Omaha daily bee., 1917-06-14

LlnColn, Nep., june lo'-\opeSidi
Telegram. )-Orders have been re-
ceived by T. S. Allen, United States
district attorney, to proceed to
Omaha and investigate the strike
situation there, especial stress being
laid on the matter of ascertaining
if interstate commerce has been in
terfered with. He will look after
the matter early next week.
Attorney General Willis Reed is in
Omaha investigating the status of the
strike situation here. He is calling
on a number of people to gain what
information he can in order to de-
termine whether there is any condi-
ton here which will call for action
by the state authorities. 81 am SIM
ply looking over the field" he said,
"and have not decided what | shall
do"
Building material was delivered to
the building jobs yesterday for the
first time in over three weeks, since
the strike of the Teamsters union
was followed by a shutting off OF de-
liveries from these yards.
Material men say the reopening is
not the result of any direct agree
ment with the strikers and that no
concessions have beeen made.
Wagons Start to Move.
There is no recognition of the
unions. Nonunion and union team
sters are employed to make the de-
liveries. Union pickets arc still out,
and few disturbances occurred when
the wagons began to move.
The Guiou & Ledwich Lumber
company, Nineteenth and lizard
streets, sent out two loads of lum-
ber early in the morning, with union
driver on one and nonunion driver
on the other. The loads got only a
few blocks from the yards when a
squad of union pickets stopped them
and held conference, which resulted
in both teamsters hauling their loads
back into the yards.
Police assistance was called tor
driver at Twentieth and Webster
streets, but it is understood the dis
turbance was slight.
The Shafer Printing company job
at Seventeenth and Webster streets
is to go ahead with construction work
at once if material can be had. The
contractor was expecting material
during the forenoon and was said to
have a force of workmen ready to
begin building operations as soon as
material arrived.
Building material was eagerly
awaited also by the contractors on the
Job of building the Fitzgerald garage
at Sixteenth and Leavenworth.
To Waive Closed Shop.
Several representatives of the
unions told Governor Neville at Lin
coin Tuesday that they would waive
the closed shop demand in order to
effect a settlement of the controversy
in Omaha. The Business Mems asso-
citation of Omaha and the contractors
are still standing for an open shop,
and the work of making deliveries OF
material and attempting to start the
building activities was begun on the
open shop basis. This was illustrated
by the fact that a union and a nom
union man were sent out together
with two loads of material by the
Guiou & Ledwith company.
Electrical contractors generally say
they are willing to pay electricians 90
cents per hour, while they have been
getting 5719 cents. They made de-
maifd for 69A cents, however, when
they struckSome months ago. At that
time the contractors offered to give
the 90 cents, but refused to go as high
as 684 cents.
Do Not Expect Trouble.
Most of the material men in the
city say they anticipate no serious
trouble now that deliveries have be-
gun. They do not look for the drivers
to be molested to any great extent,
and they say that the nonunion drivers
had little or no apprehension in start
ing out on deliveries in the morning.
One situation which has been
cleared up by the three weeks tieup in
the brick shortage situation. Omaha
was practically brickless when the tie
up came. The three weeks with out
deliveries has given the yards chance
to make a supply and catch up. The
Smith Brick company, the largest in
the city, has accumulated consider
able supply of its product in the three