The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1922-06-30
Reports Received At the
Noon Hour Showed
hat More Than Fifty
Thousand Men Had
Quit Work In Shops In
All Parts Of the Coun-
try

All Parts CT the Coun-
try
Chicago, July l. (By the Associat-
ed Press. )-Thousand of railway
shopmen dropped their tools today to
answer the nationwide strike call
issued by the international presidents
of the six shOpcraft unions Early re-
ports indicated that shop mechanics
and their helpers from New England
roads to the Western tranS-continen-
tai lines were joining the walkout with
about $4,000 already reported to have
actually quit work at midday.
Looks Like Determined Fiqht
Chicago, July 1.-CBy the Associat-
ed Press All hope of averting the
nationwide strike of 100000 shopmen
apparently had vanished today as the
hour for the walkout approached. The
cessession of work will mark the first
general strike of any standard rail
road union since the Railroad Labor
Board was created in 1910.
Ten O'Clock was set as the time for
the strike to begin by labor leaders
and reports from all parts of the coun-
be general. About 100000 or one
fourth the total number are employed
in railway shops in Chicago or its
environ3.
b. NJ. Jewell, president of the rail
way shipments division of the Amer
lean Federation of Labor, who, with
several other leaders. defied the Rail
road Labor Board in it's order to ap-
pear at a conference yesterday, re-
manned consistent with his ultimatum
last week. Mr.. Jewell evaded sue
cessfully subpoena servers last night
with papers ordering him before the
Labor Board in conference.
Efforts to locate him failed until
after midnight when he was found at
hotel where he had met with his
chairmen and considered hundreds of
kilograms regarding the strike. He
declined to comment on this situa-
ton
In his ultimatum Mr.. Jewell told
board executives that the only ave-
nue. to peace was for the railroads to
ignore the board order slashing $780,
100000 from the wages of shopmen
today and to restore rules governing
overtime and working conditions
along with an agreement to discon-
tinue the system under which several
roads farmed out work to contracts.
Declaring that the blood was on
JEWELS own head" Ben w. Hooper,
chairman of the Labor Board, who
led the way to a peaceful settlement
of the threatened strike of tranmen
last October, said JEWELS belated ap-
pearance under subpoena could not,
at such late hour, result in any re-
>yersal of the strike order in time to
Tevent suspension of work
Railway executives who answered
Le Boards summons and appeared at
Yesterdays conference, virtually re-
moved on,' of the strike issues when
one by one, many of them whose
roads had been following the practice
announced they woui1 abolish the
contract system in their shops. The
board, in several cases brought by en-
ployes against the roads, ruled that
the carriers were violating provisions
of the transportation act in farming
out work to contractors.
AS the strike doomed inevitable,
railway officials predicted that the
public would scarcely be aware of the
walkout except through reading about
it. Transportation would continue un-
interrupted, they said, and in some
centers it was indicated that shops
would be operated on an open shop
basis.
Definite word from headquarters of
the Maintenance of Way brotherhood
at Detroit today that the track work
ers would remain at work until July
IS at least, pending conferences, left
the shop crafts alone in the walkout
today.
In\pledging itself to abolish the con-
tract system the New York Central
made it's agreement only as a means
of avoiding a strike. Counsel for the
road asserted the New York Central
Lines consider the practice legal.
Although eleventh hour efforts by
the board to prevent a shopmen's
strike, apparently had failed. efforts
to forestall SYKES of other classes of
railway wor6Ri Was seen as a result
of yesterdre ere erence Ten union
chiefs, vt In summoned before
the boadeetine their appearances
whenZ Crab convened. They
wereEe OF w, e, president of the
iMai8 OF the by Employees; e. H.
1andlers. Railway Clerks and
LINEN. and d. W. Helt of
AZ Healy.
.t'o mary e head of the oilers
'tend ngineers, who re-
&zA he meeting until