Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1919-01-17
SPRINGFIELD JOBLESS;;
ALL E|G PLANTS OUT
Some Discharged Employees Insist
That They be Paid Bonus
for Part of Year.

Springfield. Mass, Jan l7.--Stuatcd
! just above the border Of Connecticut
| and akin Ia II IN the diversity and pliabil-
/ ity Of it's industries. this city has felt the
blow of the cancellations OF war contracts
i more than any of the manufacturing cities
ot that State except bridgeport and New
| Haven.
! While they each have approximately
! 5000 unemployed at present, Springfield
comes third on the list OF cities in the
New England munition centre, in which
the boom of war work has changed TO
4 condition Of idloncss. Here there are
about z. 800 out of work.
] ONLY 5000 workers, in round num-
4 hcrs. have been laid of here too. Az
! least | 200 of them have returned to
thclr former homes many going back
to New Hampshire and Vermont. as have
i large number from Hartford Thus il
has been figured that the local peace in
,hlstrics have not absorbed more than
iOO workers
"Ft.RLoUGIls roR MANY LAID OFF
i Tins lack ol absorption has been due
- the fact that there were only three
! Important war working plants here They
F., urrc the government Springfield armory.
Whcrc The Springfield rifle was made; the
! National Operating Company, the former
~mlth 4 " csson plant. where the army
rcvclvcrs were made. and the New Eng
land Westinghouse Company, which turn
FL out the Browning machine gun
Tho armory employed 5i0O worker.
when running NJ the height Of production
md has laid oft about > 500 OF these 500
were discharged Tuesday night Fur
iouEhcd i the way lose let out arc
.la>~cd Nn further reduction IN the
forc, there Is looked for as the remaining
employees are considered essential 70 carry
,ut the scheduled production II 500 rifles
j day
some Of the employees discharged have
protested that they had worked within a
tcw weeks If year ~ the arnory. and
that they have been deprived ~ the yearly
bonus nf Sl1O The Armory Lodge ot
Nacmnlsts will meet sunday TO discuss
thus situation Tho arnorN authorities
contend there Is nothing IN tho Civil Scr
vice aW that provides for the bonus, and
that the reduction WAS necessary on az
count of the CurtaImcnt q output
PRACTICALLY WHOLE roRcE orr.
The 500 worker Land of At the plant
~ the National Operating Company were
pr,Ctlcallv the cntitc force there This
was the company formed by tho govern
mcnt ~ operate tho Smith \ WcsSon fac
tory when that firm had labor trouble
last summer that resulted IN stoppagc
Isl work
The New England Westinghouse Com
panv was engaged IN carrylnk out a war
contract with the Russian government
aud when that fell through It turned to
The manufacturc o( the Browning machine
gun IL employed nearly 5000 when tho
Russian contract was in force In manu-
featuring the machine gun II had about
/ son workers
THIS concern acquired the old Stevens
Arms COMPANY factory and that Of the
~tcven~-D -DurNea Automobile Company
ln Chicopcc Fall~ The Stevens Arms
pan' aIrcaiv has turned e. the output Of
sporting ulics while the automobile
factory Is closed down The company
has discharged 100 workers
Twelve per cent Of the war workers
in Springfield were women The Fisk
Rubber Company took large order for
cas masks and raIncoatS. SlhlcttinC
contract for the harness. or straps OF
ihc masks 70 the Victor sporting Goods
COMPANY The g. q Spalding factory At
Chlcopec also made the sharness. When
Ac mask orders were cancelled nearly
900 women were engaged on the work
The exact number was kept secret for
lear hiDtI lllu~tItS tllat lttNtN NNIItH
operatives Tor certain work would entIcc
them away.
ONLY III JoBLEss LAST YEAR.
The women laid off AT the Fisk plant
were told their ldlcness would be only
temporary II is expected that a modified
form 81 the army ralncoat will be made |
there for CIVILIAN wear The Fisk Com !
panv has large orders for It's automobile |
iIre>. The Hcndec Manufacturing Com |
pany also Is buslly engaged making motor
cyclcs Peace orders have taken all its |
output planned for the government
Just how busy Springfield was last year
was shown IN the fact that only III job |
less wanderers were gwen accommodations |
~ the city's Wayfarers' Lodge. These
d CURES have Just come out III the annual |
report Of the charities department. which |
has been submitted to the City Council. |
FIFTY WORKERS pEpI ACE . 0O0