The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1917-09-20
OWNERS
CUPIDITY
BLAMED
Especial to The Times. }

Especial to The Times.)
SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 20.--
When $4,000 skilled mechanics
packed their tools and walked out
of 100 factories here on Sept. IL,
they paralyzed work on 100000
600 of government and private
marine contracts, and many more
millions of private war contracts.
But their action was. not against
the government, nor against the
war.
There is no suspicion Of alien
enemy money influencing or fl
nancing the strike.
There is no shadow OF |. w.
w. ism behind It
Nor has this strike any connec-
ton with any other strike in San
Francisco, nor on the coast, the
street car strike here nor the
wooden ship strike in Seattle.
The metal trades strike
here is the final effort Of the
thousands of metal workers
to lift their wages somewhatN
proportionately with the in
creased cost of living, and to
secure a proportion, even IL
small, of the tremendously
inflated war profits their en-
ployers have won.
"Our people have to live" says
r. w. Burton, president of the
Iron Trades Council here and OF
the Pacific Coast Iron Trades
Council.
ITO live they must buy food
and clothing. The iron workers
scale that expired Sept. 15, had
been in effect three years. With
prices of everything doubled and
tripled in that time, we were liv-
ing on the same wage, and our
employers were reaping the tre-
mendous harvest of the war pro-
fits. We held out until our con-
tract expired and then we asked
/ for more money.
4 I'VE had to have II to live.
"Our employers were maxi
ing, more than they ever had
before. But not one cent Of
this would they give to us.
We had stayed with our bar
gain with them even when 1t
pinched. We didn't want to
| pinch them. Our proposition
wouldn't have pinched them.
But they took advantage OF
war conditions. They defied
| us to strike; pointed out the
government war orders, told
us the nation would rise
against us IL we went out
now, delaying war work. But
while we were to work and
starve they were to amass
greater wealth.
"Our patriotism was clear. We
had proved 1t by sticking to the
contract of three years ago, even
tho the prices of our output had
scared in the meantime. We had
not asked share in that profit.
But now anew contract must
be signed. and we want a price
upon which we can live. Have
you any idea what the increase in
living has been? Bradstreet's,
which is final authority Tor the
business man, said in its issue of
May IL, this year:
'Bradstreet's index num-
Der for May 4, depicts a new
high level. The current in
dex number reflects an in
/ crease of 10 per cent since
Jan. 1, last, while showing a
gain of 2S.s per cent since
May 4, 1915, and of as per
cent over the like date In
| 1914"
"This index number of which
Bradstreet talks Is a number they
figure each month from a list OF
the necessities of life for man.
II teh index number is up rs per
cent that means 1t costs you and |
me rs per cent more to live or
that what cost us a dollar three
Years ago in 1914, when we sign
ed the scale that just expired,
now costs us $1.75.
"And the employers want us to
get along on about the old wage
scale. If it's a matter of patriot
ism, where is their patriotism,
who make their millions in the
inflated profits Of the war, and
seek to compel us to get along
on wages that will now buy only
lfour-sevenths Of what they would
buy when first fixed?
"They threaten us with
the government. We have
no fear OF the government.
Our members have bought
Liberty bonds and 4given to
the Red Cross. Our menu
bers are In the new national
i army, ready to give their
HIVES for their country. What
we have is our governments.
But we do not believe that
that just government we
love and revere would have
us starve and our families I'm
want when our employers
grow soft on the fat of war
contracts.
"Put the blame for the delay
in war contracts where 1t belongs
ON the cupidity of our employ
|, ers.
I'VE seek only justice. We
|. offered arbitration. It was re-