The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-09-18
POULTRY STRIKERS
OBJECT TO Big FIST
Quit Work When Government
Agent Punches a Few
Chicken Thieves.

Trading in live poultry at West WASH
ington Market was tied up In hard knots
for several hours yesterday by a strike
Of Chicken pullers" and drivers Of
trucks engaged in toting live chickens.
ducks and turkeys from the railroad
yards in Hoboken to the stands Of the
New York dealers. The purpose Of the
strike was to enforce a demand for the
bouncing OF w. J. Boyle. the courageous
and big listed Government agent. who.
as confidential market investigator for
Cy.ps c. Miller. head OF the Bureau OF
Transportation and Distribution Of the
State Food Commission. is roofing thiev-
ing employees out Of the business.
As told recently In THE SUN. Mr..
Boyle has been most successful in his
assignment Of preventing thefts OF live
poultry from trucks and cars. These
thefts have resulted in the loss to re-
ceivers Of many thousands Of dollars
annually. and before his appearance in
the market nobody. not even the police.
had been able to stop them. Mr.. Boyle
doesn't think very much of making ar
| rests, although in his crusade he has
| made two 'pinches."
Merely whips the Chicken Thieves
His method Of driving home a Govern
| mental notion that stealing In war times
isn't proper Is simplicity itself. When
ever he has caught chicken puller"
| or driver yanking a live chicl\n out OF
its crate and wringing its neck he has
/ reclaimed, the dead bird and given an
impressive demonstration Of the fact
that physically he was by far the better
man OF the two. At least ten or a dozen
husky chicken thieves were made to ap-
| preciate the potency Of both his right
| and left. after which he permitted them
| to 20 providing they would promise to
steal no more. Then he reported the In
| cident to the properly admonished ones
| employer with request that the man
| be discharged
II is an open secret In the live poultry
| trade that chicken pullers'' and drivers
who haven't been honest with their
bosses have of late had a most profound
respect for the Government man. and
thefts have been reduced to a minimum.
Live poultry receivers admit that they
are under great obligations to Mr.. Boyle.
Small Comfort From Miller.
However. there are some employees in
the market who believe that Mr. Boyle
Is a menace to their future happiness and
certain Of these decided that he ought to
be relegated to a Job where he wouldn't
have a chance to watch what they have
always considered honest grating on
the quiet" So a strike was declared.
many went out and the movement of
live poultry between the cars and the
stands was stopped.
| A committee OF Ave men. representing
the strikers. took their woes to Director
Miller. Mr.. Miller fiivvered with the
committee over to Hoboken. He invited
George c. Brown. Max Kossar. Sam
Werner and other big dealers to take
part in the deliberations. All hands met
at Eagle Hall, Ferry and Henderson
streets. and Mr.. Miller asked what the
strikers wanted.
Take Boyle out of the Market" many
shoIted
! Mr.. Miller explained that this couldn't
be done. He said Mr.. Boyle was a Gov
eminent agent on the specific Job OF
cleaning up conditions which everybody
knew had long existed. He declared that
II was we'll known that most OF the
chicken pullers and drivers were honest
men and that crooks existed In every
business. He advised the men to &c
back to work and bring any just griev-
ances that they might have to the Fed
eral Food Board.
| Tom Mullen. the union delegate, told
the strikers II was foolish to deliver an
ultimatum to the Government. and the
men, after reflection. agreed that Tom
was right. So the strike was called of
the chickens started to move again, Mr.
Boyle returned to his post and every
thing was lovely.