The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1911-11-17
GREAT STRIKE IS
NOW EXPECTED TO
BEGIN VERY soon
Giant Struggle Between the
Railroads and Unions Is
Looked for Daily
COMPANIES SEEKING
1T, SAY THE UNIONS
Third Vice-President, inter-
national Boilermakers'
Here and Tells OF
Situation

within the next two or three days
I expect to see the boilbru1akerS
strike become general throughout the
United States. nor VIII this movement
stop with the boilermakUA Ma
ohintstA moulders. pattern makers
and all branches OF the car ana en-
sine building Industries Will. in al
probability be ordered out within less
than 4 week."
Tho above statement was made last
nignt BY Thomas Nolan. third vice.
president Of the International Broth
urhood Of boiiermaksrs, who Is in the
city lending his aid and counsel In
the direction Of the strike in the
American Locomotive works her. Nr,
Nolan Is weu-known in labor circles
In Virginia. having bean for many
years connected with the State la ooF
BODY and now with the International
body ~ third vice. e1idenL lie has
been resident OF Portsmouth. Vir-
Einia, where he Is employed at his
trade, for the last thirty-i,vs years
The international officers OF tho
various unions and officials OF the
American Federation OF Labor are
now In conference Mt Schenectady, N.
r.. whore they have have been for
several days. We are expecting any
day to get notice of = general strike
being ordered and tho men throughout
the United States are just waiting Tor
The word"
Continuing. Mr.. Nolan stated that
already the bosiermakers ON all Of the
Hartman lines, including the Illinois
Central. and the New York Central.
WHARF the trouble nrst started, are
out Fifteen thousand Is an ex-
tremeir conservative estimate Of the
number OF men now out" said Mr.. Mo-
Ian The number h Tar greater than
this and within = week nifty thousand
win not cover tho number Of car and
engine workers, who will be out on
Atrtke.
Al the present time the car shops
In nearly all OF the railroads In the
West are tied up. We know who are
out and We know the situation that
the roads are In. They cannot get
khsir new work or their repair work
done In their own shops and there ar .
NO other shops omen to them"
Local Situation
Asked II the situation here had
changed any. Mr.. Nolan stated that
II has not. There are about two
hundred and sixty-five to two hun
dred and seventy men from the boil
~ ahops out now. tho rest Of the plant
II seriously objected ana men in other
departments Will soon be out Of work.
sven II they are not ordered to quit
BY their Internationala
The locomotive works have secur-
. dth0 services Of 4 few men who are
looked upon az strike breakers" but
the bctiermakers here do not look up
on them In that light. None OF them
r. . boilermaker and cannot do the
work. Some OF them are students
who never saw inside 4 boiiershop,
one. understand. In some kind Of
professional man and the others have
other occupations than boilermaking.
At that they have been able to secure
hardly more than = dozen.
Tho 'scab' market Is exhausted"
he stated. and followed this with q
laugh. He explained this by say
ing that what few nonunion boiler
mAkors there are in the country, who
would be induced to leave their pres
ent occupations and 20 In as strike
breakers, have been taken on in the
West. None can be found In the
East and there are only q few at
work In tho West"
Mr.. Nolan sees q very serious sit
nation In the present strike Of boiler
makers. and does not hesitate to state
that In his opinion It II apt to be-
cotne moro fAr-reachtng than any
strike that has occurred In recent
years. In this no u supported by
other union men Of this city.
1T seems to U.s." statsd Mr.. No
Ian. that the railroads have deter
i mined "a, brtng tho lahor question to
an issue right At this time and night
e out It may be that this n . blind
and that the real purpose u to In
nusnce legtslation in some manner,
Ing for one great big struggle.
Tho Richmond end OF this strike
will pale into insignihcancA when the
general order comeA AZ We believe
II will come within tho NEXT few days,
In fact In len than . week. Tho
questions involved in this strike IL
ono OF principle. and It II not 4 sym
pathetic strike In the real sense Of
that term.
Casse OF Trouble.
Tho Now York Central violated
tn signed agreement with tho boiler
makers. when that agreement had at
least ten months to run. After sign
ing tho anmo agreement that had been
n effect tho year before. tho New
York Central changed its entire sys-
tenn Of shop work, putting boiieS-
makers ON piece work. or the Taylor
aystem. ~ Il u sometimes called.
Whatever name you apply. Il II the
Gy1tem that IN unions regard q slav-
cry. In addition to which tho COM
pany had violated its agrem ent,
which had yet ten months to run.
Unions cannot afford to lose a
hght for = principle ana for that
reason this question will be fought
g the end. THIS strike = not aimsd
- The American Locomotive WorkA
notwithstandlng t1ho well-known fact
that the Nsw York Central q one Of
the lnrRon& holdnfn az at0oh IN thai