WEEKLY NOME INDUSTRIAL WORKER
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This Paper is Owned, Controlled and Published ‘jy Local 2*+0 of the' 1. U. M. M & S. W
VOLUME XD
NOME, ALASKA. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY, 8, 1010.
2650
SEATTLE UNIONS
GO ON STRIKE
SEATTLE, Feb. 3—All organized
labor in this city have voted in favoi
of supporting the striking shipbuild
era of this city.
A general strike is to be called or
next Thursday morning, embracing
practically all branches of the local
industries. *
The Longshoremen’s Union has
voted to strike and this will practi
cally suspend all shipping from this
port.
The streecarmen’s Union will alsc
support the strikers and every
branch of business will have to be
shut down, owing to the walkout oi
their employees. It is estimated in
local labor circles that scarcely 5
per cent of the Seattle workers are
unorganized.
OAKLAND, Cal Feb 1—At a meet
ing of the Boilermakers Union of this
city, a resolution was passed, to as
sist the striking Seattle shipbuilders
by going ou on a sympathetic strike,
and Incidently to enforce their de
mands against the decision of the
Macy wage board, and to dejnand
back pay due them since last August
for an incrdease in their wages de
manded at hat time.
SAN FRANCISCO, Feb 1—Two
hundred boilermakers employed in
local shops outside of the shipbuild
ing industry have agreed to join the
strike called by the local shipbuilders
to voice their disapproval of the
award made by the Macy Board and
to demand their arrears of pay due
them owing to a demanded increase
in wages last August.
Several hundred other workers in
subsidiary industries will be forced
to suspend work unless the contem
plated strike is amicably settled.
SEATTLE, Feb 1—A communica
tion 'rom the President of the Nation
al I ongshoremen’s Union has been
jccoived by the local union of this
city, stating that should the mem
bers of the Seattle "oeal insist in
g cii g on a sympathetic strike to as
sist the shipbuilders, the National
longshoremen’s Organization will
revoke the charter of the Seattle
unior and eclare the laUer an outla-v
organization.
The National President gives them
until next Monday to rescind their
contemplated action.
Officials of the union when inter
viewed and asked what action their
organization would take stated that
It was up to the mebers of the union
to act as they saw fi.
SEATTLE, Feb 1—Officials of the
striking shipbuilders Union expect a
reply from the officials of the Ship
ping Board to whom the union ap
pealed for the employers to grant
them the right to cc-promise with
the strikers. Hopes •: entertained
by the unoin officials ' V' the pend
ing wage question may i/e amicably
settled by a compromise, should the
shipping board officials favor the
plan.
1 SEATTLE, Feb 3—The referendum
vote on the strike question called
for by the Seattle Central Labor
Council has been a complete success
tfor the striking shipbuilders. Practi
cally every union in the city has voted
in favor of a general strike to assist
the striking shipbuilders in support
ing their demands for an increase in
wages.
The general strike will become ef
fective Thursday morning and practi
I cally all Seattle industrial life will
! ce,.se according to statements made
by union officials only five per cent
of the workers of Seattle are unor
ganized.
The Longshoremen will also join
the strikers thus completely paralyz
| ing shipping. Seattde business men
are trying to induce the strikers to
remain at work and settle their
grievances by arbitration, but the
strikers refuse to be put off any
longer and intend to remain on strike
unless their demands are granted.
PORTLAND, Ore, Feb 5—Officials
of the local metal trades unions have
stated that the members of their
organizations have resolved to go on
strike in Portland if necessary, to
support the striking Seattle ship
builders.
.V. a ’re ting !.<-ld by the local
metal union the subject of how best
to assist the strikers in Seattle was
brot up and after a thorough discus
s'on of the matter it was decided that
the members of their unions would
walk out in a body if the need arose,
to help back the demands of the
striking shipbuilders.
WAi 1IINGTON, Feb 6—Hen y
| White Thomas Barker and E. F.
'Marsh Commissioners of the Depart
ment of Labor have been sent to Seat
tle by Secretary Wilson to settle the
strike of the shipbuilders. Efforts
will be made by the commissioners
to induce the strikers and their em
ployers to come together amicably
and settle theiir differences by arbi
trttion
Secretary of Labor Wilson after re
peated efforts to induce the strikers
to remain at work while the pending
wage dispute is settled, has becomp
alarmed at the crisis brot about by
the strike and dispatched this com
mittee to Seattle as soon as he saw
that his individual efforts were fruit
less
On arrival of the committee in
Seattle, conferences will be held with
the officials of the striking shipbuild
ers union and the employers and every
effort made to settle the strike ami
cably.
SEATTLE, Feb 6—Virtually all
industry was suspended in this city
when all organized labor suspended
work at the designated hour and the
strike without any disturbance was
inaugurated. Thirty thousand ship
builders are involved in this strike
while according to statements made
by union officials approximately forty
five thousand other organized work
ers joined the strikers.
All street car traffic has stopped
restaurants and cafe's closed, the jit
ney drivers joined the strikers and
the local newspapers had to suspend
publication owing to the walkout of
the printers, pressmen and newsboys
By mutual consent the men em
ployed in the municipal light plant
remained at work so as not to deprive
the city of its illumination. ^
The Telephone cpmpany employees
also remained at their work altho
they had ben willing to join the strik
ers.
Never in the history of American
labor movement has a body of work
ers shown their class consciousness
and solidarity as they have in Seattle
and the Seattle businessmen are
thunderstruck at the spirit shown by
organized labor, while the possibili
ty of a general strike had been ridi
culed by the business element.
SEATTLE, Feb 7—Mayor Hanson
has notified the strike committee,
that unless the strike is declared off
by 8 a. m,. tomorrow, he will take
advantage of the assistance and pro
tection ofTered by the government and
operate all essential industries.
Nine hundred soldiiers have ar
rived here from Camp Lewis and have
been distributed thruout the city
where they are guarding government
property.
• , ■
SEATTLE, Feb 7—All restaurants
that were forced to close their doors
owing to the cooks and waiters join
ing in the sympathetic strike will
resume business tomorrow morning.
The unon officials have agreed to
allow the restaurant employees to go
back to work so as to entail as little
inconvenience to the people as possi
ble.
Subscribe for me Worker.
BRITISH STRIKE
BECOMING GENERAL
LONDON, Feb 3—Press dispatches
received here from Glasgow Scot
land state that the striking ship
builders on the Clyde are gradually
returning to their work.
' An agreement has been made by
tome of the employers and the strik
ing workers to arbitrate their differ
-eneea.
The majority of the strikers how
ever have been unable to come to
*»y agreement with the empoyers.
The strikers are reported to be de
termined to hold out until their de
mands are granted.
LONDON, Feb 3—All employees
of the subways of this city have
struck tor a reduction of hours. Traf
fic is completely paralyzed and busi
ness has become greatly disarranged
ewlng to the strike.
Attempts have been ma<le to in
duce the strikers to return to work
but all efforts to do so have been a
failure.
LONDON, Feb 4—The strike for a
reduction of working hours spread to
the hotels in this city and the employ
ees of some of the greatest hotels here
have refused to work longer than
eight hours per day.
Quite a few of the world famous
hostelries had to close their doors
owing tp the inability of their mana
gers to replace the strikers by com
petent help.
The strike which at first started in
a sporadic form is spreading rapidly
and may involve every large hotel in
the city.
GLASGOW, Scotland. Feb 5—Ap
proximately forty per cent of the
striding shipbuilders are reported to
have resumed work, after concluding
an agreement with their employers to
ai titrate their differences.
It '3 expected here that all the
strikers will soon resume work. Con
feren rs are being held daily between
the employers and the strikers to
reach an agreement.
LONDON, Feb 6—The Secretary of
the British Locomotive Engineers
Union declared that it is very likely
that all members of the Union will go
on a nation wide strike lit the demands
Of the subway engineers and workers
are not granted
More workers are daily being in
volved In the strike, which has spread
to, the Great Western and London and
South Western Railroads.
ULSHEVIC PEASANTS
MURDER NOBLES
COPENHAGEN, Feb 3—Repojrts
received here from Russia state that
Kieff, the capital of Ukrania has af
ter a severe struggle been captured
by Bolshevik forces.
The defenders of Kipff were greatlj
outnumbered by the Bolsheviks and
fu'rced to surrender after a heroic re
sistance.
STOCKHOLM, Feb 4—Dispatches
from Russia state that the Bolshevik
have massacred approximately three
.hundred people at Kharkoff, Russia
This dead is reported to have beer
perpetrated during the holding of the
| annual fair, which is world famous
| owing to the enormous amount ol
merchandise sold there, when people
from nearly all European and Asiatic
races attend.
i LONDON, Feb 5—Reports receiv
ed here from Russia state that a
veritable reign of terror has been in
augurated by the Bolsheviks since
the downfall of Kerensky and the as
cendency of the Bolshevik party.
Three hundred thousand Russians
of noble birth are reported to have
f>een slain in Russia nnd the horrors
committed by the Bolsheviks are in
describable.
More are reported to have been ex
ecuted by the Bolsheviks in one
month than under the reign of the
late Czar Nicholas lasting 24 years.
The residences of the nobles have
been plundered by mobs of Bolsheviks
after the arest of their owners and
everything portable removed or else
destroyed.
Thousands of nobles have been
murdered wlithout even undergoing
a trial and some of the noble families
have been utterly wiped out of exist
ence.
Many of the noblemen who had
been exceedingly harsh masters to
the peasants have been put to death
only after bedng horribly tortured.
The peasants are reported to be
intoxicated witht heir liberty and in
many cases take a horrible revenge
for the past wrongs inflicted on them
by the nobles.
LONDON, Peb 4—Semi-official ad
vices from Russia state that the Rus
sian Bolshevik government is calling
all able bodied men between the age
of twenty nine and forty five years
to the colors.
The Bolsheviks are reported to be
planning a general revolution
War material of all kinds is report
ed to be requisioned by the Bolshe
viks and quite an army has been
equipped up to date. Whether the
Bolshevik intend to only crush op
position iff Russia or to render as
sistance to any other nations that are
trying to form a radical government
on Bolshevik lines is not known
Much speculation is rife about what
the Allied powers will do should the
Bolshevik intend to spread their
doctrine by force of arms
WASHINGTON Feb 4—The Statj
Department has officially announced
that according to diplomatic dis
patches received here from Helsing
fors, Finland a revolt of former Rus
sian soldiers has broken out in Pet
rograd, Russia.
Fighting of the bloodiest descrip
tion has taken place and the streets
of Petrograd are reported to be liter
ally strewn with the corpses of dead
combatants.
Many buildings are reported to
have been wrecked as both sides used
artillery and machine guns freely and
fought with unexampled ferocity.
The government has ordered loyal
troops to Petrograd to restore order
as the revolters are too numerous to
be easily crushfed by the local police
force and loyal soldiers stationed at
Petrograd.
LONDON, Feb 7—Unconfirmed
reports from Russia state that the
Bolsheviks are reported to have taken
Archangle.
The British press is rather sceptic
regarding this report, as little relience
is placed here in reports received from
Russia.
WORKERS DEMAND
SHORTER WORKDAY
BOSTON, Mass. Feb 1—Reports
received from Rhode Island and
Massachusetts centers of the tetile
industries state that six hundred
thousand textile workers of the Uni
ted States will announce next Mon
day that they refuse to work longer
than eight hours per day.
Their present working hours range
from nine in some textile mille to
as high as ten hours per day in other
districts of the countries.
The different local unions have
taken a referendum vote on the ques
tion and a strike was decided upon by
the majority of the textile workers.
The Employers are reported to be
absolutely against this reduction of
working hours and a determined op
position will be offered the strikers.
In some districts of Massachusetts
and Rhode Island, the center of the
textile industry in the United States,
and employing the bulk of textile
workers, much misery will be entail
ed if the contemplated strike be
comes genral and lasts any length
of time.
LAWRENCE Mass, Feb 3—The
police were forced to use their guns
All traffic on both of these import
ant roads has been suspended and the
workers engaged on other British
Railroads are but awaiting the com
mand of their union officials, to join
the strikes.
The government has made repeated
efforts to settle the strike, but neither
the employers nor the strikers are
willing to abate their demands.
Fear is expressed that should the
strike become general much suffer
ing will resudt, ow^ng to the conse
quent cessation of all British indus
tries.
LONDON, Feb 7—It is reported
here that the subway employees when
ordered to return to work after a set
tlement of thedr grievances by the
union officials have refused to comply
with the issued order.
when a mob of strikers tried to res
cue some strikers who had been ar
rested for rioting.
The police succeeded in intimidat
ing the mob and in putting the ar
rested men under lock and key.
Twenty thousand textile workers
mostly foreigners are idle in this city
Some rioting has taken place bui
the local police force have been ablt
to handle the situation and keep the
strikers in check.
It is reported here that the Ameri
can Federation of Labor has refuseei
to sanction the strike.
PROVIDENCE, R. I., Feb 3—Sixtj
thousand textile workers employed lr
local mills have joined the striking
textile workers and quit work tonight
demanding a reduction of their work
ing hours to forty eight per week.
PATTERSON, N. J. Feb. 3—Sever
al thousand silk workers employed in
local mills were locked out when they
demanded a reduction of their work
ing hours to forty eight per week.
The owners of silk mills employ
ing more than fifteen thousand
workers made the announcement that
all those of their employees will not
be permitted to work who are not at
their machines at seven o’clock in
the morning and agree to work at the
old scale of hours.
BIDDLEFORD, Feb 4—Several
thousand textile workers- have been
locked out by the employers when
they demanded a reduction of their
wjorking hours to forty eight per
week.
The employers have absolutely re
fused to grant the demand, preferring
to shut down the mills and let them
stand idle.
LAWRENCE, Mass Feb 4—Twenty
five thousand textile workers are
idle in this city owing to the strike.
The mill owners refuse to grant the
demands of the strikers.
Attempts are being made to induce
the strikers and owners to get to
getLe! and arbitrate, but the mill
owners have so far refused to meet
a committee of the strikers for a con
ference.
LAWRENCE, Feb 7—The first
death among the striking textile
workers occurred here today when an
Italian workingman was shot by a
fellow countryman in a clash between
strikers and citizens.
M'issiles were freely hurled by both
sides and the fight which grew quite
general had assumed large propor
tions when the police reserves arrived
and dispersed the rioters.
Quite a number were seriously in
jured during the rioting and had to
be removed to hospitals.
JNDIANAUOLIS, Feb 8—Frank H.
Hayes has been elected president and
John Lewis vice president of the
Unitied Mine Workers of America
LONDON, Feb 8—It has been offi
cially announced that the strike of.
the shipbuilders has been settled.
BOILERMAKERS WALK OUT
OAKLAND, Cal., Feb 6- Three
th<»tend boilermakers employed in
final shipyards went on strik today
while others are going to vote on the
st'he question tomorrow
The boilermakers claim that they
as well as other shipbuilding workers
have leen unfairly classified by the
employers with a consequent consid
erable loss in wages to them.
The other shipyard workers are
expected to join the strikers as they
have been for quite a while dissatis
fied with the treatment they have re
ceived from the employers .
ALASKAN'S TO BE DISCHARGED
WASHINGTON, Feb 5—The War
Department has officially announced
that all Alaskans who have been
drafted Into the National Army will
be discharged immediately.