The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-09-29
PRATT & WHITNEY SHOP TIED UP AS
 2,5Od QUIT JOBS
Big Plant at Hartford Grip pied By General Walk out
 of All Employees.
NO DISORDERS AS
 STRIKE IS CALLED
Eight Hour Day and Better Working Conditions Are
 Among Demands.

1 Hartford, Sept. 29.-Ma achinists and i other employees of the Pratt & Whit ney Company laid down their tools at II o'clock this morning and went on strike for an eight-hour day and better working conditions.
 William Larkin, business agent for the machinists and other labor men, place the number of those out at 2,500 and say the waIkout was a clean sweep, and the company completely crippled. Immediately after the strike was in motion, B. M. w. Han son, vice president and general man ager of the company, ordered the heads of all departments to report to him to the number of men out in each department, in order to learn definitely just how many men joined the strike.
 The walkout was orderly and while the men congregated along Capitol avenue after leaving the shops, at 11:s0, they had all gone to their homes after being notified there would be meeting of the strikers this afternoon lat 2 o'clock in the Park Casino.
 Shortly before noon there were scarcely 10 men on the street and Po- lice Sergeant Graf, who was in charge of a special squad of men de- tailed to bet on hand. said he never, before saw so many man act so or derly under a similar situation.
 There was quite a crowd of specta- tors outside the factory, waiting for the clock to strike II. Promptly as, the hour rank the man started to file from each building of the compapy's plant. The only men remaining were the carpenters and plumbers.
 The men from one building met the men from the small tool depart ment and they formed in line to march down to Capitol avenue where they were joined by the men coming from the main buildings. There, tags bearing a large figure "s''- were given them to be placed in their hats, advertising the fact that they were out for an eight hour day and the labor leaders passed through the crowd urging the men to be order 1y.
 While there were many men work ing in the factory after the walkout the labor men explained that these were mostly heavily paid machinists engaged in big work but that the small tools end of the plant was practically at standstill.
 Chairman Cosgrove, of the com mittee which waited upon General Manager Hanson yesterday was the first man to leave his department in the shop.
 MT. Hanson has brought this whole trouble upon himself'' he said We went to him Tuesday and wanted to talk to him and settle the whole af- fair peacefully and without trouble but he would not listen to us. Leav-z ing our work is not going to, do us any immediate good but the company must realize that we are out to mean business"
 MT. Hanson, who was in his office at II o'clock and saw the men walking from the gates, made a surprising statement: 'tNo demands were made upon me Tuesday, he said, "and I know nothing of any concessions or changes wanted by employees of the Pratt & Whitney Company. The com mittee came to me and I refused to talk to MT. Larkin who is, as I un- derstand. a labor organizer, and is not employed by the Pratt 6 Whitney Company Another member was not employed here and I refused >to talk with him. The remaining members had been employed here only a few months and two of them seemed to me to be nothing more than kias. II did not know any of them personally afid in none did I recognize an em- ploye of the Pratt & Whitney Com pany of a years standing. In short, to sum up, I did not consider the com mittee a representative committee of the Pratt & Whitney employees"