The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1909-05-30
STREET CAR MEN
TIE UP SERVICE
Conductors and MotOrmen of
Philadelphia Demand Re-
dress of Grievances.
SOME DISORDER REPORTED
SALOONS CLOSED AT p. M. BY
ORDER OF MAYOR.

:. = :. = :. :. :. :. :. :. - :. :. :. :. - I:
= Philadelphia. Pa, May 29.-The ::
= strike inaugurated today by the :
= conductors and motoTmen Of the ::
:. Philadelphia Rapid Transit COM >
& pany became serious tonight. The :"
= company announced that about :
= 1900 of the 5000 men had quit :.
= work. The strikers declare a great :
= er number are out :
: This afternoon Mayor Reyburn =
; ordered all saloons closed at 6 D. :
= m, and 10 remain closed until g. :
= M Monday. This is the second =
:: time a mayor Of Philadelphia has =
= closed the saloons on account of a :
= street car strike. :
= The strikers are counting on pub =
& lie sympathy, as the Philadelphia =
: Rapid Transit company has abol- =
- ished the siX-fOr-a-Quar tickets >
:: Trouble vas reported tonight I'm =
. the section known as Brewery =
. town" A car was damaged by an :
:: explosion. believed to have been =
:: caused by dynamite placed on the =
= track. The city was practically =
> tied up at midnight so far as street =
= car traffic was concerned. -
= :. : = = = = :. = = = = = :. :. = =
Philadelphia. May 2s.-Greatly TO the
surprise Of the local public. Philadelphia
Is today IN a tangle Of a street car
strike. The order of the executive COM
ulittee of the Garments union 10 strike
vas issued at an early hour this morn
ing, and went into effect at 4 a. m.
when the day service began. At a. m.
cars were running on all but two of the
lines, but it was apparent the company
was having difficulty ia maintaining
the regularity Of the service.
A Seeming Paradox.
ParsdoxicaI as it may seem. the strike
was FASTENED through the action Of the
company In raising the wages Of the
men ! cent an hour, from q to % cents.
This was done about two weeks ago.
and the increase is to go into effect on
July I. Prior to the announcement of
the increase in wages the Philadelphia
Rapid Transit company became the
storm center Of general protest by abol-
ishins six-for-a-quarter tickets and
adopting a straight scent fare This
matter is now before the state railroad
commission at Harrisburg.
Demands Of the Union.
The leaders of the union took advan-
tage of the situation and began agitat-
ing an increase in wages and better con-
ditiOns. Their demands included re-
quest for % cents all hour, nine or ten
hours straight work instead of splitting
up the day, privilege of buying uni
forms in the open market and the ad-
justment Of minor grievances. The
company having already increased
wages. ignored the unions demands.
The traction company employs approx
mately $500 mOtormen and conductors.
and claims that not more than one
sixth Of these are affiliated with the or
zanization. On the other hand. the
union leaders say the union has d mem
bership OF $500.
One Car Wrecked.
Disorder OF a minor character has
been reported from different sections of
the city. Strike sympathizers hurled
1ibes al those who were riding. and
many passengers left the cars and. in
some Instances. cars were abandoned
by their crews. At Fifty-second street
and Girard avenue an abandoned car
was partly wrecked by boys and men.
ana the police were called to disperse
the crowd One policeman accompanied
each West Philadelphia car in the early
hours. but when reports Of minor dis
turbances began coming to police head
quarters two policemen were put on
each car.
The company announced this after
noon that 1.1S0 men who failed to report
for duty or abandoned their cars had
been discharged. The company also an
nounced that there would be no COM
promise and that it would not recog-
nize the union.