Omaha daily bee., 1902-07-13
PRODUCES FIGURES TO SHOW STRENGTH
fetal Of CTS Men in Shop. at Omaha and
Council Bluffs.
THREE HUNDRED SHORT OF NORMAL FORCE
Officials Say Number Of MaChiAists 1, Only
Slightly Decreased.
SERIOUS PROBLEM AT NORTH PLATTE
More Men at work at Grand Island
Than Before Strike and Company
Proposes to Farther In
crease Number.

More than four weeks have elapsed
since the strike in the Union Pacific shops
was declared and each side Is apparently
as determined as IL the struggle had Just
begun. The strikers are basinE their
claims of success upon the assertion that
none OF their men, or at least a very in
significant number. has gone back into the
companys employ, while the officials of
the railroad produce an array OF stern
figures to show that they have a com
paratively good-sized force, sufficient, they
claim, to meet the demands made upon
the shops at this season Of the year.
Each side expresses absolute confidence
In the ultimate outcome Of the fight The
officials of the road insist that their mo-
tive power has not been injured or jeop-
ardized by this strike and they are pro-
ceeding with their affairs. they affirm, In
different to the strikers. The latter make
persistent claims that they have sue
ceeded in seriously affecting the motive
power Of the railroad and crippled It's
shop facilities TO such an extent that the
company will be forced within a short
time to adopt some different policy.
Company Produces Figures.
To demonstrate the actual conditions, IN
duced some figures taken from lis daily
report sheet, which show the status in
each shop on the system. Beginning with
Omaha, the schedule shows that in the local
shops, Council Bluffs and the outround-
houses the company now has in its en-
play a total Of 6I5 men, which is about
300 less than the normal force in these
places In the Omaha shops alone there
are said to be $40 men In all departments.
About 65 per cent OF the original number
of machinists in the Omaha shops are at
work, according to the reports Of the
company. This shows, therefore. that the
number of all employed is we'll proper
toned as to the different crafts. OF course
the company does not claim that this num-
Der is made up of old employees, but OF
those who have been imported and those
who did not strike.
The number Of machinists now at work
in the Omaha shops is. according to thu
company's statement, within three or four
Of the original number.
At Armstrong the force is said to be al
most of normal size. large number Of
strikers, 1t is said. have returned to work
and the rest OF the places have been filled
by outside men. The company has ceased
employing men thcre.
At Cheyenne the total number OF shop
men now in active service is 344. OF This
number twenty-five are skilled machlnists
and about half the normal blacksmith force
is at work. These reports from the three
largest shops on the system show that the
company has enough men at work to make
a fair showing.
At other Points on Line.
Normal sized forces are said to be at
work at Ellis, Junction City and Salina,
Kan. Denver reports three-fourths of q
force at work in the boilermakers and ma
chinists' departments and full forces In
other departments Of the shops At Green
River a full force is employed and at
Evanston, where the men were so slow to
strike, seventeen machinists are reported
at work. as against seven before, and
seven boilermakers as against nve be-
fore.
North Platte has presented the most
serious problem the company has yet to
contend with. The men there were in q
quandry for some time and finally striking
they are among the most determined Of
any ON the system. Notwithstanding these
facts the officials declare that force of
17e men is employed in these shops. a
fact which they say will surprise the strik-
ers The original number employed at
North Platte was 200 Eleven Of those
now at work there are machinists, twenty
four machinists' helpers and sixteen men
are engaged In the boiler shops, though no
real boilermakers are at work. In the
remainder OF the departments the force
is at normal size.
The oficials regard North Platte as their
weakest point and yet one OF them said
Saturday that It would be the easiest TO
handle as soon as they decided to take
hold of 1t In earnest.
Grand Island Force Increased.
The reports from Grand Island show q
larger force of men at work than before
the strike. As was stated In The Bee some
days ago, this shops force Is to be en-
larged still more and II is said to be the
intention Of the company to increase the
force to three times its original size.
Asked II those men now at work in the
various shops were on the piecework sys-
TEN an oficial OF the road Saturday re-
olied:
mo sir, they are getting exactly the
wages paid In the shops when the strike
begun. No reductions have been made and
no pieeework has been introduced. We dld
not intend TO introduce plecework at once
anyway. and of course. We could not do
such a thing with new men even II we
hlbutus uOI0 10 6ANoN AOoA VI AeAO balA
about this piecework matter. This com
pany could not properly introduce piece
work all over It's system within less than
ave years"
The company does not pretend to say
that but very small proportion Of those
men now in its employ are former strikers.
but oficials maintain that the most Of them
are competent men. 1t is fact. they admit,
that in the very large majority Of cases the
strikers have not returned to work. Tho
officials profess not to be worrying over
whether the strikers return TO work. They
say they wanted to give their old men a
chance to resume their positions and since
they have refused to do so. most OF them.
II is not the part OF the company to lose
sleep over the matter. II continues 70
bring In new men and will keep on in this
line, the ohicials say. Thirty-seven nom
union men were imported into the Omaha
shops Saturday from Chicago and more
will be brought later.
Frank L. Ronsmus Of Kansas City, grand