Evening star., 1909-07-18
MEDIATOR IS CHOSEN
judge GaIbreath to Present
Strikers Demands.
SETTLEMENT IS EXPECTED
Re- establishment Of 1907 Wage
Scale Wanted.
DIFFERENCE AT ISSUE SMALL
Entire Plant of the Pressed Steel
Car Company in Hands Of
Armed Force.

| BUTLER, Pa. July 17.-As the result
OF mass meeting of the striking en-
ployes of the Standard Steel Car Com
pany, held here today, Judge James Nj
Galbreath OF the county court was chosen
| as mediator to wait upon the officers OF
| the company and present terms which
are generally looked upon insuring a
| prompt and satisfactory settlement of the
| strike.
| The strikers demand the gradual re-
establishment of the wage scale in eff
feet during 1907.
The appointing of Judge Galbreath as
| mediator followed the issuance of a
statement by General Manager J. H. All
| man of the company. in which the I'm
| possibility Of granting the demands OF
| the strikers was ascribed to the low
prices at which the company had con-
| tracted to furnish it's finished product
II IS not known whether the employers
Will consent to enter into negotia tions
with Judge Galbreath in his capacity as
representative of the strikers. but the
fact that the difference at issue is one of
but 80 cents per car is taken TO indicate
an early resumption of operations.
Guarded by Armed Men.
PITTSBURG. Pa, July 17.-Despite
| the assertion Of Presiden. F.. n Hoffs-
| tot of the Pressed Steel Car Company
| that there is no strike" the entire plant
| of the company at McKees Rocks re-
| mained idle and under a state of siege
| today.
With the exception of the office force
and of about 200 shop employees, most OF
them gang foremen without men. the
| plant Is entirely In the hands of an
l q nod fNS1
| police and mounted state constabu1ary
who preserve an impenetrable Gordon
about the plant and ruthlessly disperse
| all groups as soon as they are formed.
The strikers maintain sullen and
| threatening attitude, but save here and
there for some trivial disturbance fol.
lowing the arrest of townsman fol-
jeering deputy sheriff or for not NOV
| ing fast enough at the urging Of the
| constabulary horses the day passed with
out serious violence.
In proclamation issued tonight the
| strikers cite thirteen instances of actual
| wages paid to workingmen under the
pooling system, which they claim are IL
| Illustrative of the conditions existing at
the Mckees Rocks plant In one in
stance forty-five hours work brought only
| ninety cents pay: in anothere a riveter
working 13O hours received but $14.9O
In not one of the thirteen cases cited
| was the average hour wage more than
| with the assertion that the fight is to
be ito a finish.'' and with the promise
that no violence shall be used.
Ruling With an Iron Hand. =
The mounted troopers of the state con-
stabulary are ruling the affected section
with an iron hand Tonight several hun
dred idle sightseers, who had journey ed
to the plant from Pittsburg in antcipa-
ton of further rioting. found their way
barred by detachment of the troopers,
who occupied the bridge leading into
McKees Rocks over the railroad tracks.
There were some minor clashes at this
point, but the forceful argument used
upon individual members of the crowd
by the mounted constabulary nipped
whatever organized demonstration had
| been planned.
Two representatives of the Austrian
Hungarian consul in this vicinity address
ed the strikers at MckeeS Rocks this aft
ernoon. They advised against disorder,
and impressed on the men the fact that
| rioting should not be INDUCED in.
A court injunction as a means Of break
ing up the strike was introduced today,
when the Pittsburg Public Defense AS
ISOLATION filed suit in the common pleas
court against the Pressed Steel Car Com
pany, the striking men and the sheriff of
Allegheny county.
The bill Of equity. while an amicable
one, will, it is thought, prevent serious
rioting of any kind In the future. A hear
ing likely will be held Wednesday.