Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1904-08-31
cosr OF STRIKE GROWS.
Union Mon and Packers Have Lost Vas,
SnIua.

Sums.
The labor struggle involving Chi
Cages g.satest induGtry-that center
ing in the meat packing plants at the
stock yards has cost both the union
men and the packers a vast sum. A
statistical comparison shows the effects
of the strike The strikers have lost,
each week. $4,000 in wages, making
a total of $1.S90,000 thus sacrificed
What the losses OF the packers have
been is probcmatical That they have
been immense is admitted, but no esti-
mates have been furnished by those in
position to tell.
The effect on the Chicago live stock
market has been great. During the
first weeks of tho struggle the receipts
were so small that the city became one
of the smaller centers instead of the
chief market of the world. The big
packers, who had bought the most and
the best coEsignments, were practical
~ out of the market As the struggle
dragged along, howe er. they began to
gather working forces large enough to
run their plants on considerable
scale. \ marked improvement was
noted early in August,
The packers in the last two weeks
have gained In the number of men en-
ployed, in the number of animals
slaughtered. and in the shipments to
outside cities. From the first the en-
ploycrs found the least difficulty in Sc
curing men to run their hog slaughter
ing departments. Less skill was re-
quired to Kill and cut up hogs than
cattle and sleep, and the packers cen
tered their energies on efforts to bring
the department up to normal. Two
weeks ago they were fairly successful
and now they declare they have no
more 10 ask
The most skilled butchers We're re-
CURED in the cattle Strengthening de-
partment Another fact led the en-
ployers to 90 slow with this part of
their plants Each of the big Chicago
houses has branches in western cities
These distant plants. not so seriously
affected by the strike, We're able to
handle cattle enough to keep the COM
panies running without the necessity
Of putting excessive pressure on the
Chicago establishments.
Fort Worth Texas, was especially
relied on by two of the companies.
The plants in that city kill practically
no animals lut cattle They We're and
are now run overtime, and they make
up any detctc-,, arising from the
short output of the Chicago plants.
The volume of output, the packers
say, is not wholly dependent on tie
number of men ON the pay rolls. Last
year thero We're many workers in the
employ of the companies who put in
little more than half time each week.
Now all the employees work full time.
The owners of the plants say that
he actual number 5f hours work
W eek Of She present force is not much
less than the number of hours of work
a week of the former largec crews.
Consumers of meat have frlt the eff
feets of the strike in the advanced
prices charged The dealers have raj
ed their figures in accordance with thj
crodulity of their patrons, the packers
declare. The marketmeu, however. say
they have been forced to pay more for
their goods
The big packing companies, their
managers maintain. have not material
:. raised prices since the beginning of
the strike An advance was made
when the struggle was a few days old
This, it is asserted has not been con
| tinued The sympathetic strike of the
teamsters cut the big companies oil
from the Chicago trade aud threw it
to the Independent concerns. The pack
ers quote figures to prove that these
smaller companies have taken adyan-
tage Of their increased trade and have
charged greatly augmented prices.
While there has been much com
plaint from the live stock producers.
tho statistics indicate that they have
suffered little In the stock yards mar
ket Prices have remained fairly
steady, although there were some days
early in the struggle when large re-
ceipts caused disastrous slumps The
loss of the farmer has been chiefly at
home lie has been obliged to hold
back and feed cattle hogs ami sheep
already fattencd for the market.