Republican farmer., 1918-05-10
.LAVIT CALLS WORKERS
FROM LIBERTY PLANT;
CONFERE ENCES START
MAJOR GENERAL IRWIN ARRIVES FROM
WASHINGTON TO TAKE HAND IN STU
ALTON WHICH THREATENS NATION
ARMS STRIKERS STILL OUT

>
forts made by the government
of the United States to bring
to an amicable settlement the
dispute between the Machin-
lists union and the Remington
Arms Co. of Bridgeport, it was
announced this afternoon that
Samuel Lavit, business agent
for the Machinists' union, call
ed a strike at the Liberty Ord
nance plant in an effort to tie
up the work being done upon
government contracts.
Owing to the fact That the vast ma
jority of the workers are loyal to their
country and have perfect confidence
in the Washington authorities to rem
edy any grievances they may have, the
machinists who walked out failed to
stop the wheels from turning and the
machine shops will continue to pro-
duce their quotas of munitions.
w. A. Erwin, of Washington, one
of the officials of the Ordnance De-
partment, is in Bridgeport, having ar
rived last Monday. His mission is to
investigate the grievances of the
workers and adjust them in the same
manner as the grievances of the ship
builders and the railroad workers have
been adjusted.
1t appears Erwin is making "a very
thorough investigation so when he re-
turns to Washington he can lay a
complete report of conditions before
the Labor commission, of which Ex-
President Howard Taft, is a member.
The action of the machinists in
walking out and retarding the output
of munitions has met with protest
from other workers and the public.
At o'clock yesterday afternoon
Waldo c. Bryant, district ordnance
chief, received from Washington a
letter signed by Brig.-Gen. C. C. Will
-Iiams of the Ordnance Department,
which appealed to the loyalty of the
workers and asked them to stay at
their work while the government ad-
justed their grievances. A copy OF
this letter was sent to Business Agent
Samuel Lavit, of the Machinists
union, and when received by him he
in turn showed it to a few other Off
GERS of his union remarking:
Better not show it to the boys now
it would spill the beans.''
Both the federal and the local au.
thorities in Bridgeport are preparing
for word from the district and loca
draft boards to begin a roundup o.
machinists of draft age who have
been allowed to work on munition!
through industrial exemption. Imme
Siately they quit work for which tn
exemption was granted they becam
subject to instant draft in the classe
in which they were originally rated.
When a man stays away from tn
Remington Arms plant for three sue
cessive days he is automatically dis
charged. The district boards are the
notified by the factory officials an,
they in turn notify the local boards
If the man does not appear before hi
local board Immediately and repoi
for army service, his name will
turned over to the agents of the De
partment Of Justice and the polio,
and he will be placed under arrest.
While government officials from
Washington last night were
straining every effort to adjust
the dispute between the manu-
facturers and the machiniSts,
Samuel Lavit, accompanied by
body guard, wined and dined in n
German cafe on Fairfield avenue
near the railroad depot.
That the War Department offfcia
in Washington recognize the gravi
of the situation in Bridgeport is o
vious from the way they have rush'
important officials to this city with
view to bringing about a settleme
without in any way stopping the wo
upon the guns which mean life
death to our men at the front. A
cording to notification received fro
the capital officials they are stunn
at the attitude taken by the worke
in Bridgeport and are reluctant to /
lieve any body of men should so
forget their duty to the nation.
Brigadier General c. c. Williar
letter of appeal to the workers
continue at their tasks while the g.
ernment arranged for wage increa
was prominently displayed to all
workers in the shops yesterday g
today and undoubtedly had the eff
Of keeping many men at their po
The letter was received by Wa
c. Bryant district ordnance ch
reminding the men that the COVE