The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1916-03-03
SELECTS ARBITERS
Anchorage Man Tells Of r. r. Strike

Commerce.
Today tho few remaining team.
etora engaged In hauling supplies
from tho end OF the track at
Peters Greek 10 points along the
MRtanuHkN valley, expected TO be
tho scene OF next summers great.
est construction activities. came In.
leaving only enough men 20 care
for tho animals.
Backed by Affldavits
What follows here IL n plain
statement OF fact obtained first.
hand by tho writer.
Some OF those facts have been
placed In tho form OF affidavits
and others are fully eubstantiated
by reliable witnesses. This In writ
ten by one whose name has never
appeared on tho commission pay.
roll. who has never aaplred 20 have
IL written there. who Is under no
obligations 90 any ono on either
side OF the trench and whose
sense ~ Justice hasn't been dulled
by association with either the
higherupn or the shovel stiffa"
The question ~ wages now II IN.
yolyed That. however. was a
minor one seth tho steel gang.
IL IN notorious that tho wages
established By tho Alaskan engi.
neering commission are tho lowest
paid skilled labor az any point In
Alaska or on tho Pacific Coast
The Scale OF Wages
a..
wages paid common labor on the
commission arc the highest ever
paid on a railroad IN tho southern
part OF the territory. but the Eys.
tenn Of compensation established
for station work more than offset
tho credit for pay OF their day la
borera.
Tho A. f. c. scale at Anchorage
follows; Common labor, STA
cents an hour; carpenters. black.
smiths and other mechanics. 90
cents an hour. but many OF their
employees ar. hired by tho month.
az from $50 To SEQ. which does
no, include board.
Wages paid by private employees
are FIFTY cents for common and
not lees than 70 cents for skilled
labor.
Tho scale now asked by the In.
surgents r.: Minimum OF 90 cents
for common labor. price and a half
for overtime. double pay for sun.
days and holidays. minimum Of 70
cents for carpenters. cooks and
bakers. graduated from $50 10 fi25
a month. depending on sixe OF
crow. and Including board. team.
sters. $50 20 fi2o and board. de-
pending on sixs OF teams.
Hints al Deportation
Committees OF the union and
Chamber Of Commerce held confer.
ences with Commissioner MeaFs
saturday.
While 20 the business men. he
expressed " desire TO have an ear.
y and amicable settlement. and
stated tina, the men had not played
fair In walking out without flra,
having reported their grievances to
him. he also indicated q desir. 20
uss tho mailed fist" In dealin.
with tho situation. suspension Of
navigation dnrirg nid~inser
months being about the only OBJ.
staels 10 deportation OF "undesir-
ables.- The real first cause OF the
vaikout and phenomenal growth Of
tho labor Organization was tho In.
human. inrani,ary and almost un.
bslieyabls conditions under which
the steel gang worked.
Lived In Fls Cars
Their combined sleeping and
living quarters we're fiat cars. on
which had been built rlmsily con.
sirucici shacks. without means OF
ventilation except thru weather
cracks In floor and sails.
These cars. - By feet In sire.
contained - rough hunks In three
tiers. There wasn't room for
seats. and tho hunks wero the gen.
eral resting place for occupants
With temperature ranging from
10 to 30 below zero. the cars were
heated by stove placed In tho
center 30 that occupants OF tho
center tiers OF hunks were over
heated. and those az the ends were
unable 10 keep warm.
Il have been IN aoma OF the most
notorious logging camps and con.
structlcn camps OF tho Middle
West. and I never saw anything TO
compare with H." said ono OF my