The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-08-29
tspscis, Holins service,

~ WuaCus Wa caused Wne0 y
nsn Who were imported from Ii,
bast TO take the places Of striker,
q ~ Silvis shops walked out o.
he yards this morning, Silvis II
quist today.
A few stray shots were fired In
tho vicinity Of Warmers Crossing
last night But that 10 only small
accident In the lives Of the Silvia
teaidents. Firing shots has be.
tDma rather 3 common occurrence
1ere. No one was hurt last night
nor has anyone been injured al
other times as a result Of the shoot
i9g.
arhe strikers continue to play a
gAms OF watchful waiting and de-
clare themselves for a finish fight
The railroad company seems to be
making an earnest and determined
effort TO get the shops in operation
] Officials Of the Rock Island rail-
road are going ahead with the con-
struction Of the barracks in the
yards. The building will house 900
men. The officials believe that
they will eventually obtain enough
men to take the places Of the 14OO
who walked out ON July l..
Sam Mullinix, superintendent of
the Silvis shops, does not know
what will happen. He made a pre-
diction this morning that the shops
would be running again in six
months. Later he stated that as
soon as the barracks are completed
/. there would be no trouble in obtain
ing men. Two thousand men, he
said. are waiting to be sent to Sill
Wis. Mr.. Mullinix denied EMPHATIC
ally that men are being held in the
shops against their will. I'VE are
holding nobody" he said. I'VE are
not making anybody work. The
men can come and they can 60 just
AS they see fit"
Four OF the ~ men who arrived
in Silyis from the east this morn
ing told their story to a small
crowd assembled on First avenue,
near Warmers crossing, Silvis. The
quartet was unanimous in declar-
ing that they were forced by armed
guards to transfer to Rock Island
train at Chicago. They also de-
clared that railroad officials at
tempted to induce them to stay at
Silvis after they had decided they
didn't want to stay. The four men
gave the names John Sullivan,
Carl Burns, J. O'Brien and George
Helfirch. All but Burns claimed
New York City as their home and
said they had been shipped by a
labor agency in New York. The
quartet appeared to be ordinary
tramps. In fact they admitted this
themselves, stating they were
merely travelling about the country.
The New Workers declared they
were bound for the coast. Not one
Of the four is a machinist or expert
enced in railroad work, according
to their story. The quartet stated
that the other % men who arrived
this morning were also floaters
who had no intention of working.
The strike leaders claim that nearly
all the men who are being hired by
the railroad are tramps or men
with no mechanical or railroad ex-
perience.
10 Are ut Work. ,
Mr.. Mullinix said there are 70
men working in the Siltis shops to-
day. He said a number of them
are first-class mechanics. The su-
perfntendent, while not saying so
IN SO many words, also seems to
be Of the opinion that many of the
men who have been shipped here
are not machinists. A dozen men,
approximately, were in the main
Slivis shops this morning. Gen
orally there are about 500. Most
Of these II appeared to be youth
tul and lacking in mechanical ex-
perience. None Of these II ap-
peared to be working against his
Will. At the same time it must be
said that not one appeared to be
. mechanic. A score of beds have
been placed in the main shop. Two
train coaches, equipped as bed
houses. have also been established
in the shops. Mr.. Mullinix said the
men are being paid as follows:
Mechanically cents an hour for
the first eight hours, and time
. half for all time after eight hours.
Helpers-47 cents an hour and
time-and-a-half after eight hours.
In addition to these wages,
which are said to follow the latest
railroad labor board schedule, the
men are receiving free board and
lodging. Mr.. Mullinix denied that
anybody is getting a dollar an hour
Bonus or any bonus. He denied
that the supervisory officers who
have been working in the shops are
receiving additional pay. There
have been from twelve to fifteen of
these supervisory men working
with their hands, according to Null
link. The superintendent said
they were trying their utmost to do
SUN woTk as Is necessary to Keep
the engines in running order. There
seemed little activity in the main
shop this morning or in the Yards
surrounding the main shop. Null
link apparently does not know
how long present conditions will
continue. He did not know, it /
seemed. how long the railroad COM
pany would give Tree board and
lodging to the men now in the ,,
shops. He thought, he said, that
Il might be only "a temporary meas
ure.
Mr.. Mullinix seemed to be under
the impression that the "a men who
came and went today wouldn't I, stay |
because OF sanitary or unsanStary |
conditions.
They kicked and raised Cain
over these toilet rooms" said the |!