The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-06-27
STONE MASONS QUIT
Work on New Missouri Pacific
Depot Discontinued.
DEMAND HIGHER WAGES
Contractor WalIu Refuses to
Recognize Local Union.

Nine stonemasons working on the new
Missouri Pacific depot building quit work
yesterday morning, having made a de-
mand on Monday for the regular union
scale Of wages per hour, and about the
most annoyed man in seventeen states is
Superintendent A. H. Webb, Of the Mis-
souri, Pacific. He said last evening: THE
men quitting work on the building this
morning means delay, maybe thirty days
and maybe longer. There is no telling
when the building we have all counted
upon SO much will be finished Contract
or Wallu lives over in Missouri and he
brought these masons with him These
men have been used to working for him
ten hours per day at 50 per day When
they arrived here members of the local
stone masons union notified them that
eight hours constituted a days work
under the scale Of the union and that
the wages paid were 40 cents per hour.
These men are now going home and the
work stops. Mr.. Wallu says he cannot
complete the job by November l, the
time limit. after which there is a forfeit
Of $50 per day. The reason, apparently,
that the contract was not given to a
Wichita contractor was because the
Wichita contractor had to make his esti-
mates on the Wichita union scale of
wages and was underbid by a man out
side Of the state. If the Wichita scale
of wages were not so high a Wichita con-
tractor would have probably got this
contract, and I believe that the men here
stand IN their own light in this matter
Mr.. Wallu tells me that he cannot COM
Pete the building in the time required If
ne is held down to an eight-hour sehed-
ule. The whole matter is mighty discour-
aging The men over there have been in
undated
What does Mr.. Wallu expect to do
now?' asked a reporter for the Eagle.
Il suppose" replied Mr.. Webb. that he
will skirmish around and find men"
MIR. Webb seemed to think that the
construction OF the new depot is having
more than its share Of unmerited trouble.
Contractor Wallu was called upon at
The depot site yesterday by a reporter
for the Eagle and said:
q have been paying SO per dav for ten
hours to the men. and they were all sat
dsfied with the price until the agitators Of
the union came around ard fntimida+ad
them and persuaded them 10 Quit NV
men are afraid to go home for fear that
they viii be attacked
In what way did they intimidate the
Strikers?" INQUIRED the reporter. Did
they threaten them7"
IT don't know that they exactly threat
ened them. but they told them that thew
would be worse off in the end. Nv men
knew the condition of affairs over here
end were satisfied to come. Some Of
them have been with me for years. and 7
always worked them ten hours por d7v
and paid them S. Now these aeitators
come around here and want to dictate
TO me what I shall pay. I would not be
my own boss at all and amt that kind
OF man. I am under contract to have
this building up by November /. and it IS
impossible for me to complete IT by
working only eight hours per dav. They
want me to recognize the union and nav
40 cents on hour for eight hours work
making 1920 per day. and 60 cents pa~
hour for all overtime and 50 cents per
hour for Sunday. There were many bi5-
ders for the contract, and I based my
calcula tons on the wages I have been
previously paying"
Was it not your intention to employ
none bat local men If you could GET a
sufficient number to complete the Job bv
November y" asked the reporter.
Yes, it was. 1t was just as the Eagle
said several weeks ago, but the men bera
don't seem to want TO work I have been
used to paying my brlcklayers 10 and 50
cents an hour and that was what in
tended 10 pay here as soon as this work
was ready
VIII YOU recognize the union. and have
you made any arrangements for a confer
ence with the unlon?"
It's just as l said I can't get this
building up in time by working eight
hours day and l can't afford to accent
The demands"
What is your intention now? The
work has stopped and you have no avail
able men"
We'll guess III have to get men
from somewhere over the country"
The committee that was appointed AZ
meeting Of the local union To confer with
the stonemasons in Contractor VVaIIu,s
employ and ask them 70 demand the
scale, in conjunction with President
Thomas Fitzpatrick. was asked for an IN
terview, which was given. The commit
tee comprises Charles Hoover. NJ Z. Bay
and George Lephardt. They said.
THE scale OF wages here IS 40 cents
Per hour for stonemaSons. ana - oA7+s
per hour for bricdayers. Wichita IS an
etght-hour town snd oar bylaws call for
that r-'0nher. We ara trying TO preserve
that 49,. and all we want IS for Con
1ractor Wallu 10 pay the recognized. scale
in Wichita. We did not sntimidate his
men, and they VIII tell you the same
thing We went = them and explaine5
the situation and asked them II they
would not work for our interests ana de-
mand the scale They agreed and the
demand was made Being refused they
simply quit on their own xolition. as
they claimed, as brother craftsmen. thar
7hey did not want II violate the 'scsl,.
The men were misrepreseRted to as the
contractor was aware OF the conditions
here, as President Fitzgerald had talked
with him before he imported the men"
After the nine masons decided 70 strike
they united and elected August Lehman
IS spokesman. In answer 70 certain
questions asked by reporter Cor the
EaEle. Mr. Lehman said:
II have worked for Mr.. wapu for
number of years. as has also many 9TH
"rS, end We were paid g Per 6ay. There
Is no union in Jefferson City. but 7 hold
card IN the Kansas City union. we
----- ---~-----------------
Weak Men. Young aud Old.
suffering from seminal weakness. me-
IA ure old age. loss # narhoos. ,-tpor
end vitality. heart and kidney troubles
F-e should gnnlV ou~a