The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1901-03-01
YELLED ''HANG HIM
Santa Fe Boilermakers Hoot
Supt. of Machinery.
MAY LEAD TO A STRIKE
Check System Seems to Have
Lead to the Trouble.
MAY LEAD TO A STRIKE


announced yesterday. comes that Of J. B
Price, foreman of the machine shop
There are rumors of other designations
The intensity OF the feeling among the
shop men was unexpectedly brought to
light when r P. c. sanderson. acting as
superintendent Of machinery. stepped into
the machinery department yesterday af-
ternoon and was open.- hooted and derid-
ed by the men, some of whom went so
far as to yen Hang him." and other
/ violent expressions.
The incident would undoubtedly never
have occurred except for another display
of i'll feeling just before that one. John
/ B. Price, jr, son of the foreman who has
resigned, decided TO quit the service and
/ in the Afternoon applied 20 General Shop
/ Foreman Hickey for a discharge check.
/ In making out the discharge check HEX
ey omitted to include the words "qlit Of
his own accord" which are customarily
added under such circumstances. Price
started towards Hickey threatening to
+ strike him if the check were not made out
/ as he wanted, but was restrained by
some of the other workmen- Mr.. Hickey
! rectified the omission.
Mr.. Hickey is one of the officials who
are in disfavor wit hthe men. He was
they think, chiefly concerned in the dis
charge Of the three men from the boiler
shop which caused such excitement a
month ago.
The exact cause of the unfriendly feel
ing Of the shopmen toward their officials
is difficult to determine, but seems to be
the outgrowth OF a general dissatisfac-
ton with several appointments made
among the minor officials in the various
departments of the shops. The sentiment
has been further irritated by the intro
duction of the check system which is to
go int defect March L Some of the men
even threaten to strike.
The immediate cause of Mr. Prices
withdrawal was his unwillngness to re-
quire his men to follow this system
which is avowedly distasteful to them.
I was very sorry" Mr.. Price said last
night, "to have my men show their feel
ing as they did toward Mr.. Sanderson.
I was out in the yard at the time or
should have stopped them. I believe the
men ought to show respect for their Off
Gals and regret the occurrence very
much
In regard to his resignation, Mr.. Price
talked very freely.
Eyes, I resigned today" he said. "be-
cause did not want to gain the i'll will
of my friends by forcing the check sys-
TEN upon them. 1t will make slaves of
'piecework' The checking plan Is sim
ply this: The foreman will mark in his
book what work is to be done on the next
day, the clerk distributing checks to the
men on which is written the particular
work for which they are to be respon-
s1ble. This would do very well on time
work, hut when a piece of repairing is
rushed ia for immediate attention, the
necessity Of going through the rgamaroe
of alloting the work and issuing new
checks would be foolish and cause a
needless waste ftime
1.-The system Of checking. besides being
absurd, destroys the individuality Of the
men and restricts them unnecessarily.
entering wedge for the introduction Of
piece work.
IT have no snimosity toward the Santa
Fe company, but it is the feeling that
Sanderson, Barr and the other men who
have been put into power since their
coming are a party Of adveuturers who
have no sympathy with the men in the
shops. The situation is an extremely
critical one and a strike appears to be
about the only outcome Of the difficulty
I was one Of the few men who stayed
with the company in the strike eight
years ago, but do not feel like staying
any longer.
81 do not know much about Mr.. Bairds
leaving The talk Of incompetency which
was rumored as the cause ca nhave no
grounds Of truth as he has the reputa-
ton Of being one Of the most expert boil
er-makers in the United States. do not !
know what adjustments viii be made OF I
the privileges. which the Santa Fe en-
joys in the use Of his compresse dair I
appliances and other patents
what truth there may be IN the runner
OF other ne nleaving, do not know. I /
have not heard any official veriacadon Z
Of these rumors and such things are not 4
discussed much without thar.
II would ike 10 express publicly my +
appreciation Of the good VIII and stea5i- /
ness Of the men with whom I have been +
associated in the machine shops. Ths 1
corps Of machinists IS as efficient as any
others in the United States
Just what shall do in the future 7 f
an not prepared TO say, but It IS rozsial
I shall 90 to the Mexican Central have
interests Ia several machine shops fl me
west and may devote my attention -
enc Of them"
Superintendent Sandersoa was asked
yesterday to make a statement in regard
to The difficulty. lie said that De knew
nothing ABOUT any designations having
been teadered. and did not know thar
any would BE rendered He said thst re
understood that ar Baird woald resign.
speaking q the dlssatisfa1tlal. ae
safd-
The Santa Re company has not rad
The questsan Of piece work - CHE i0cemo-
i've department II Re ToueEa shops
sndsr serious cons Iteration uow for So
lsst twelve months. aid he -emo-s c1--
-eat 10 IRE effect that Il Is the Intention
q rush TIE iat7o5 8ction - piscaeerk tu
hssa Departments are Wholly Etaoat
oun6aton
A II BaIrs was again asked yesterday
9 make q statement conserving his p s.
,atson. but sssolate1y refused u AK
-sout The aatter.
PRAIRIE DOG ExTERNlNsT0R .