The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1902-07-15
MAY
co HUNGRY
FAMINE THREATENED BY STRIKE
OF FREIGHT HANDLERS.
SOME ROADS OFFER TERMS
But Concessions Are Not Sufficient to
Induce Men to Resume Work.
Other Roads Stand Pat.


Chicago, July 13-The conferences
between the striking freight handlers
and the managers of the railroads did
not produce any definite result today. !
All the railroads, with the exception
of the Chicago & Northwestern, Erie
and Illinois Central, which offered a
compromise scale, refused to recede
from their position and declared that
the men must accept the terms Offer
ed them on July 1. This means IL
cents an hour and period of prOba-
tion for new men. The demands of |
the men were 18 cents, time and one
half for overtime, and no period of
probation; all men to receive full pay
from the start.
Although it had been the under
standing of the members of the board
of arbitration, and that of the gener
al managers of the railroads, that
the committees which were to call
on the railroad managers would have
full power to accept or reject all pro-
posals from the roads, the committees
announced at the conclusion of the
conference that they did not possess
this power but were compelled to re-
port back to the officers Of the union.
hot
sent to the conferences with instruc-
| tions to demand 1S cents, but if it
Nas found to be impossible to obtain
that, to take 171@ cents, but even this
must not be accepted until the Of
ficers of he union had been consulted.
| A general meeting of the freight
handlers will be held tonight, at which
| the advisability cf accepting the Of
fers Of the Northerwestern and the 9th
er railroads will be discussed.
Numerous meetings of teamsters
will be held tomorrow for the pur-
pose of calling strike in sympathy
with the freight handlers, but the Of
/ ficials of the organization declare
that NO strike will be called by this
organization as long as they can pre-
vent it.
! While there may be no official
strike of the teamsters, the condi-
| tions are the same as though one ex-
listed. The truck teamsters refused
today to accept freight for the freight
houses, and in many of the wholesale
houses they were informed by their
employers that if it was impossible
to deliver the freight they need not
attempt to do so.
/, The railroads deprecate this atti-
tude on the part of the shippers, and
say that they are prepared to handle
! freight if it is brought to them. They
claim that the strike of the teamsters
is matter between their employers
and the teamsters, and that it is not
the affair cf the railroads, and they do
not see why they should make any
concessions to the freight handlers
for the sake of producing peace be-
tween the shippers and their men,
The freight handlers are now fully as
sured of the aid of the teamsters, and
that strike shall be sanctioned by
that organization, or, as announced
tonight, they will make an effort to
call out the railroad switchmen by
appealing to them not to- handle cars
of freight that are loaded by non-union
men. 1t was announced at the head
quarters of the Freight Handlers un-
ion that this has been done, but Grand
Master Hawley of the Switchmen's
union said he had received no such
request and that it would be impossi-
BILE for him to call strike under the
rules of his organization.
Freight shipments by the lake have
been brought to a standstill. The
refusal of the commission merchants
drivers to haul this class of goods
left the steamboat lines entering this
port devoid of outgoing freight to
night They expect they will be ur.
able to handle the incoming matter
tomorrow evening if of perishable
character, unless the strike is settled
in the interim.
A food famine threatens Cicago be.
cause of the freight handlers strike
and those who are idle and in sym
pathy with their movements, and
South Water street will be unable to
supply the demand for food products
On Monday unless the strike shall be
brought to close.