The Washington herald., 1918-06-10
HURLEY AYERS
KNIGHT GIVES
UNTRUE VIEWS
Strike Leader Claims D. c.
Has Funds to Pay y
Laid Off.
MEN REFUSE TRANSFER
900 to Accept Other Work
Unless Demands Are
Granted Today.

Unless the strike of municipal per
diem employees is settled by four
o'clock this afternoon. Joseph II.
Hurley, president of the City En-
sIoyes' Association, through which
organization the strike was declared.
declared yesterday that 800 of the
100 men on strike would accept en-
rioyment offered to them by three
large corporations engaged in war
work construction In this city.
: Mr.. Hurley stated that he had re-
ceived the offers OF employment for
the men yesterday, and that he would
! either accept or decline them this
afternoon, his reply depending upon
the settlement OF the strike.
None Of the union men who are en-
pIoyed at the water and sewerage
humping stations. both Of which are
from work yesterday. Mr.. Hurley
asserted that this was according to
the plan of the association.
/ To Remain.
Those men,. he stated, had been
directed by the association to remain
at their posts until they were re-
heved by responsible persons, placed
there h5the District Commissioners.
= He fsecisred that Il was not the in
tention of his organization to do any
thing which would endanger the pub
lie health and sanitation Of the Dis
trist He also declared that the men
employed in the District stables had
been ordered to remain at their work.
and see that the horses in their
charge were fed and watered as
usual until they were relieved by the
Commissioners.
| The employe who daily carries the
| District mail from the City, Post
Office to the District Building. ac-
cording to Mr. Hurley's statement
will make one trip this morning.
carrying the mail which has accumu-
lated over Sunday. and then quit for
! the duration of the strike.
Accuses Commissioners.
| The statement by the Commission
ers that the % men at the pumping
, station were laid off because of lack
: of funds with which to pay their
salaries, was declared untrue by Mr..
Hurley.
General Knight" he asserted.
has been deliberately misinformed
by Superintendent Phillips of tn"
lever department, regarding. the ques-
lIOn VI "HtlnCE VI hON az
enough funds to pay the salaries of
the men laid off. There are funds
available from eight different ap-
rronriations of the sewer department,
which may be used INTERCHANGEABLE
for the expenses of the different
divisions of the department. and men
working there are now being paid
from them"
The officials Of the mems organiza-
ton declare that the appropriation
of the pumping station has never
since its establishment been sufficient
for its expenses. and that for the last
IS or 20 years funds from other ap-
lpropriations have been transferred to
the pumping station.
The Eight Funds.
The eight appropriations Of the
sewer department to which the men
refer were stated by Mr.. Hurley to
he for the cleaning and repairing of
sewers, for constructing main and
pipe sewers, for constructing suburb
an sewers, for assessment and per-
nit work. for sewerage pumping
service, for the construction OF an
Anacostia main interceptor, Of
Rock Creek interceptor, and for an
Upper Potomac interceptor.
| When questioned regarding he
proposed investigation by the Secre-
tary of Labor, Mr.. Hurley stated the
grounds on which the men would re-
turn to work as follows:
There is nothing for Secretary
| Wilson to settle.
'Tf the unexpended balances show
! that there Is not enough money To
nav at once the increases demanded
! in our ultimatum of May 18th, and
the Commissioners agree to put these
increases into effect on July 1st, the
beginning Of a new fiscal year when
! the new District appropriations Will
be available, the men will go back
to work. provided also that the z
men laid of at the pumping station
! are restored to their original posi-
tions, and the work Of abolishing the
mems year round Saturday half holi-
day Is undone."
Through the oficials Of their organ
ization, the % men laid OF at the
pumping station have declared that
they will not accept the offer Of the
iCo Commissioners Of employment IN the
construction division Of the city gov.
ernment. They state that their WORK
at the pumping station Is Of tech
nical character and that they do not
care to take up laborers' work.