The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1917-09-21
MARINES PROTECT
PLANTS IN WEST
TIED UP BY STRIKE
Fifteen Persons Injured During
Riots at San Francisco.
MANY AFFECTED BY WALKOUT
Owners Of Factories Which Have War
Contracts Valued at s15o,ooo,0oo
Await Action by Federal Gov
ernment-HurIey Will At
tempt to Settle Trouble.

San Francisco, Sept. 18.-Strike dots
and disorders on Monday, in which 10
persons received injuries necessitating
hospital treatment and 80 rioters were
arrested, continued throughout the day
following the walkOut of $4,000 iron
workers and shipbuilders, which
brought work to a standstill on more
than $15O,00O,000 of naval and mer-
chant vesse! construction for the gov
eminent. The strike is characterized
as the most extensive in the history OF
the Pacific coast.
A company of United States marines
was landed at the Union Iron works
dock, where the men went on strike.
Tt is reported another company has
been ordered from Mare Island to the
plant and that the government Will
take similar action to protect ship
building plants at other bay points.
Full details of the strike and the de-
tmands of the % unions involved for
higher wages have been reported to
Washington. The employers have
placed the issue squarely up to the
federal officials, closing down their
plants and making no attempt to OPP
crate while they await government &C
ton.
100 Plants Are Affected.
The strikers, some of them skilled
mechanics, started quitting work at
nine o'clock in the morning when the
10000 iron workers in the Oakland and
San Francisco plants of the Union Iron
works laid down their tools. The strike
spread rapidly until every shipyard In
the bay district was closed down and
more than 100 factories, machine
shops, automobile concerns and other
plants were affected.
The worst riOting and disorders took
place in connection with the strike of
iron workers since the employees OF
the United railroad walked out five
weeks ago.
Fifteen Riots Occur.
Fifteen separate riots occurred dur
ing the day and as many smaller dis
turbances in which cars were stoned,
inonunion mOtormen and conductors
dragged from their platforms and beat
en-, passengers, including women, in
jured and cars disabled.
Employers in the iron trades and
shipbuilding industry charged that the
strike of their men was largely
prompted by sympathy for the strik-
ing street-car men.
In a statement issued by the Iron
Trades council from union headQuar-
tiers this charge was emphatically de-
MED and the mems side of the case
was laid before the public. The
statement claims that the employers
are getting all the war profits while
ell the men ask is wage sufficient to
maintain their families in decent COM
fort"
President May Take Hand.
Washington, Sept. 19.-EmplOyers
and employees involved in the. labor
disputes in shipyards on the Pacific
coast, as well as in other sections of
the country, are to be asked to come
to a speedy agreement to aid the gov
eminent in it's work.
If necessary President Wilson may
take hand in settling the troubles
which have interrupted government
work.
AS yet the executive mansion is
holding off from entering into the stu
alton, and attempts at settling the dis
putes have been left largely in the
hands of the shipping board, the newly
organized adjustment committee and
President Gompers of the American
Federation of Labor.
Chairman Z. n Hurley made prep
aratiOns to leave for San Francisco
to place the arguments of the federal
authorities before the labor and cap
ital involved Mr.. Hurley will carry
with him the authority of the, presi-
% M 1nffn %nIx