The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1907-06-14
PAPER MILL STRIKE
Eight Hundred Men Idle in Bellows
Falls.

Bellows Falls, June 1l.--Bellows
Falls the second paper making town
in the country, Is In the clutches OF
one Of the largest strikes In It's history
by which 500 men are out of employ
ment. The trouble has been brewing
for about u month and came 10 a eli.
max this morning, when 500 or more
employees of the International Paper
Co.. joined the 200 workers who have
been out from other paper mills since
last Saturday. The strike is caused
by the refusal of the mill owners TO
adopt the three.tour system as II is
called.
Several months ago the lnternation-
al Paper Co, announced that as soon
as Il could be arranged tlf mills con
trolled by the firm would be under the
three-tour system. BY this arrange
ment three separate gangs are en-
ployed, each working eight hours
apiece. AT present the tour workers
are employed from II 10 13 hours, the
night gangs working longer hours and
the day and night gangs alternating
each week. giving all the same num-
Der OF hours work. The change OF
course. increases the number OF men
employed and the wages will be In
creased 80 ~ per cent.
This system has been adopted In all
OF the mills the company own except
those ut Bellows Falls, Turner's Falls
and Franklin Falls. In the two latter
places the company has agreed TO take
up the matter August I and the men
are still working. In Bellows Falls
the company has offered TO take up
the matter for consideration by Janu.
AIRY
Several weeks ago the officials an.
nounced that they could not see their
way 90 adopt the new Arrangement
here now owing to the greater cost OF
running these mills. but compromise
ofier was made aud was 10 the effect
the men remain on the present two
tour system working as outlined above
With an Increase In wages OF ten per
cent which would total the additional
amount which would have 10 be paid
for thrcetour work.
The employees OF the other mills 10.
Gated here with the exception OF John
Robertson a Son who make tissue pa.
per. all asked their employers TO adopt
the new system. but the owners refns.
cd 10 grant the change. President
Carey of Jhc National Paper Makers
Union was on from New York to In
Nestigatc the situation here and for
the past three weeks just what would
be- done has been In the air.
The heads OF the firms of the Robert
son Paper company. the Moore A.
Thompson company and the Blake a
Higgins company. took immediate &C
ton and Saturday morning notified
their men that they might draw their
pay for the weeks work az the Office
that night and consider themselves
discharged for they would not adopt
the new system. That night the 200
or more employees OF these firms left
the owners thus In n way eTectlng a
lock out This morning at the close
OF the nights work the entire force Of
the International Paper company mills
Joined the others making fully 500
men out OF employment here at the
present time. The mills Of John r.
Moore a Son. and Wyman. Flint A
Sons are stlll running. the owners
agreeing 20 adopt the thrcctour sys-
tenn as soon a. the international does.
The outlook for settlement II not
very bright for both sides say they
viii not yield. The owners are cspec-
Tally firm IN their statement. One u
the firms has three months repairing
90 do and Il perfectly willing TO shut
down now and do what repairing q
needed. The International people are
willing 10 shut down for a while but Il
n generally the opinion that N the
strike lasts long they will import men
from other places and not hire back
the old hands even II the unions do
give In. This IL based ON the adver.
tisements Of the international com.
pany In Canada for two weeks for non
union men.
In this case the union men say there
viii be further trouble. The union
lied transportation companies will r.
fuse Ia touch the product OF scab lab
or. Furthermore n systematic strike
IN all OF the % odd mills Of the com.
pany may result At present the
strike b. an independent one and conse
quently the strikers can get NO aid
rom the national unions. President
Carey u said 10 side with the strikers
and an attempt will b. made nt the
convention June 20 90 have the ,rlke
recognized by the national union.
The Pay roll Of the combined firms
u over seven thouland dollars a week.
which means a hard blow 20 ths mor
chants and business men Of the town
During today the unions have been
holding meetings In their rooms In tho
Gray block aud the situation has been
thoroughly gone over.
The citizens Of the town hope for a
speedy settlement for a long strike
VIII De- u great blow "a the place
over - per cent of the strikers have
signed n pledge not 10 touch intoXlca.
ting liquors during the strike