Pueblo chieftain., 1921-03-10

to Is per cent and reinstAte the ten
hour day in all their plants Judge Al
schuler having 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 a lower than
pre-war level and having filled their
bought at the lowest OF prices on the
hoof, now propose to cripple industry
deliberately for the purpose Of un-
loading this meat at enhanced prices
upon the public, thereby achieving the
double purpose of enormous profits by
adding to the cost OF living to the
general puolo and of striking. at the
same time, body blow at organized
labor. for the purpose OF destroying
1t.
AN orderly and established method
of proceeding in Industrial affairs" by
conference and arbitration is advocat-
ed in the telegram which says this
method "contcmplates strikes and lock-
outs and other hostilities of industrial
warfare as last resort when no
peaceful settlement is possible"
The president is then petitioned to
bring tho packers into conference.
Meanwhile. tho telegram suggests.
the president is urged to request the
five big packers to hold in allegiance
the wage and hour changes until your
. rtiT'NhIN VI lEDoT tdn investigate the
charges contained herein.'
The packers should not be permit
ted, the telegram concludes, ito braz-
emily violate the agreement, thereby
ignoring the government and their en-
ployes. destroying at the same time.
the agency of arbitration set UP by
the government, which could pass and
should paes upon any changes, the
packers or the employees may desire to
put into effect"
Denial that the packers had large
stores OF meat on hand, was made in
a statement tonight by Richard Hcbb
OF Chicago. speaking for tho packers.
He said that all storage stocks on
hand Feb. % were but SO 900 900 pounds
more than the same date last year and
100000 pounds less than in 1919.
The Packers side
o. c. Wills, manager of tho Omaha,
branch OF Armour and company, COM
mentlng on the appeal of the confer
ence OF packing house employees. to
President Harding to try and prevent
proposed wage reductions said tonight
there was nothing to the argument
of the union men that the packers are
violating any war time agreement.
THE agreement he said made
| December 25. 1917. with the president g
mediation commission says by virtue
| of the authority vested in 1t with a
view to settlement for the duration of
| Tue war OF IN prder tnat
thero may be no interruption in the
supply and service furnished by tho
companies essential to the successful
| prosecution of the war An extension
| of the agreement was made In tho
| fall Of 1919 for the further period OF
one year after the close OF the war for
| the purpose of tiding over the period
of readjustments which period had
! been long since elapsed according to
the expressed opinion of President Will
| son last January and as further evil
| denced by the recent action of con-
gress in abolishins agencies created
| for war purposes.
| There has not been and there will
not be under the new arrangement, any
| discrimination whatever for or against
| union labor. 1 say this to contradict
the statement that we are trying 10
destroy the unions.
"A notice was posted at tho exits to
the Armour plant hero saying the COM
pany does not intend to go back to
the ten hour day but on tho contrary,
under the new arrangement, the killing
gangs Will be enabled to work forty.
eight hours per week, whereas under
the war measure 1t was not possible for
them to average much over forty-twc
hours per week"