The Topeka state journal., 1919-09-29
Plants of Big Company Little
Affected This Morning.
Forty Thousand Men Were Or
dered To Strike.
ALL PLANTS ARE RUNNING
Workers Are Ignoring Action of
Strike Committee.
Mills at Reading, SteeIton and
Baltimore Operating.

The steel unions attempt to
extend the nationwide strike to
the Bethlehem Steel company
apparently failed today.
Reports indicated that in most
of the Bethlehem mills the re-
sponse of the 10000 workers to
the strike call was so limited that
production will be but little af-
fected. Secretary Foster of the
steel workers national commit
tee, however, claimed the Beth
lehem strike was a complete
success"
Today the Crucial Test.
Today, proclaimed by both sides as
one OF crucial test in the great strue-
gle. opened with the situation still OBJ
scure because of conflicting claims
The opposing leaders issue flatly con-
Trajectory statements in regard TO the
effect on the Bethlehem plants. The
corporation officials claimed that the
strike call had been obeyed only by
comparatively insignificant number
and that operations in all their mills
continued. The union chiefs replied
with claim that the huge plant at
Bethlehem was completely crippled
and that the power house had been
forced to close.
Reported conditions in the other
great steel centers indicated that the
balance was being held fairly equita-
bly, between the two opposing sides.
There was nothing to support the
predictions of the steel company off,
cials that the day would see whole
sale desertions in the ranks of the
increase in mill operation.
Strikers Victory at Cleveland
At Farrell. in the Pittsburgh district.
one of the most hotly contested sec
tors on the striking front. the Carnegie
Steel company resumed operation OF
two blast furnaces.
At Youngstown, where the strikers
] have so far been successful in COM
1 pletely stopping operations, groups OF
workers entered a Carnegie company
plant. but the superintendent stated
operation would not be resumed for
the present.
To offset these relatively minor
gains the strikers at Cleveland were
successful in tying up the docks OF the
] Pennsylvania Railway company and
| the Otis Steel company thru a sympa-
thetic walkout of ore and coal ham
dlers. AS usual at headquarters OF
both sides the utmost confidence in
the final issue OF the struggle was ex-
pressed.
Completely Crippled, Unions say.
! Pittsburgh, Sept. 29.-Steel strike
! headquarters today gave out the fol-
| lowing telegram from David Williams
/ in charge of the strike at the Bethle-
| hem plant at Bethlehem, Pa.
bethlehem plant completely Grip
Piled by strike. Power plant shut
down"
Little Affect at Bethlehem.
Bethlehem. Pa, Sept 2s.-The
Bethlehem plant of the Bethlehem
| steel corporation was very little af-
fected this morning by the strike
which had been called from Pitts
! burgh and there was no semblance OF
disorder at the entrances to the varl-
! Gus plants when the shifts changed at
/ 6 a. m. and again at 1880 O'Clock.
Same Number of jobs.
Officials of the company said that
J virtually the same humber Of en-
| ployes appeared in the various de-
partments as worked last week. save
that a number Of machinists left with
their tools. The latter were said by
/ the company officials to be mostly Of
the floating order who had been en-
ployed during the war. 1t could not
be learned how many men came out
az the 1870 shift.
The test IS expected TO come this
afternoon and this evening with a
| change Of shifts. Mayor Johnston
will not permit gatherings Of any kind
The police department is wen
equipped to cope with the situation