The Butte inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1901-1912, 1901-12-24
and will fight every week if necessary.
None of this putting things off. Just as
fast as we can find opponents we are
ready. That's about all have got to say.
EXPENSIVE TO DIE
INCREASE IN THE PRICE OF
CARRIAGES FOR FUNERAL,
HACK DRIVERS WIN STRIKE
Employers Grant Demands for Higher
Wages and Will Get Even by
Charging Patrons More Money
After January l.
HACK DRIVERS WIN STRIKE

If you intend to die soon and expect to
be buried in Butte it behooVeS you to
die at once in order to save expenses.
This is because the hack drivers Won
their strike today in short order. and the
advance in wages will mean a cores
ponding increase in the cost OF carriages
for funerals after the first of the year.
The hack drivers went out on strike
this morning in accord with al order
from the Silver Bow Trades and Labor
assembly which body has hal under
considera ton the drivers grievances for
the last two months.
Committee at Work.
The union is affiliated with the CEN
trail body. and a committee from that
organization has been laboring with the
employers and transfer companies for
weeks, trying to effect a settlement
whereby the drivers would be paid what
they regarded as living wages.
The demands of the union We're for an
advance of so cents a day for 12-hour
day, which would give them So instead
of $3.50 a day.
Also overtime on special drives was
asked for and a proposition advanced
as basis for paying drivers attending
funerals and who were laid out over the
consumed in a cemetery drive.
For some time the employers opposed
the advance. but when the strike was
declared today an agreement was speed
lily reached.
Three Dollars Per Day.
Under the new agreement regular
drivers will be paid SO per day. Extra
drivers will receive 81 for three and one
half hours work and 80 cents for each
hour or fraction of an hour over that
time.
The terms proving acceptable, all of
the union men returned to work at II
O'clock this forenoon. For several
hours, though, there wasn't hack on
the streets. even the drivers Of the pri-
vate rigs refusing to help out
The new agreement is understood to
mean an advance in passenger fares as
soon as the big transfer companies can
get together and agree upon a new scale
of fares to be charged.
Heretofore the rates for funerals have
averaged S. a carriage. An effort will
be made by the carriage companies to
get together and so adjust the rates that
the public will be obliged to pay the in
crease in wages.
May Cost $3.50.
For instance Meaderville, Centerville
and VAUDEVILLE funerals may cost $500
or $3.50 for each carriage supplied.
The increase in rates for calls will be
felt by those living outside the carriage
limits. Heretofore the rate has been the
same as inside the prescribed hack limits
so cents.
Hereafter, or as soon as the owners
get together, an agreement will be en-
tered into to charge a dollar for call
outside the limits.
We've got to do something to protect
ourselves" said one carriage owner to-
day. 1--WE have never made money on
calls where the rush was on and an ex-
ira carriage had to be taken out.
THE fare was only so cents, and that
amount would go to the driver. Under
the new rule, if we call driver on ex-
ira we've got to pay him 81, just the
same as if he works three hours and a
half
Increase in Wages.
Fifty cents for the call is the charge
inside the limits, and so you see we are
liable to have to pay out half dollar
merely for the privilege of accommodate
ing our patrons.
1T is for this reason that higher rates
will be put in for special drives. OF
course, we have the use Of that driver
for the three hours and half, but if we
haven't another call, why. we lose
money.
Il suppose we will have to arrange
some way to double up on extra calls in
order to get out even.
There won't be any change in the
rates until the first of the year. but at
that time think the owners will get to-
gether and agree on advances for funer-
ais and special drives. That is the only
way we can break even"