The Kendrick gazette. [volume] (Kendrick, Idaho) 1892-1968, 1919-02-14
ALL MINES OF BUTTE
FORCED TO CLOSE
STRIKE CALLED BY MINERS HAS
DEMoRALlzINe EFFECT ON
MONTANA CITY.
CITY SEEMS TO Be BANKRUPT
Mine Companies Follow Agreement
When Metal Prices Go Down
Wages FoIIow-City Bankrupt,
No Pay for Employees.

Butte.-Work in Butte's mines was
virtually at standstill Sunday, but
not altogether because of the strike of
miners affiliated with the Butte Metal
Mine Workers union independently
and with the Metal Mine Workers In
dustrial union No. 800 of the l. w. W.
The fact that the day was change,
day." when the men on night shift,
change to the day shift, thus gaining.
day off, is thought to have had con-
siderable to do with the fact that vir--
tually no ore was hoisted to the sur.
face. Curtailment of Sunday work al
so had an effect.
Soldiers Indorse Strike.
A meeting was held by the Butte
Army and Navy association. 1t was
held in the county courthouse, and,
after much speaking. the strike of the.
miners was Endorsed because of the
reduction last Friday of one dollar a
day in wages.
Major A. M. Jones, in charge of G,
company, 44th United States infantry
(regulars), arrived in Butte from Spo-
command of the situation from a mill
tary standpoint.
Officials of the Butte Metal Mine
Workers union independently claimed
that the entire force of miners in the
Butte district had walked out.
Want Sc for 6 Hours.
Fred G. Clough, secretary of the Met
al Mine Workers union independently
says that his organization had formu-
lated demands for a daily wage of Sc
and six-hour working day.
City Employees Dismissed.
Mayor w. H. Maloney has issued a
supplementary statement declaring
that for reasons of economy all city
| employees, except heads of departments
are suspended. The order of the coun-
Gil merely discharged the firemen and
policemen, but Sundays order of the
mayor includes clerical employees.
street and alley departments and the
crew which collected garbage.
Mayor Maloney states that the or
der authorized him to reduce the city
payroll as he might deem necessary to
cut expense because, he declared, the
city had exceeded it's constitutional
limit of indebtedness.
After the announcement by the
mayor, Major A. M. Jones, who is in
charge Of the troops stationed here in
connection with the existing strike
placed soldier patrols in the business
section of the city.
| Fear Violence.
A report Tuesday says approximate
ly 10000 men are idle in Butte and the
city is virtually under the control of
the military. The men are striking
of 81 day and for adjustment of the
"rustling" card system in vogue here
Besides the miners being affected
close to 100 street car operatives
were compelled to keep their cars in
the barns through fear of threatened
intimidation.
Discharged soldiers who still wore
the uniform and who associated with
those attempting to do picket duty,
were singled out and ordered to re.
move the uniform or to cease partici.
pating in the attempted picketing.
For about two hours Monday during
the time the day shifts of miners gen.
orally go to work, the military was
kept busy patrolling approaches to the
mines. Many gatherings were broken
up and the bayonet was used on a few
occasions.
Many strikers, proceeding in "com.
panies" to do picket duty were STOP
ped.
Although the streets leading to the
mines were cleared of pickets, but few
men went to work, according to John
Gillie, manager of the mines for the
Anaconda Copper Mining company.
Mr.. Gillies said this was due partly to
the lack of street car transportation
and partly to fear of violence.
mo demands for anything have been
presented to the companies" Mr.. Gill
lie said. "The men who have been at
work have not struck-they simply
are being prevented from going to
work through intimidation.
| Sentence Four DisIoyal.