Evening star., 1921-12-05
JOBLESS BES|EGE
PACKING CENTERS
AS STRIKE OPENS
Chicago Police Called to Dis
perse Crowds Rushing to
Plants to Get Work.
By the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
CHICAGO, December 5.-The ranks
of packing house workers in several
live stock centers outside OF chicago
were reported depleted today, while
all except a few independent plants
in Chicago were reported to be oper-
ating on a nearly normal basis on the
first day of the strike called by the
Amalgamated Meat Cutters and
Butcher Workmen's Union.
Cornelius j. Hayes. president OF the
union. said advices from half dozen
cities reported that the union men
walked out 100 per cent. In the Chi-
cago plants Of the big five packers
company officers announced that from
30 to 95 per cent of their forces re-
ported for work today and that they
were experiencing no difficulty In
operating.
From st. Joseph. Mo-; East ST.
Louis, Ill; Albert Lea. Mimi; Kan
sas City. Kan, and Wichita, Kan,
reports said the union walkout VIZ
tually was unanimous, Mr.. Hayes oe-
clared At St Joseph. President Hayes
said, 1900 men were out. and at Albert
Lea the entire force of 800 men at
smaller plant had quit work.
Call Strike Failure.
Cedar Rapids. Iowa. and Milwaukee
reported that packing officers said
their plants were unaffected. while
from Fort Worth. came the announce
ment from officers Of ssSwifts&es sesn-
pany, and Armour & Company. that
but 200 men had left work in those
two plants.
All five of the larger packers in
Chicago Armour. Swift. Cudahy,
Morris, and wilson-reported vir-
tually full forces at work, with many
unemployed laborers lined up wait
ing for jobs. Union officials had no
announcement to make on the Chi
cago situation, except that the union
men had walked out and that several
small plants were tied ups OF the
nineteen independent. plants in the
city, however, a number were said to
be unaffected because they had not
reduced wages.
More than 800 men lined up early
at Armour's employment Office, but
few were given work. At another
Armour entrance about 500 men
waited and police were in doubt
whether to disperse the crowd until
it developed that they, too, were
seeking work.
Hundreds Seek Strikes Jobs.
The first call for police came from
the Swift plant, where 700 men gath
cred, waiting for jobs.
E. A. Cudahy. jr.. of the Cudahy
Packing Company, said reports from
the company's plants were that about
so per cent of their employees had re-
ported for work.
John E. O'Hern Of Armour's an
nounced that 1858 of the 5000 Ar
mour employees came to work as usual
this morning In outside plants there
was about a fifty fifty break" he
said. Shipments were very light to-
day. Mr.. O'Hern said, and there was
no necessity for filling the vacancies
here today.
Wilson & Co. also reported about
80 per cent of their employees on duty
Company spokesmen were optimistic
from the number of employees who
came to work on the first day of the
strike, but union leaders said that the
strike would spread and that another
day would see still larger defectionG
Mayor Harry B. Burton of Kansas
City, Kan, and Chief of Police Henry
T. thinner warned the packing house
workers there yesterday that Kansas
law made picketing unlawful and that
they stood ready to enforce this and
all other Kansas laws. The men
cheered his remarks.