Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1920-02-05
outside interference"

outside interference"
| Immediately endeavored to secure
accommodations for return; but it
was impossible to secure anything for
nearly ten days and | arrived home in
time to call meeting of the Directors
which was done on April 18th, to con-
slider these matters. The records of
that meeting show that all of these
matters were duly considered and bull
letins which were being issued were
approved.
There were issued in all, eleven bull
letins, every one of which was pre-
pared with the greatest care and con-
sideration in connection with those on
the ground. Most of them were brief,
| the last one notifying the men, both
in and OUT of t. e mill, that any nego-
tiations or considerations of any ques-
ton in the future would be based up
on our bulletin No. 7, which was dated
| May 81, 1919, Oh the morning of which
| day, at 900 o'clock, Representatives of
| Labor Unions handed us a proposition
based on the closed shop. Most Of you
| have seen copies of this bulletin No.
z, either in the public press or they
have been forwarded to you. Our bull
letin No. 8, issued on the following
day, advises that we were waited upon
by a committee, who stated to US that
unless we entered into compacts with
| the Union in accordance with their a
greement presented, that a general
strike in our mills would be called on
June 21st. Our bulletin No. 9 distinct
| ~ states our position and our appeal to
| the men. Shortly thereafter we met
and considered our situation with:
First: A representative of the
Federal Government.
Second: Representative of the In
dustrial Commission Of the State of
| Wisconsin.
Third A committee of business
men from Grand Rapids, Port Edwards
and Nekoosa.
Fourth: With the Judge of the Cir
cult Court and attorneys representing
the Labor Unions.
All the conclusions reached at all
of these conferences were promptly
| turned down most vigorously and de-
terminedly.
On July 10Th, notices were posted,
stating that we would start to re-
| open our mills and were ready to hire
|
to give preference to all of those who
had been in our employ previously and
urged them to come back to work for
| US. Very little response was received
| in this direction. We were successful
| in getting the paper mill at Port Ed
wards started in August and the re-
suits thereafter were as follows:
August: We made PIP tons of pa
| per.
September: 982 tons of paper, 100
tons of sulphite.
October: 1910 tons of paper, 435
tons of Groundwork, 1892 tons of sui
phite, 24O tons of sulphate.
This showed that every department
of our mills excepting the Bleach Plant
was in operation before the first of
November.
For the balance of the year, we made
as follows:
November: 27OO tons of paper, 965
tons of Groundwork, 837 tons of sui
phite, $40 tons of sulphate.
December: 2762 tons of paper, 1887
tons of Groundwork, 1855 tons of sui
phite, 588 tons of sulphate.
The amount of paper made IN the
month of December, 1919, was larger
than that made in the month of jan
uary when there had been no agita-
ton by labor Unions and water condi-
tions were much better than they are
today
During the present month Of jan
uary, if everything goes right, we Will
make our high normal average IN all
departments except the groundwork,
expecting to make 1880 tons of paper
and a corresponding amount OF other
material III our different departments,
all of which are in operation. This
will mean that we will make in jan
uary, 1920, 800 tons more paper than
was made in January 1919. The help
to large degree, is entirely new, most
of them never having worked IN pa
per mill before. The character of
paper we are making is up to the very |
best standard we have ever made and |
our losses for returned paper on ac- I
count of poor manufacture, and our |
accidents in the mills, are less on the |
average per month, than any month /
the mill was run previous to the strike. I
The situation today is encouraging
in many ways and while we have had
to contend with many trying situations
and extreme hardships during the year
and we have handled over 1900 men
since the strike and our mills have had
the usual amount of picketing and eff
forts to keep the men from working;
there has been no loss of life, very lit
fle bodily injury, and we think with a
few exceptions, very little bad feelings
have been engendered. From records
Of experience in most other places the
strike has been practically what might
be termed peaceable one.
Notwithstanding all the adverse
conditions we have ended the year with
4 small profit, after having charged {
off a large depreciation account and
making substantial repairs and alb