The age-herald., 1901-05-31
LOCAL MACHIN|STS JOIN THE STRIKERS Men Walk Out of the Southern
 Railway Shops ORDER FROM HEADQUA7TER The Strike Is the Result of Failure To Reach an Agreement at the Re- cent Conferences With Rail-
 road Officials.
FROM HEADQUA7TER

The general strike ordered by the presi- dent of the Machinists' Union against the Southern Railway went into effect at this place yesterday morning at g o'clock when forty-three machinists of the local shops quietly donned their coats and walked out of the place.
 The machinists of the Alabama Great Southern did not strike as was expected, and 1t now seems there will be no stop- page of work at the shops of that com pany. This is probably due to the fact that the road Is operated separately from the Southern.
 The employees of the shops were in their places as usual yesterday when work was begun at o'clock and continued to perform their duties until the striking of the clock at o'clock Then without saying word and In the most orderly way. they marched out of the shops to their homes.
 At the time of the walking out of the men Superintendent of Motive Power, W. H. Thomas, was in the office with Master Mechanic T. M. Feely, making an inspection of the work and watching the use of the material. MT Thomas head quarters are in Washington and it Is quite accidental that he was present when the men quit their places
 The strike is the result of the failure on the part of the machinists' commit tees and General Manager Cannon to reach an agreement as to the demands of the machinlsts at the time of the recent conference. It Is stated by the officials of the road that the representative of the machinists who attended the conference from this place was opposed to a strike but were forced to abide by the decision of the majority. Consequently when President O'Connell of the International to strike they were compelled to obey the order If they intended to retainNtheir connections with the union.
 The Strikers Talk.
 J. J. Pagan, president of the Associa- tion, made the following statement yester- day: .et
 "The strike Is the result of an order received here last night from the presi- dent of the union, MT. O'Connell. We did everything in our power to arrange the matters of difference. but our confer epces with the general manager of the road were unsuccessful, and the strike Is the only result that could have hap pened In the natural course of events. We have compiled with the constitution and bylaws In every respect, and the question was inevitable, allowing no an-
 ,f
 "I leave tonight to attend the meeting of the International Association in To- ronto, Canada, and during my absence all matters pertaining to my office will be att tended to by Vice President W. N. Wood. It is our intention to take care of every man who Is now on the strike whether or not he be a union man."
 What Is Wanted.
 The demands of the Machinists' union cover a number 9of points and are as follows:
 Nine hours shall constitute days work. At least one apprentice shall be allowed for every five machinists.
 No machinist employed for less than the scale of prices.
 Employees discharged shall have right of Investigation When discharge is unwar- ranted he shall be reinstated.
 For overtime up to 1 o'clock machinists shall be paid time and one-half; after 12 o'clock, Sundays and legal holidays double time shall be paid.
 When machinists are called on road they shall be paid one and one-half time and be allowed $1 per day for expenses If they are kept out over Sundays and holi- days they shall be paid double time.