Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-07-17
BY FRANKLIN MINER
Special Correspondent Of Crest Fails Tribune
CopYrtCht. 1872 BY The Great Falls Tribune

= 49, ~ NN @Ae AADAtiC
Washington. July IGNORE than
one million men are out on strike in
the United States at the present time,
according to advices to the department
of labor. Never before has the mum
Der been so large.
The daily wages of these men, if all
were working, is conservatively esti-
mated at 5000 ,OOO. Their weekly
envelopes would contain at least $780,
100000. Not all of this sum is waste,
but much of it is so regarded. Prob
ably two-thirds Of the total or 800
100000, represents a dead loss to the
strikers and the country at large.
While reports detailing the great ex-
tent of the losses due to strikes are
being received by one bureau of the
labor department, another bureau is
receiving reports from A different
group of workers telling of growing
shortages of labor in the building
trades, the automotive industries. fac
tories and on the farms.
The legion of strikers is divided into
three main groups. Tho in the rail
road shipments camp are estimated at
from 100000 to 100000.
Mine workers in the anthracite and
bituminous fields are placed at from
10000 to 6OO.O00 men. In the textile
industries Of New England approx
mately 10000 more are idle in resist
ance to wage cuts dating back to the
first of the year. About 10000 more
are on strike in scattered locals and
various industries.
One of IS Out On Strike
AS the total number of workers in
the country is estimated at about
Is. 100000, one worker out of every
Is in the United tSates is on strike
at the present time and 49, will go
down in history as the greatest strike
year ever experienced in America. The
army Of strikers. if assembled in one
gathering. would be half the size of the
army Of d~oughboys sent across the sea
during the war.
Except for a negligible percentage,
the entire number of strikers is idle
in resistance to wage cuts. The tex
tile workers are out because Of a cut
of about 20 per cent in wages pro
posed by certain New England mills.
The coal miners technically are Out
because they have no wage agreements
with the operators. In the anthracite
field the miners have proposed an in
crease. The bituminous fields oper-
ators have posted proposed wage
scales ranging from p to 80 per cent
below the 1921 level and the shopmen
are out in protect against reduction in
ordered by the railroad labor
board.
Mostly Against Reductions
Scattering strikes, involving from
800 to 100000 and occasionally more,
occurring mostly in the building trades.
are virtually directed against wage re-
auctions, although in some instances
men are reported on strike for higher
wages. Much of the strike idleness in
the building trade recently has oc-
Cured in Chicago. where the men re-
fused to accept, in some instances. the
named by the Lands award. |
They claim that Judge Lands exceeded
his authority in making the award. |
The labor department is advised that
the difficulty has been fairly generally
at the present time. however.
Labor department officials do not
recall a parallel of the present stu
alton. The nearest approach TO ii oc-