The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1903-11-20
MAYOR HARRISON HAS LITTLE
HOPE OF SPEEDY SETTLE
MENT OF STRIKE.
TRANSFERS READY TO JOIN
TAKE ACTION THAT MAY RESULT
IN SERIOUS LABOR sITUA-
TIoN IN CHICAGO.

Chicago, Nov. 19.-"The prospects
for a speedy settlement Of the strike
of the employees of the Chicago City
railway are not as hopeful as they
were Tuesday"
This statement was by Mayor Car
ter Harrison last night after a day Of
conferences between the city council
peace committee, delegates Of the
strikers union and representatives of
the Chicago Railway company.
whether the difficulty will finally
be adjusted by arbitration l am unable
to say" continued the mayor. Every
effort possible was made to have bot.
sides to the controversy adopt this
means of settlement, but without sat
isfactory result"
The meeting which terminated Just
before Mayor Harrison made his
declaration regarding the dubious
prospects of settling the strike was
held between the mayor, President
Hamilton and Colonel E. R. Bliss, at
torney for the railway company. Presi-
dent Mahon of the union was also in
vited, but declined to attend, saying
lAoI NC udu III pOWSI W S0CIlc lily
thing alone and there was therefore
no need of his attending the con-
ference. The meeting lasted until LII
o'clock and the entire ground was
gone rel
None of the parties to the meeting
would say what was done, but it is
generally understood that the COM
pany stood where it stood at the COM
mencement Of the strike-willing to
arbitrate wages, but unwilling to arbi-
trate "closed shop" the right of the
union to control the discharge Of en-
ployes or the claim of the union to
the right of arranging the time and
ann of routing" cars.
The Transfers union took action
last night that may result in one of
the most serious labor situations ever
seen in this city. s. Nz
Would Order a General Strike.
At a general meeting of the organi-
cation it was decided to order all
members of the Transfers union to
refuse to deliver any article to the
Chicago City Railway company during
the existence of the present strike. 1t
was also decided that if any of the
teamsters were discharged by the en-
| ployers for refusing to deliver goods
to the railway company a general
strike would at once be ordered
against the Chicago Employers asso-
citation.
The Transfers union, which is the
strongest labor organization in the
city, has about 1000 members and has
|-contracts with practically every es-
Establishment of prominence in the city
that has teams of it's own.
Last spring the union signed con-
tracts with the members Of the EN-
ployers' association by which the sym
pathetic strike vas ruled out of eX-
istence as far as the teamsters are
concerned. The sympathetic strike is
also against the constitution of the
national organization.
The gravity of a general strike by
the teamsters can be appreciated when
it is stated that it would for a time
freight to all the railways in the city
and would almost paralyze the bust
ess of the city. AS far as the Chi
cago City Railway company is con
cerned the action taken by the team.
sters prohibits any member of the
Transfers union from delivering coal
to the yards of the company or from
taking provisions to the men now
housed in the company's barns. The
company has so far managed to keep
about three days supply of coal in its
bins and the action of the teamsters
will make it difficult to secure a
further supply.