Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1911-09-24
KATY CARMEN IN
SYSTEM STRIKE
FIFTEEN HUNDRED DROP THEIR
HAMMERS YESTERDAY.
WALK out WAS INEVITABLE
Two Companies, Attorneys Advised,
Could Not Make One ASrc'-
mcnt Covering Both.

Dallas, Tex. sept. 23.-IraCi'allN
every member Of the Carmen's Union,
employed by the Missouri, Kansas ~
Texas Railway Company In Texas,
went out on strike Saturday, follow
ing the receipt Of instructions from
headquarters Of the order.
The walkout affects the Carmen on
the entire system. a total of slightly
over 1000, of whom about 25O are
in Texas. The strike was caused by
the refusal of the Missouri Kansas
& Texas officials TO meet the Car
mems representatives to consider n
new working agreement for the entire
system. The refusal was based on
legal adviccs, according to officials Of
the system in Texas, 1t being held that
one agreement could not cover the
entire system, as the Missouri, KAN
sas q Texas of Texas, is under sep
arate agreement. The officers of the
Missouri, Kansas & Texas declare that
thirty days to which they are entitled
under the present agreement, was
never given.
Nothing as TO the terms of the de-
sired new agreement has been given
out, but it is understood to call for a
new wage scale.
The strike is in some respects sim
liar to that which now threatens the
Illinois Central and the Hartman
lines. on those properties there is an
effort on the part Of the shop en-
playes to secure agreements covering
the entire systems Just whether the
Missouri, Kansas q Texas walkout is
connected, either directly or indirect
ly with the conditions on the other
lines, can not be ascertalned, but the
similarity between the two situations
i5 sufficiently striking to arouse COM
ment in railroad circles.
The instructions to "Walk Out'
were received at the points in Texas
where the Missouri, Kansas q Texas
carmen are employed. early Saturday,
The order followed the failure of the
Missouri Kansas e Texas officials 30
grant a request for a conference on
or before September %, 1t is claimed
ly the men. According to figures
available here, there are about $50
men affected at Denison, and an equal
number at all other Texas points,
which are Greenville Dallas, Fort
Worth, Hillsboro, Waco, Granger,
Smithville, Houston and Wichita
Falls. The forces employed at the
latter points range from six to twenty
men. In Dallas about fifteen men are
affected. These received the strike
order about 1900 o'clock this morn
ing and promptly obeyed IT.
In explanation Of the company's at
titude, A. d. Bethard, yice-president
and general manager Of the Missouri,
Kansas & Texas, in Texas, said:
I'VE are now operating under an
agreement with the Carmen, made i'm
April, 1910. The general committee
representing the men met at Par
sons, Kan, earlier in the year, and
shortly afterward notified US that
they wanted n new wage agreement
covering the entire system. We told
them that we could not legitimately
make such an agreement, as our at
torneys had advised us against It, and
that II would be necessary to make
one agreement with tho North COM
pany-that is north of Red River
and another with the Texas company.
THE Carmen then refused to nego-
tiate. except with the system as a
whole and this we were obliged to
decline"