Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1922-04-04
UNIONS
(Continued from Pace 0Ue1

the resolution was proposed Legere re-
cited his grievances against the older
organization. His hearers, most of
them apparently strikers. voted TIN
only scattering dissent in favor Of the
resolution. and Legere announced plans
for forming afgeneral strike commit
tee.
The United Textile Workers, having
cast off the o. B. U. from an connec-
ton with its strike activities here. has
no further interest in it's campaign for
membership, President Mcmahon said
in a statement after the Common meet
ing. The action represented the vote
of only a small proportion of those on
strike, he said. The U. T. w. is now
organizing a strike committee of its
own which, when complete, will COM
prise five members of each craft in
volved, he said. ~ -~
Legeres organization Of strike
committee will be on different lines. 1t
will represent the industry generally,
| he said, without distinction as to craft,
and may be extended to represent other
elements In the community. He said
Wednesday, for which the state armo-
ry was being sought as gathering
place.
The strike swung into its second
week today, still novelty among Law
renee textile workers in that there was
no semblance Of disturbance. Monday
| morning opening, always time for
testing strength, came and went with
cut contacts between strikers and
workers. although the former picketed
the mill streets so numerously that
| sidewalks were impossible to other Pc
destrians. Observers at the mill gates
said that fewer operatives were at
work than at the close Of last week.
! The strikers, through the spokesman
| for both the U. T. W. and 0. 3. u,
claimed considerable further gains, but
the mill agents asserted that they had
held their strength, several of them
admittedly having barely enough oper-
atives to clear up odds and ends left
over when the walkout occurred.
One additional mill was added to
the plants shut down when the
Patchogue- Plymouth mill, making
fibre rugs, failed to open. It's man
agement, which announced a wage
cut of about 10 percent Saturday,
said intention to close until Thurs
day was made known at the same
time. The operatives, however,
maintaining that the cut extended
from IL to SO Is percent. declared
a strike and said they would stay out
until the reduction was Cancelled.
In the case of the cotton and wor-
sted strikers, President Mcmahon
said today that the fight against the
20 percent reduction was only the
first step in the campaign. Not only
would any suggestion of compromise
on this point be secuted, he asserted,
but mill owners should know that the
workers expected an early restOra-
ton of part at least of the % '1-2
percent cut of a year ago.
Two efforts to inquire into the
strike with a view to bringing the
parties together were in evidence to-
day. Fred NJ. Knight. an investigator
| for the state board of Cancellation and
arbitration, came here and spent the
day gathering material for the
| DOdrQ s survey IN lnlS CITY III con-
| nection with it's statewide inquiry
tinto the textile strikes. The city
government, on motion of Commits
sioner of Public Safety Peter Carr,
voted to appoint a committee of its
own to seek a settlement and Mayor
Daniel w. Mahoney named seven
| clergymen as members. The mayor,
who went to Boston last week to ask
Governor Cox personally to set afoot
an inquiry here, said there was no
| belief that the state was not doing
all it could, but that it was thought
! that local men might be able to move
more quickly.
President Mcmahon tonight an
nounced that he was going to Boston
tomorrow to attend a conference I'M
der the auspices of the state board
and would go to New York tomor-
row night, returning here in a day
or two to continue direction from
| this city of the New England strikes.