Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1918-12-18
ESTIMATE 1900
OUSTED SHOULD
PLANT Be SHUT
Arsenal Federation Committee
Claims Closed Harness Shop
VIII Cripple Employees.
WANT FACTORY kEPT HERE
Give Itemized L list Of Leather Goods
NeeeSSar5 Which Must Be Nan-
ufactured Regardless War.

One thousand nine hundred
men viii be affected at Rock
island arsenal should the harness
shop there be closed and d tractor
plant be installed in its place,
iommitJee Of the arsenal federation
.nuouncei today. Direct informa-
ZION thar the harness shop is to be
llosed has been obtained from the
proper authorities, the arsenal
workers committee asserts.
How tie men in tile different
shops will be affected has been
tented as follows: harness shop,
400. equipment shop, $50, car
penter shop. $50. foundry. 10. Each
Of the shops. other than the bar
ness. aid in the production Of the
supplies made by the harness work
Crs
Tnvestigation by the committee
has resulted in finding that Sc.
COO 1000 worth Of leather is on hand
in storeh0uses at the arsenal It
s asserted that $500 600 worth of
this stock could be utilized for the
manufacture Of mail bags and
pouches used by the postal depart
ment Of the government. 1t IS the
desire Of the government employees
TO have the making Of these pouches
and bags transferred to the arsenal
from the outside manufacturers by
whom they are now being made
The committee contends that a
tractor plant could be constructed
CT begun at the arsenal without
using the harness shop. There is
enough room on the island, some
one thousand acres, ] believe, where
sll OF the experimental work, etc,
could be done should the tractor
plant be started c. W Easley, a
member OF the committee. stated
today
A list Of leather goods that are
manufactured during peace times
by the government and are essen
tial TO the army at all times has
been prepared by The committee and
he work if kept at the arsenal
would be sufficient to supply occu-
patton for the men now employed
there The list includes. leather
equipment for the infantry branch
Of the army, cases for machine guns
and artillery parts. cases for all
1eld gun instruments. leather
equipment for artillery and ambu-
lance branches. cavalry saddles and
equipment for same, wire cart and
signal corps harness, leather equip
ment for the coast artillery and
pack saddles.
GitcheH TO Report.
Major B. H GiLchell from Secre-
tary Of War Bakers office in Wash
ington meets with the arsenal
workers at the Industrial home at
Third avenue and Twenty-frst
street tomorrow night to make hts
report on labor conditions as he
has found them at Rock Island ar
senal. He has been working for
the last few days with d committee
Of the arsenal federation. He came
10 Rock Island after a committee
from this city had gone to Wash
ington 70 make an appeal for the
island W0rkmen
It is eEpec- ed by the arsenal fed
Grafton members that Major Glitch
eli IN his report viii recommend
10 the war department that leather
lured fer the government by out
side concerns be turned over to the
arsenals operated by the ordnance
department
Appeal to Mayors.
This afternoon r. A De Silver
and Mr.. EasIey Of the arsenal COM
mittee sought to arrange for meet /
lngs with the mayor Of Davenport
and Mayor William NcCorOchie
with reference TO the housing prop
ositon in the t-i-cities
Why are the commercial clubs
Of the local cities making such a
hight for The houses here when they
are allowing steps to Re taken
which viii mean the removal Of
nearly two thousand men if the
harness shop is closed" Mr.. Fasley
said. The mayors Of the two cities
Mi he asked 10 take some action
10 help keep the men affected in
The tri-cff9es