Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-08-04
Chicago Packers Said to
Be Ready to Settle.
Alleged to Be After Strikers
Through Latters' Families.
The Situation Is Complicated-Stock
Receipts Are Not Large, but Packers
Are Doing Business, While the
Strikers Are Cheerful.

Chicago, Aug. notwithstanding
the claim Of the packing house man
H~ers that they have no difficulty in
5 curing workmen, they are said to be
making very strong efforts to induce
their former employees to return to
work. The latest move made in that
line is the distribution Of cards among
the wives of the strikers. urging them
to induce their husbands to return to
the packing plants and offering in
creased pay.
SchwarZchild & Suzberger notified
the county officials that they could not
make the usual weekly delivery of
meat according to contract, and the
superintendent of public service placed
an order for $4,000 worth of meat with
an Independent firm.
The yards were flooded with live
stock, today. Before the days ship
ments arrived there We're $4,000 hogs
In the pens and between 1000 and 3OOo
cattle. The sheep alone had all been
sold.
The packers eXpr essed tie opinion
that with supplies SD heavy good por-
ton of the stock could not be handled
by the packing plants until tomorrow
Todays receipts We're as follows: Cat
tie. $500: hogs, 10000; sheep, 1400.
The packers announced, today, that
they would attempt to import no mora
unskilled labor. They said hey had al.
the men they needed and in the future
would take on only few skilled men,
This news was declared by the strik-
ers to be a bait to them in the hope or
breaking tie union ranks.
Homer D. Call, the international Sec
rotary of the butchers organization,
said. today: The greatest feature Of
the strike is that the meat trust has
been broken. Instead of the packers
d'srupting the unions the disintegra.
ton of the greatest combinations the
world has ever seer has already set in.
For 10 years from 1890 to 1900, the
consolidation of the meat companies
was carried on and from 1741 plants
in this country, the number was re.
duced to 100.
Now the tide will set in the other
wGy. The packers know that thew have
all eady lost control of large part of
their business and the livestock deal
ers Will do all that is possible to assist
IN the defeat. Since the strike the inn
Tortant plants of Chicago, Indianapoli,.
littsburg and Springfield. Mass, have
been working night and day. This
trade will never be recovered by the
trust. My reports are that the danger
mas already been realized by the big
packers. 1t took the packers 20 Years
to build up their combination and now
the fruits of victory will be snatchea
from them By the labor unions. The
lublic is supporting the plants becaus.
OF the damaging evidence secured by
the government against the meat
monopoly"
Determined to give all the aid pos
slhle to the strikers, the ice handler, |
and ice wagon drivers have refused t. |
supply refrigerator cars of the strike
affected plants. Without ice, the pack
ers are unable to ship meat except for
short hauls and cannot export any.
Non-uniOn men are being pressed |
into service. but their efforts are no.
sufficient. Armour & Co. have begun
using fruit cars -or shipping meat, but |
this is admittedly a costly expedient.
Packers announced, today, that since
the beginning of the strike the falling
off in the buying of livestock has been
$4,000 for cattle and $4,000 for hogs,
as compared with July and the early |
rart of August last year. The decrease
in the handling of cattle. however, Is
explained on the hypothesis that there
is scarcity of lightweight animals
such as are used for canning. The
heavy receipts are explained on the
ground that the shippers had under
stood the assertions that the packers
We're doing from so to IS per cent. Of |
normal business to mean that all
branches of industry were compre-
hended. AS a matter of fact. It Is
stated, this applies only to the dressed
beef and constitutes not more than 50
per cent. of the total normal business.