to be had here, still
refuse TO honor the cards of the new
men. i put four of the new men at work
Saturday morning and the walking del
egate came around and called all the
men out."
Yesterday morning the Standard also |
printed the "ultimatum' that was sent
to the plasterers and hod carriers. IL
brought the case to a square issue, the
statement being:
UNLESS the plasterers and hod car
rlprS who were ral1a6 off frop, the h. |
messy building and the building known
as the Hale house on Saturday, Oct. 1,
are permitted to return to work on
Monday morning. Oct. 3, with the I'M
d~erstanding they will be permitted to
work with any men the company or its
representative see fit to employ. so long
as they are paid the union wages and
carry a union card showing they are in
good standing in the union or unions to
which they belong, no member of the
association OF Butte or of
the Building Laborers' association of
will ever be given employment
any work undertaken by the Ana
conda Copper Mining company in the
future. provided that his ultimatum
shall not be operative against any mem
Der or members Of said associations who
may offer their services and go to work
In the event their unions decide to con-
tinue the strike now on, after the re-
ceipt OF this ultimatum."
Last night there were conferences be-
tween Superintendent Leck and Mr..
Smith, representing one side of the case.
and committees of the Plasterers' and
Hod Carriers unions on the other side.
Several indefinite propositions were ex-
changed. none OF which opened the way
to an agreement. II was urged by the
plasterers that. on account of absence
from town over Sunday and for other
reasons, 1t was impossible for them to
get their men together so as to arrange
matters with reference to s o'clock this
morning. as named in the ultimatum.
That point was considered. The plas-
terers asked until tonight; the counter
bier and final concession was that the
o should be IL o'clock. noon, instead
Of s o'clock this morning.
Mr.. Leck's action in this matter was
to those whom he was repre-
The answer to him was that
while the concession TO postpone the
operation of the ultimatum would be
he was to understand, for his
part, that his ultimatum was not open
20 revision or further changes in any
particular. that M propositions from
he plasterers or bod carriers would be
or considered under any
that can possibly arise, n
hat the whole matter will settle itself
definitely at IL o'clock. noon, to-day.
he notice being that at that hour the
precise conditions OF the ultimatum will
put into effect. II. was also an
bounced, at a late hour last night that.
TO some OF the reports current
n this city yesterday. work will not
suspended on the buildings in ques-
ion but that, on the contrary, they will
pushed to completion, in any event.
n exact accordance with the terms OF
he ultimatum IN with whatever con-
otherwise. the ultimatum en-
ails. So that. without doubt, the mat
er goes definitely me way or the other
n pOap to-day