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Show MASS MEETING OF BUSINESS MEN I IS HELD AT NOON 1 A mass Dtieati&g, Said tO be Ihe lnrr icst and moet representative gathering I of business men ever held In Ogdn, vas called to Order ;it noon tnd;iy ai the Weber club, i discuss meaeuies ol protection tot nil property In Web r county, following a disturbance at the pas plant of die i 'ah Power & Light company, which lefl the city without gas Resolutions wi re adopted, declaring that all property in Ogden would t0 c en complete protet lion President Warren Wat lis of ilie Weber club presided ai the meeting, which was attended by th city commission, com-mission, members or the county commission, com-mission, representatives of the sheriff ;.nd police departments, as well as representatives of tbe sheriff and police: po-lice: d pa n men! -, afl well ae rep i natives of practically every business I concern and industrial plant, of t!,' city. M'-Mill, division manager of 'the Utah Li-'lii A: Tower company w . s called upon to explain why the gas plant was not in operation. Mr. M t rill stated that employes at the plait t, .previous o the shut-down, were receiving re-ceiving what would figure ?l Hu p. r year. Two weeks' vacation was given-each given-each employe, he slated, as well as 1 two weeks' slclf leae, during which; tim tbe employee received complete compensation The men demanded an increased wage scale which, Mr. Merrill stated, would increase (lie.r yearly earnings to $1,800 per year. Uiv on being told thai BUCh an incrctse could not be granted ai present, the men are alleged to have walked out j Mr Merrill said he did not consider 'the trouble a strike The employes at the gas plant, previous to the trou-1 I ble, were unorganized Tin ir places, he stated, were quickly filled Tbe leaders Of the men who walked out j threatened trouble if their demand! were not granted The trouble came; to a head yesterday afternoon, WhCD a crowd of approximately S00 men appeared ap-peared al the cas plant and, making I their Way into the grounds of the pas' plain, frightening the employes who) I were operating the plant so that they j I fled from their work As there were I i no men left to operate the plant, it was impossible to maintain pressure! I In tho gas tanks Mr. Merrill stated, jand when th. surplus supply had been1 exhausted the city was without gas. Mr. Merrill asked for proper pro-; tection from the city and said that until such time as the city would fur-nish fur-nish adequate protection, the plant would not be in operation, as it couid ' not secure the labor to operate. Agitators are alleged to have made further threats towards the U. P & ' u. iu iub eiiecu ium uniess ine men on strike were reinstated, and their I demands complied with, that the ga3 plant would be taken by force and put out of operation i B. R. Inch, at the head of the Utah I Power and Lij-'hi company quoted i inures in-ures showing that the plant in Ogden was operating at a yearly loss of $50,-000 $50,-000 per year Notwithstanding tills fact the company js willing to cooperate coop-erate with the men. Mr inch -idtiiJ if the latter will but wait until October, Oc-tober, when a meeting of tbe com pany's officials will be held. He advocated ad-vocated President. Wilson's sugge-tj.-.n to the shopmen, thnt the men con-Uaua con-Uaua (heir work while investigations concerning the high cost of living are made by the government. It is expected, ex-pected, said Mr Inch, that govern ment solutions of the hich cost of Ih -Ing will eliminate present labor condi-t condi-t Ions. Mr Inch said that this had been told the rebellious workers before they wont out. but had been disregarded the men eeming impatient. Miles L. Jones, police commissioner was asked by John Lewis to explain the actions of tbe police in the trouble troub-le of yesterday and Thurda, when a crowd of alleged strike-breakers were set upon. Commissioner Jones stated that the police had been aware of the brewing trouble and were making preparations to cope with it, should anything serious occur The crisis came suddenly, he said, when the strike breakers arrived The officers felt that they should proceed pro-ceed without violence in order to prevent pre-vent a riot, or other serious consequence? conse-quence? Thev mingled with the crowd and succeeded in persuading them to disperse, Commissioner Jones stated. The police are instructed to give protection pro-tection at all times, and he assured Mr. Merrill that protection would be giv n the gas plant or any other property prop-erty in the city. Commissioner Jones stated that he was astonished In the attitude taken by many influential citizens of Ogden, who werS Hskrr to perform special po-lier- work. He staled thai seine yr Plied "that the JOVt innn nt has gotten us into his position: now let the gov-i gov-i rnment get Us out " The police department, he said, is perfectly ablo to handle the situation and will spare no effort nor expense In protecting prop. itv "Perhaps many would not criticize the police" said Mi. Jones, "if they knew the latitude given unions in 1917 CYank Francis of I he Standard, asked if the law had not been simply altered to allow picketing and moral 1 1 -ion. City Attorney w n Eleeder replied and stated thai was the cast and he .then read to the assemblage th( law in question 1 1 in department of the j city government, he staled had taken action towards the occurrences of the last two days and upon the mm plaints of the Royal BarbSr Shop the Hadgei j Coal company, the Ogden Commission pmpany and the Utah Power i Light j company. wai issuing OOmplalntSI against the ringleaders of the trouble. The men agftinsi WbOffl the OOfllplftlntfl have been issued will hi irrested during dur-ing lie day. ho staled. Superintendent F. M. Drlggs of the Rotary club was present and In a f ew j well chosen words declared that the Roiarlans would back law and order in the city and would aid In every way-possible. way-possible. Fred M. Herrlngton of the Utah Canning company stated that thirtj-five thirtj-five eanners in the citv and vlcJnitj used 700,000 cans in their business, and that Inasmuch as the can com panv of the city must have gas in ihe making of cans, no cans would be supplied in n yen Bhori time and tis would entirel tie up the t 6n erns, Stating t tint he WOUld make eVOT eftort to put down any riots Which might occur in the citv and that the' force would assure protection to the! workers at ihe gas plant, Sheriff Pot- erfeon, addressed the .cnhering and was loudly applauded County Commissioner John Chile's Stated that the county commission was behind the sheriff in quelling all dls-j turbances and that he will give him 1 all ihe nere.- s i r men tor this work R. K. Bo; d sMuested immediate ?.c tion and Urged the forming of a committee com-mittee to stand behind the officers and ; furnish all men necessary to cope With the situation. Mayor Browning made the state-' men! thai the officers of the city had not been diligent in the arresting pf violators and also stated that the order ' had been given that arrests of all asi j tators making threats should be madr "The present situation must b checked as soon as possible," said Mayor Browning. The American ( an company was represented and the statement was made that the company would not be able to operate until p. is was supplied and that tbe shutting down Of the plant means fieing up of the canning industry of i he city Commissioner Jones slated that the jgas plant at present was amply prelected, pre-lected, but no altemot had vet been made to operate. His statement fi opposed by P. M. Parry, who stated ihat adequate protection of the gas plan i employes was not jet assured and that the men would not return to 'their work In fear of violence at he hands of a mob It i understood that union labcr w-as not back of the demonstration at ihe Fnion depot Thursday morning and that the local leaders are advising against all violence and mob action, and this attitude is doing much to restore re-store confidence in the community. |