The Twin Falls times. [volume] (Twin Falls, Idaho) 1905-1916, 1916-03-21
WAGE QUESTION IS
RAISED AT FACTORY
Delegation of 20 WOrkmen In
vestigate Company Pledges
NOTICE OF ALLEGED STRIKE is
POSTED ON ROAD TO SITE.
Superintendent COwman Denies That
There Was Any Strike and Says
Plenty of Men Can Be Secured.

About 20 workmen came in from
the grounds of the sugar factory Fri
day morning and announced that they
had struck for an increase in the
wages of 221a cents an hour paid
by the Larrowe Construction company
for preliminary work on the factory
site. A number of notices to the ef-
feet that a strike was on were posted
on the road leading to the factory
site. The men visited the rooms of
the Twin Falls Commercial club in
a body and asked Secretary James
Mcmillan in regard to whether the
construction company had agreed to
pay current wages prevailing in Twin
Falls, which they alleged was from
$3.50 to SO a day. They were in
formed that the only statement rela-
tive to laborers was the informal one
that preference would be shown to
home laborers and that, as far as
possible, local workmen would be en-
ployed. Nothing had been said about
wages. The men all claimed that
they lived in this city. They asserted
that when they received $2.25 a day
and had paid out 20 cents for trans
portation and a dollar for room and
board, they had but $1.05 left. There
was more or less talk of the alleged
strike on the streets on Friday and
Saturday.
Asked yesterday by a TIMES re-
porter in regard to the matter SUI
perintendent Cowman laughed and de-
clared that there had been no real
strike. He said that the first time
he knew anything about a strike was
when he read the notices posted along
the road. He said that few men had
declared themselves dissatisfied with
the wages offered and had gone back
to town, but he did not consider it as
a strike in any sense, and did not
know that they did until he read
the notices. In fact, the thing was
all over before he got out Friday
morning Some of the men who re-
fused to work Friday on account OF
the wages paid had since gone back
he asserted He said that the COM
pany could get $50 men at once, il
they wanted them, but would not gel
fully under way for a couple of weeks
for while the temporary track had
been completed on the spur and sew
eral cars had been unloaded, much o1
the necessary material was still in
transit and only about 25 men were al
rant has entered into an agreement
with the construction company to fur
nish meals and will be ready to take
care of about 200 men in ten days
or two weeks. The men employed
can either go back and forth from
the city morning and evening or car
get tents and camp on the grounds
Mr. Cowman said that the question o
establishing a bunkhouse would be de
termined later.
Asked in regard to wages, the su
perintendent declined to make
statement, saying that no scale hat
yet been finally determined
Among the rumors on the street
Saturday was one to the effect tho
handbills signed Commercial Club
had been distributed in Los Angeles
San Francisco and Denver announc
ing that Twin Falls needed 1000 work
men at once. Secretary Mcmillan
made a search for someone VIII
claimed to have seen the circular, bu
did not find anyone, though numbe
said that they had been told tha
such was the case.