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Show STEEL STRIKE AN ENDURANCE TEST BOTH SIDES DECLARE BIG FIGHT WILL BE EXTENDED UNTIL VICTORY COMES. Big Steel Plants in Twenty States are Affected and Nearly Half a Million Workers Have Gone Out on Strike. Pittsburg. While 'organized labor's board of strategy was in session here, mapping out further plans to bring victory to the union steel workers of the country in their struggle with the employers, the operating executives of the corporations involved were straining strain-ing every nerve to check a spread of the big strike. The big steel plants in twenty states' are affected by the sirike of steel workers inaugurated September 22, early 400,000 men being out on strike. The present phase of the conflict is regarded by both sides as a critical period. The first rush and excitement of the strike is over. Reports indicate indi-cate that there has not been a great movement of men into or out of the plants in the Pittsburg district since the first big walkout, and each side is guarding against a stampede. Tle various va-rious large plains and smaller concerns con-cerns are crippled in varying degrees, according to reports, and managers responsible re-sponsible for the operation of steel mills are in some cases not only trying try-ing to hold what they have, but are trying to get on the offensive. Tlie leaders of the strikers, as shown by their declaration that the strike is spreading, are not giving up the attack, hut predict that with the coming of more organizers they wilt gradually shut down all the important works. Secretary Foster announced that 342,000 men in the industry are on j strike and .Unit the situation was well ! in hand. Only optimistic information came ; from the offices of the Carnegie and other steel companies in the Pittsburg district and tTiey were at great variance with those given out by .the unions. The company officials nirtiin-taiaeel nirtiin-taiaeel that the trend was into ;he mills. Increased forces, they 'declared, 'de-clared, were in evidence at alE 'the important plants. |