Coulee City dispatch. [volume] (Coulee City, Wash.) 19??-19??, 1917-06-28
PLAN TO COMBAT
MENACE OF I. w. w.

northwest Que 10 the demands OF the
l. w. w., emergency measures will
be demanded by virtually every
business interest of Washington and
Idaho within the next four or five
days.
Whether the demand will be upon
Governor Lister for an immediate
special session of the legislature and
the submission of bill establishing
a state constabulry, or for declar-
alton of martitl law is debated.
More than 1000 loggers in north
ern Idaho have wall1d out in the
last 10 days and the logging camps
of many companies are idle. In the
vicinity of North Yakima 100 mem.
bers of the l. w. w. are reported tc
be gathered.
The state defense councils of both
Washington and Idaho have selected
the threat to states and to the nation
as their first problem. Charles Heb
berd of Spokane, A. L. Rodgers OF
Waterville and E. P. Marsh of Ever
ett, members of the Washington CO.
uncil, are in the Yakima valley to-
day and the entire council will meet
in North Yakima Monday. Lieuten-
ant Governor Ernest L. Parker of
Idaho, a member of the council OF
that state, is in Couer d. Alene today
investigating the situation in the
woods and comforting with Judge
]. F. Ailshie, also a member of the
council. Two other members, A. W.
Laird and Harry L. Day of Wallace
are in Spokane holding themselves
in readiness for a suddenly called
meeting.
The threat to the fruit industry OF
the Yakima Valley is twofold. In
addition to a demand for scale Of
wages higher than ever paid, the
fruit growers face a shortage of box
es, without which they cannot mar.
ket their fruit. Guthrie & Co.
which has a Is year contract to fur
nish logs from the vicinity of Gle
Elum to the Cascade Lumber Com
pany of North Yakima, has been un-,
able to operate for nearly two
months. AS consequence the Gas
cade Company, the principal manu-
facturer of box shocks there, is un
able to fill half the orders offered it
Investigation of the situation as
it affects the Inand Empire has beer
been started by the Spokane Cham.
ber of commerce, with a view OF
collecting information to enable that
body to determine its position.
The situation as it existed two
weeks ago was presented to Govern
or Lister by delegates representing
all lines of industry in eastern
Washington in a conference at the
Davenport hotel.
Governor Listers reply was that
he would have an investigation made
by chairman E. F. Blaine of the pub
lie service commission. Mr.. Blain's
report, few days later, contained
a recommendation that the state off
icials arrange a series of confer
ences between employers and rep
resentatives of the l. w. w.
The proposal to meet the l. w. w.
as recognized organization was in
stantly rejected by every employer
who learned of it and no action was
taken on Mr.. Blain's report. AS the
situation stands now all action is up
to Governor Lister.
For every branch of agricultural
and horticultural activity the agri-
cultural workers organization, 8
subsidiary of the I. w. w. has for
mulated series of demands.
In every case the demands include
an eight hour day, with "time and
half" for overtime work and doub-
lie time for Sunday and holiday
work. In no cases is the wage to
fall below $50 month, exclusive of
board and lodging. Some of the
scale demands are:
Clearing land, $3.50 day.
Picking soft fruit, $3.50 day.
Picking apples or potatoes, So.
Timber operations, $3.50 day.
Teamsters, S. a day.
All river work, S5 a day.
Fruit box making, Sc day.
Apple and peach packing 81 day.
Haying, So day.
Stacking, S. day.
All farm laborers are to receive
minimum of $50 a month and for
irrigators, $75 is asked. If the work
in any class of labor is more than
half mile from the living quarters
the trip each way must be made on
the employers time. The demands,
both for agricultural and timber
work, are for one bunk for each
man; no two decked hunks, mattress
es and bedding to be furnished by
the employers.