The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-10-08
IT'S CLOSED BOOK
General Manager Hurley on
Santa Fe Strike.
Likely Request for Conference
viii Be Refused.
MR.. MEYER Is HERE.
President Of Maehinists Says
Strike Is Vigorous.
Mr.. Buckalew Says They Have
Chance to Win.

Strikes of machinists and boiler
makers which began in our shops con-
siderably over a year ago are a closed
incident. We do not recognize that
they exist was the statement made
last evening by J. E. Hurley, general
manager of the Atchison, Topeka &
Santa Fe Railway company, who has
| Just returned from a fifteen days trip
of inspection over the various lines OF
4 the system in the west and southwest,
which are under his jurisdiction.
These statements were made by Mr..
Hurley in response to an inquiry as 70
the position of the company in view
/ OF the statement some days ago OF ::
the international Association OF Ma
/ chinists, which was to the erect tnal
the executive board of his organlzatloI
would make proposals to the ofncefs Oh
the road for conferences IooKlns ~
wards a settlement of the strike, buI
that no settlement would be made II
the bonus system was maintained IN
| the shops.
Mr. Harley could not undertake to
! state that Third Vice President Ken
drick, who has charge of these mat
| tiers would not meet the men IN con-
I ference. but as 1 said before" ADDED
Mr.. Hurley, the strike IS closed
/ book. The bonus system IS IN our
shops to stay and it seems to me tnat
it would be entirely unnecessary Tor
/ the machinists or anyone else 1or lnaL
matter to make proposals Tor a setlie-
ment of a strike on their own pfOpo-
sitions. I cannot imagine what con-
! ference under these circumstances
might avail.
Conditions in western Kansas ana
| the southwest. said Mr.. Hurley,
/ speaking of his trip, ARE most pros
1 porous We have all the business that
we have cars for and more too. l
1 never saw affairs looking so well gen
! orally. I Travelled over the western
| divisions between Newton and La
Junta. over the New Mexico division
the Rio Grande division and It's
/ branches to FL PasO and the COLORADO
/ division to Denver and then back mere.
Denver, Colorado Springs. Pueblo, La
4 Junta. Trinidad. Las Vegas, Santa Re,
/ Albuquerque. FL PasO and silver Clly
are all enjoying a fine prosperity ana
| progressing in all ways. Western
! kansas is exceedingly prosperous and
all the towns between Newton and La
Junta are in fine shape. Things are
/ booming down in New Mexico and par
/ ffcularly so in the mining districts
! around Silver CITY. Great advance
ment has also been made at Hutchln-
son. In fact things are booming all
/ 10 far as the striking machinists and
boiIerrna kers are concerned the strike IS
/ Madison. Ia. was in the city today. MI
/ Meyer is president OF the Machinists DIS
/ triet Lodge No. Il. which comprises the
| Santa Fe shops. When it was suggested
to him that the Santa Fe officials do not
! recognize the fact that there is strike
/ he laughed and said:
They recognize it all right, Dut they
are trying to make people believe that
they don't The strike IS on and IS as
/ vigorous as it ever was. We nave tne
finances right now to carry It on al WIN
ter and we'll 3nto next summer. OF course
1 we hope for a settlement and we are IN
! cIinrd ia think that there will be one be-
L. F,4- rrr,Tr1z he
| concerned. However, there will be no set
Element if the bonuh system is kept IN
! Mr.. Never is making a trip to the var
ious points where the strike is being main
! tanned and he reports conditions from lhe
| strikers standpoint as Delng SAcsllell ~.
1 He SAYS: that there is no trouble IN the
! shops and that the men working IN the
| strikers places are not competent 10 uo
/ the needed repair work properly
/ Speaking of the conditions that prevail
| in the shops and as an evidence that II i
/ still on. Mr.. BuckaleW had this state
! ment to make last night:
THE strike conditions as whole on the
| Santa Fe look very encouraging, especl a3
| " at this point When you realize the
| shops in Topeka are the largest IN tns
i west. where about LOO men are enpl4oyeoa
| in all the departments, with capacity OF
| overhauling forty engines month, we nno
| been cut down to about one-third of the
| full capacity I attribute the cause OF TINS
/ to the companY's new system of paying
MUM system but oftener called the bonus
1 system. If this was good system II seems
to me that the company would nave Deer
able to get some good men WITHIN the IL
months that we have been out. Ihere are
"a engines in the shops undergoing repairs
with 80 more lying in the yards awaiting
i their turn They also have nine new en-
| eines that are in the yards not IN ser
/ vice on account of not having the men &c
| nut them in shape There are about 2N
men in the shop clasSed as machinlsts
/ but it is a fact that very few OF them are
1 all around machinists. Since the strike we
| have got over one hundred and 11fty Of
their best men to quit Some OF them II
/ fact a majority of them joined our unlor
and are working in other shops. In this
connection I want to say that 1t is my
/ opinion it is always best to take these
men in the union il they are competent
mechanics. and if they see the errors OF
| their ways and want. to reform IT IS oul
duty to assist them instead OF klcklhe
them dowi- -.
! their finances are not just as 1 would Ike
to see them The nieh had the right prln'
chile when they refused to work undel
the bonus system, and that IS more than
can saw for the blacksmiths. There IS
about one hundred strike breaking bOller'
makers in the shops, and from reports
from the inside the boilers are needing
the services Of some good men.
THE maehfnists are in good hnancla
condition to carry on this strike all win
fer If necessary but we will settle at any
time that We can get an agreement WIZ
the company and until we do there vii
he verv few competent men working a;
/ -, ,1,f,7zets ar, fl7es dear old Santa E'e.