The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-03-10
Packing House Employees
 Appeal to Harding to Help
 Preuent Reduction Of Wages
Armour Denies That Packers Would Welcome Strike as Means of Getting Rid of AC- CumuIated Products Which Are Now in Storage.
By Associnted Press

ing wa sappealed to tonight by rep resentatives of packing house em- ployes with a request that he try to prevent proposed reduction of wages and readjustment of working hours, which have been announced by meat packers to become effective March IA.
 Samuel Gompers. president of the American Federation of Labor was asked in another telegram to go to the White House as the direct representa- tive of the Meatcutters' union and urge immediate action on the request. He was asked also to call a meeting Monday in Chicago of ali allied unions working for the packers to outline concerted action in event of strike.
 Delegates to the conference here called by the Amalgamated Meat Cut ters and Butchers of North America, voted unanimously late today to appeal to the President in an effort to fore stall abrogation of the wartime agree ment between the packers and their employees. The action of the delegates, who represent worl1rs in vry larg packing center, affects 100000 em- ployes. union officials said.
 WANT INVESTIGATION
 The telegram to the President asked him to request the packers to hold in abeyance the wage and hour changes announced as effective Monday, until the Secretary of Labor can investigate charges contped in the present mes sage. The conference also adopted a resolution requesting the President to use his good offices to compel the packers to comply with the agreement entered into by the government and that unless the packers consent. that he exercise his power to place the packing house industry under govern ment control and operation and pub licly brand the present owners and managers of the industry as a menace to the government and society in gen eral."
 A strike warning appeared in the same resolution which instructed the union officers ito take such action as will result in a unanimous and effec- time resistance to return to the TO- hour work iday, wage reductions and other barbaric conditions that existed prior to 1917" unless President Hard ing sends assurance of action. This resolution, according to Denis Lane. seer LTCdSuTtT OI l1t uillO1 means authorization for a strike af fecting all packing house employees of the United States and Canada.
 The decision to appeal to the chief executive was made this afternoon The recommendations were imme- diafely placed with the delegates in general conference. A heated discus sion followed in which the proposed acton of the packers in reducing xen ora hx o ilrra a fa1,y and making straight time apply for 10 hours daily instead of eight, was unanimously denounced.
 PROPOSAL DENOUNCED
 The delegates present were Mnani- mously in favor of striking if the changes announced by the packers are put into effect, according to MT. Lane.
 referendum vote will be neces- sary, however before the strike order can be issued, he said
 During the war, the telegram ocn- tinued. workers of the packing plants were confronted with mounting living costs, and at the same time information of the enormous profits of the pack CTS was published broadcast
 Tn this national emergency the telegram said. 'the employers showed fight and said they were willing that strike should take place On the other hand the employees representa- lives induced them to remain on the job as a patriotic duty. President Will son succeeded in bringing the packers into confluence and the result was an agreement that, during the period of the war, they would submit all points of difference wit htheir employees to arbitration. Judge Alschuler was se- lected to arbitrate these differences"
 REPUDIATIO NCHARGED
 Th1 fafn f17rf the agreement was continued after the armistice at the request of teh pack CTS and that now at the very begin ming of the reconstruction period. tho packers repudiate their agreement. They have further announced that. be- ginning next Monday they reduce wages 121s to 15 per cent and reinstate the 10-hour day in arl their plants. Judge Alschuler granted the employees an eight-hour day in his first award"
 We charge" the telegram said, "that the packers, having forced live stock prices down to lower than pre-war levels and having filled their storehouses to overfowing with meat bought at the lowest or prices on the hoof. now propose to cripple industry deliberately for the purpose of un- loading this meat at cnnanced prices upon the public. thereby achieving the double purpose of enormous profits by adding to the cost of living to the gen. eral public and of striking al the same time, a body blow at organized labor for the purpose of destroying it."
 An orderly and established method of proceeding in industrial affairs by conference and arbitration is advo- cated in the telegram.
 Denial that the packers had large stores of meat on hand was made in a statement tonight by Richard Hebb ot Chicago, speaking for the packers. He