The Savannah morning news., 1901-07-28
CARMEN MAY STRIKE
RUMoRs THAT THEY WILL co OUT
TODAY.
ONLY UNION MEN, IF ANY.
RAILWAY OFFICIALS DO NOT GRE
DIT THE RUMoR.

The Company VIII Not Recognize
the Union-NOt Over One Half of
Conductors and MOtormen in 1t
and no Serious Difficulty Antici-
pated IL n Strike should Occur.
The Company Prepared to Handle
Its Cars with Non-UniOn Men in
Any Event.
That the conductors and motorrnen
of the Savannah, Thunderbolt and Isle
of Hope Railway who are members of
the Car Mems Union would go on a
strike to-day was a current rumor yes
terday and one that was received with
general credence, owing to the recent
troubles between the men and the man
agement of the road.
The rumor was to the eff
feet that the Union car men
would run their cars until mid
night, but that none of them would
show up for work this morning. This
was to be the first intimation to the
management of the road that the strike
was on. The plan. it would seem, was
devised for the purpose of embarrass-
ing the road as much as possible, as
the Sunday travel on all lines is much
heavier than on any other day, ex-
cept holidays or on special days, and
should the plan go through the road
undoubtedly would be troubled to get
all of its cars manned and still more
troubled to run anything like a regu-
lar schedule.
The company employs between $50
nd Al.
are affiliated with the union is a mat
ter of conjecture. The lowest estimate
is so per cent. while other estimates
put the number as high as IS or 80 per
cent. One of the conductors, who is not
member of the union, said last night
that the majority of the new men have
already become members of the union
though they have been with the road
so short a time that they have not yet
been given uniforms.
Views as to the probable result of
strike, If one should be declared, are
as various as the estimates
of the number of men that would join
in it. An employe of the company
said that even should the union men
go on a strike there would be still
enough non-union conductors and mo-
tormen to get out, and keep running,
half of the cars, and that new
men and plenty of them could be had in
so short a time that the road would
be able to man all its cars again with
in a very few days.
Quite number of the motormen and
conductors were seen yesterday and
asked if the strike would be declared
and If 1t was what were the plans of
the strikers and their hopes of the out
come. Most of the members approach
ed denied that they were members of
the union or knew of its plans. Some
admitted that they were members, but
declared that they knew nothing def
mite of strike, though both stated
that rumors of an impending strike
had been current for some time and
that to-day was the time generally
named when it should begin.
A committee of employees called on
the officials of the road yesterday, but
the result of the conference could not
be learned. 1t was understood, how
ever, that the committee was told that
the railway company would not recog-
nize the union.
The management of the road has de-
cided that on and after Aug. 1 the
motormen and conductors shall be d.
Vided into three classes according to
length of service, and paid accordingly.
The new scale of wages, which is an
advance of that now paid, is as fol-
lows: Men that have been employed
for two years and over will get Is cents
an hour; those that have been with the
company over six months, but under
two years. will receive 1872 cents per
hour, while those in the third class,
that have been with the road less than
six months. will get but liz cents an
hour. 1t is claimed that the majority of
the men will come in the second class.
General Manager McIntire could not
be seen last night in reference to the
troubles and no one connected with the
road would talk about the matter.