The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1904-07-14
BEEF TRUST STRIKE,
Over $4,000 Butchers and Pack
erS Now Out.
MEAT PRICES GOING UP

Only Hope Of Settlement Lies In Ar
bitration--Some Chicago Plants Still
In operation--No Violence Reported
So Far.
Chicago, July l4-With no sign Of
weakening on either sidG the only ray
Of hope in the butchers strike situation
Is the possibility that arbitration may
intervene to prevent labor war
fraught with suffering and privation
70 the strikers and heavy loss to the
packers.
Nor is the effect Of the strike con
fined to the employees and packers la
the nine cities where the fight will be
centered. The consuming public VIII
bear a large share Of the burden in
higher prices for meats. Reports Al.
ready have come from various cities
that prices Of the product have been
raised. This advance. too, was said
to be but forerunner OF others If the
conflict continued long.
In addition to the 10000 employees
already on strike upward Of 10000
more are involved Indirectly, and most
Of them probably will be idle soon
In addition to the slaughtering de-
partments OF All tile plants being tied
up, the strike affects branch industries
in which such articles as butterine,
soaps, buttons and combs are mann
featured. The canning departments,
aNxhot.o l,napas ar,.,1t, ,,x,T an t-f...1a ~
meats are put up, are also hit hard,
the union employees having gone out in
body.
chicago's Army Of Unemployed.
Forty thousands persons, approx
matels, End employment III the big
packing houses ii Chicago, and this
number already has been reduced one
half The effect Of the strike upon the
mechanical and other departments. il
is declared, Will Increase this army Of
unemployed in Chicago before the end
or the week to nearly $4,000
Arbitration Is looked upon as the only
means to avert a prolonged strike The
strikers declare that they VIII be will
ing to consider any reasonable proposi-
ton submitted from the other side
The detail Of police at the stockyards
has been increased IN number. and All
night long the officers patrolled the
strike district and the streets adjacent
to the yards in pairs.
Effect 81 Meat Prices.
Louis Il. Swift, president at Swift &
Co, was asked as to the probable effect
Of the strike upon prices Of meats
throughout the country and regarding
the stocks on hand. lie said
1T is too early to say definitely 4
10 not expect that there Will De any ser
rious scarcity IN Tie supply Of meats
we have some men working iii i'll IL
our departments aud are shipping prod
ucts freely. Prices viii not be mate
rally advanced / believe normal
condition Of affairs viii speedily he re-
stored In any event the supply Of
fresh meat throughout the country IS
sufficient to last fifteen Oh twenty days
and there is enough cured meats
hams, bacon etc TO last six months"
Il think" said j r Lyman. presi
dent Of the National Packing company
which includes the Hammond, Anglo
American and Continental companies,
ethat the stock ON hand is sufficient to
avert a so called famine for two or
three weeks don't see why there
should be any material change in
prices, but the natural tendency win
be for a little advance"
Arthur Meeker Of Armour a co. said
1--WE have week S or ten days supply
Of meats on hand here, 1T branch
houses and en- route, and we are
Strengthening and operating our pack.
ing plants, but on q reduced scale
Temporarily prices win be somewhat
higher"
Some Men Still Working.
The firm Of Libby, Mcneil & Libby
secured the services Of a sufficient mum
Der of nonunion girls to conduct active
operations In the company's canning
department Representatives Of tie
firm said that many Of the girls who
walked out had returned.
Every packing house ia the stock
yards, ii was claimed, had men at
work.
Unemployed men IN considerable
numbers locked to the stockyards
and applied for employment. The
strikers standing about the entrances
to the yards offered no opposition. All
competent appearing applicants were
at once hired and put Immediately At
work