Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1919-02-06

(COntlnueu From rage One.)
workers in sympathy with 10000 ship
workers already out, has failed.
Piez they said. wired that If the
shipworkers would return to work he
would at once call conference to ar
range wages and hours after the ex-
piration of the present agreement The
labor men declared Piez' offer "unsat-
isfactory."
Labor leaders asserted this would be
the first strike in Americas history
in which labor representing practic-
ally all forms of activity walked out
enmasse.
The strike will be in sympathy with
10000 striking workers who are log
gerheads with the United States ship
ping board over the Macy award.
SOME REFUSE STRIKE
Thus far Seattle labor leaders have
fought a losing battle, for their at
tempts to obtain general walkouts at
Tacoma, Portland and San Francisco
have failed. The shipworkers at Port
land and San Francisco have remained
at work The shipworkers at Tacoma
are striking.
Interest was divided today between
plans of labor leaders and the atti-
tude of Mayor Ole Hanson, of Seattle,
one of the picturesque figures of the
northwest
Hanson declared that not only would
order be maintained, but he would OPP
crate the city utilities, keeping the city
lighted and the cars running, If nee
essary. A mass meeting of car men
early today will determine their ac-
ton.
The mayor declared that If necessary
he would swear in 10000 special po-
lice to maintain order. He issued a
call for volunteers to substitute for
strikers and keep the city utilities run
ming. Hanson was elected largely
through the labor vote
UNIONS DECRY FORCE
But the unions have declared they
will not tolerate disorder on the part
of their men. They have organized
a police force of their own equal in
size to the city police force and have
well established system of soup
kitchens and benefits designed to pre-
vent suffering.
1t remains to be seen what will be
the attitude of the unions in case Han
son tries to keep wheels turning
through his plan of volunteer labor.
Citizens and merchants, fearing a
complete tie-up and possible famine,
have for several days been collecting
food supplies from all nearby cities
Portland commission men have been
forced to keep forces of men working
nights to take care of rush orders
from this city. So great has been the
demand that Portland reports tenn
porary scarcity of supplies for her own
people.
The strike Of shipwork ers, which be-
gan more than a week ago, came when
Chairman Piez of the shipping board
refused to gHnt demands for a wage
higher than that granted by the Macy
award. That award was so cents an
hour. The shipworkers demanded 81
PieZ declared in numerous state
ments that the board could not in fair
ness to shipWorkers in other districts
go above the Macy award, which had
been sanctioned by officials of the
American Federation of Labor, as well
as representatives of the shipping
board. Piez has published his state
ments in several full page advertise
ments in newspapers up and down the
coast.
He characterized the strike here as
Colossal mistake" because the ship
building industry "in at stake"
UNIONS STATEMENT.
The Daily Seattle Union Record, Of
fetal organ of the unions of this city,
today made the following statement Of
the position of the organized workers:
The strike of 10000 miscellaneous
workers in sympathy with the 10000
shipyard workers already out comes as
a last resort to break down the auto
cratic opposition of General Manager
Piez OF the Emergency Fleet corpora
tion to local settlement of the
trouble. Piez has assumed an abso-
lutely indefensible position and by
virtue of his control of sources of
publicity has succeeded in misleading
a large part of the nation into a COM
plete misunderstanding of affairs. The
Macy board has jurisdiction only in
case of failure of local workers and
employers to reach agreement. Piez
has prevented negotiations for a local
agreement by declaring he would stop
shipments of steel to local yards.
Contrary to reports sedulously cir
culated there is no revolutionary sig
nificance to the strike, though IL
agreement is not soon reached. 1t has
revolutionary possibilities. The entire
matter is one of adequate wages for
the men who made the success of the
American forces in Europe possible by
furnishing them the ships.
(Signed) sc. b. AULT."