Abbeville progress. (Abbeville, Vermilion Parish, La.) 1913-1944, 1917-01-06
INDUSTRIAL AND ECONOMIC

The outstanding feature of the year
in the Industrial world was the threat
ened strike of the 100000 members Of
the four great railway brotherhoods,
which was prevented only by the pas
sage 10y congress of the Adamson hill.
The demands Of the four brother
hoods. representing the engineers. fire
men. conductors and trainmen. were
made upon the railroads early in the
year and after fruitleSs conferences
between the representatives OF the
brothcrhOods and the committee Of
general managers representing praC-
tically every railroad in the United
States. a strike vote was taken among
the members of the brotherhOodS. On
July % il was announced that the
vote had been overwhelmingly in favor
of a strike unless the demands of the
men were granted by the railroads.
The federal board of mediation i'm
mediately offered its services in an eff
fort to prevent a strike but on August
10 the board announced that it had
been unable to bring about an agree
ment and on the following day Presi-
dent Wilson summoned the general
managers committee and the brother
hoods representatives to the White
House for a conference. This confer
ence produced no result, the railroad
managers offering to submit the whole
controversy to arbitration but the
brotherhood representatives refusing
TO agree to arbitration of their eight
hour day demands. August %, Presi-
dent Wilson, with a promise from the
brotherhood leaders that they could
rescind their strike order, already is
sued, if law were passed providing
for the placing of their wage scales
on an eight-hOur basis, went before
congress and asked the passage of
three bills which he deemed neceS-
sary to meet the situation. One of
these bills provided that EIGHT hours
shall be deemed the measure or stand
ard of a days work for the purpose Of
reckoning the compensation for serv-
ices of all employees" operating trains
in interstate traffic.
Other bills proposed by the president
provided for the compulsory submits
sion of rail labor disputes to a board
of mediation to be appointed by the
president before strike could be de-
clared and for goveN.t1eSa operation Of
the railways in case Of military neces-
sity.
The bill embodyinC the provision for
the eight-hour basis for wages, known
as the Adamson bill, was rushed
through the house September l and
was passed by the senate September 2.
The order for a strike which was to
have gone into effect September 4 was
then rescinded. The session OF con-
gress ended shortly afterwards and
consideration of the other measures
proposed by the president was post
poned until the next session.
Strikes were in progress in a num-
Der of Industries during the early part
of the year and some were marked by
scenes of violence. April "a, striking
employees of the Westinghouse COM
pany, led by a masked woman, riQted
in East Pittsburgh. Fatal strike riots
occurred at the Carnegie Steel works
in Braddock, Pa, May ,. A big strike
was started by the Chicago garment
workers May 9. Express drivers in
Chicago struck May 16 and consider
able violence marked the strike ex-
press wagons being operated under po-
lice protection. July ID, state troops
we're sent to La Sale, ILL.,, to quell
riots of cement works strikers.
A strike of street railway men
stopped all surface cars in the Dor
oughs of Manhattan, Bronx and Rich
mond, New York, August 5, but the
strike ended two days later tempo
rari1y. September g. q strike of all
men on the subway, elevated and sur
face lines in New York was called
Serious riots marked the street car
strike in New York, particularly on
October 8.
November 5, a large party of l. W.
w. members from Seattle engaged in
a battle with a sheriff's posse at Ever
EFT, Wash. Seven men were killed dur
ing the fighting.
November 10, the National Industrial
Conference Board was organized by
representatives of several associations
of manufacturers said TO embrace 49,
600 employers, giving work to approx
mately 100000 persons. The board,
20
interests of employers in their rela-
tons with labor.
November %, Judge Hook of the
United States district court at Kansas
City, Mo-, held the AdamsOn eight-hOur
law unconstitutional and an agreement
was reached between the representa-
tives of the government and of the rail
roads for an appeal to the United
States Supreme court in an effort to
obtain final decision on the validity
of the law as soon as possible.
The year was marked, especially, in
the latter portion, by marked Increases
in wages in many Industries. Increases
Of $S,O00OO0 annually were granted in
the soft coal fields March 6. The Cni-
ted States Steel Corporation, Novem-
Der p, announced a 10 per cent in
crease Of wages, amounting to approx
mately $20000.000 annually. Novem-
Der %, New England cotton mills an
nounced a general increase in wages.
Wages were increased during the year
in the packing industries and in many
other fields.