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About The North Platte semi-weekly tribune. (North Platte, Neb.) 1895-1922 | View Entire Issue (April 30, 1901)
SEVENTEENTH YEAK. NORTH PLATTE, NEBRASKA APRIL 150, 1001. NO. 20. BLUE FLAME WICKLESS OIL STOVES for cooking-. Uses coal oil for fuel. REFRIGERATORS in several sizes. WE ARE STILL SELLING MAJESTIC RANGES. Ginn JOHN BR ATT. JOHN BRATT & CO., Real Estate, Loans Insurance X NORTH PLATTE, NEBRASKA. A: tv Jw.oforon.oo:-Ajtiy Ban "It lxx 3J"o"fcrelK.ci. JOSEPH HERSHEY, WINDMILLS i PUMPS PIPES AND FITTINGS BARB WIRE ROUND AND HALF ROUND STOCK TANKS LOCUST STREET, NORTH PLATTE, NEB. TV When You Buy Paint Buy Good Paint... And that means SOERWIN & WILLIAMS' PAINT. We have been handling this make for many years and have found that it gives excel lent satisfaction in every instance. Tt may cobt a trifle more per gallon than inferior paints, but it's cheapest in the end. It sticks and holds its color longer than other paint. "Wo can furnish you any color or quantity. A. F. Streitz, Druggist. WW ! fsforlh f l&tte fTloar 1 lylarfUfactUrccl toy lortrj Platte Koiler njiiis Used by economical houbewifes in fifty towns in Nebraska and Wyoming and pronounced the equal of any flour manufactured in Nebraska, fl Trial Sack uJill Corvirjce you of its fljerit North Platte Roller Mills C, F, idDINb'S Housecleaning Time is here, and vou will prob ably find that sonic pieces of your furniture looks shabby; that they need to be replaced by new. We are here to supply your needs, and we arc confi dent wc can ;. suit you. Something- here to please every taste; something" here to suit every pocket book. & Weinganl E. R. COODMAN. DEALER IN Farm Implements, Buggies, Wagons, Windmills, Pumps, Early Closing Hours. To Tin: Eimtok ok tiik Nokth Plattu Thiiiunh: Believing that the public is in tcrested in knowing- just what and the other labor organizations antlthc Wilcox Department Store, wc publish their correspondence and our reply in the order in which they were received and answered. In regard to the last communication the president of the clerk's union was told that we had no reply to make. Yours respectfully, "Wilcox Dkpaktmunt Stohk. Vc, the -'trndersigncd mer chants of North Platte, hereby enter into an agreement with Local No. 475, Retail Clerk's Protective association, to close our stores on and after March 4, 1901, at 7 o'clock p. m. (central time)cvcry day except Saturdays and pay days and from the 10th of December to the 27th of De cember. Sam Richards W. T. Banks Hub Grocery Co McCullough & Carter Geo. T. Buzza Harry Dixon W. A. Vollmcr A. L. Davis Harrington & Tobin Julius Pizcr Decatur & Beeglc Mrs. G. S. Huffman II. F. Doolittle 10. B. Warner. W. F. McGlone & Co S. C. Harshlleld W. M. Baskin Ginn & Wincgaard J. Haler C. H. Stamp C. S. Clinton To the General Manager Wilcox Department Store, North Platte, Nebraska. Dear Sir: The different labor organizations of the city of'North .Platte, ten in number, desire to place before you certain facts which have come under their ob servation, and to speak of certain efforts for bettering their condi tion, which have been made by the Retail Clerk's Protective as sociation, of which they take cog nizance. After the clerks of this city had organized in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Retail Clerk's Protective associ ation, thev made a united effort to have the merchants of North Platte close at a certain hour, set forth in the following propo sition, viz: "The merchants of North Platte arc hereby requested to enter into an agreement with Local No. 465, Retail Clerk's Pro tective association, to close their stores at 7 o'clock p. m., central time, every day except Saturday and the evenings of the 10th and 10th ot each month, being nay days, and from the 10th to the 27th of December of each year; the clerks on their part agreeing to concede their supper hour till after 7 o'clock p. m., and in every other reasonable way strive to enhance the business of their employers." This appearing to us to be a fair and reasonable proposition, made as wc belio.ve in good faith, and it further appearing that all the merchants, with one excep tion, were willing to agree to the terms set forth herein, providing that all others wouldsoagree; and it further being made to appear that the Wilcox Department store was the only firm in the city re fusing to concur in said agree ment, therefore The various labor organiza tions of this town, after due de liberation, not wishing to do an injustice to any one, but at the same time desiring that fairness shall be meted out to all, and with a full Knowledge of the re sult to which their concerted ac tion may lead, and hoping that no extreme measures may have to be adopted by the different organizations, Respectfully ask you to con cede to the reasonable request made by the said association, and join with the other merchants in granting to those making the re quest, that which we ourselves would expect, and probably even demand, if wc were placed in like condition with themselves. The organization's presenting this mcmoVial, representing as they do several hundred people, yvill be pleased at your concur rence, and they trust that you may find it to your advantage to sanction the early closing move ment as outlined in this docu ment. C. W. Baskins H. W. Bird R. O. Chamberlain B. of L. 10. Fred C. Letts S, C. Mecombcr J. M. Moonev O. R. C. F. A. Simpson Frank Brctzer Charles Wingct B. of L. F. Mrs. J. II. Fonda Mrs. C. A. Dill Mrs. Elizabeth Crusen L. I. A. B. of L. 15. Mrs. Magnolia Duke Mrs. Carrie Crockett Mrs. Anna Hosier L. 1. A. B. of L. F. William J. Roche Danid A. Russell v John A. Dwver 1. A. M. George Small wood 1 B. Z. Millikan f Henry Breternitz B. of B. M. & I. S. B. L. 10. Woods i , 10. A. Scarle . O. K. Peck . B. of R. T. Mrs. J. M. Simpson Mrs. J. B. Jeter Mrs. Richard Williams. L. I. A. to O. of R. C. Mrs. W. 10. Goodwin Mrs. F. J. Doran Mrs. F. J. Liddcll Sarah 10. Murphy VNorlli Platte, April 16, 1901. To the Labor organizations of North Platte: Having received a communi cation from you in regard to the early closing movement, and, believing that you are willing to grant that there arc two sides to the question, wc submit a few reasons why wc do not favor closing at 7 o'clock p. m. during the entire year. North Platte is situated in the center of a territory that draws trade from forty to sixty miles. There arc in that territory about 12.000 people, of which wc have 3,700 here in North Platte. A great many of the 8.300 people living in tnat territory oiusiuc of North Platte come long dis tances to radc, taking them all day to reach town with tneir loads. Not being able to do any trading in the evening makes them late in getting started home the next day and they cither drive late into the night or take part of the third day for their trip. This class of customers live as near, and in many cases nearer, other towns that do keep stores open evenings for their accommodation and that pay as much for their farm products as wc do in North Platte. We be lieve that North Platte will lose a considerable portion of this trade, amounting to thousands of dollars annually, by closing at 7. m. the year around, practi cally saying to the farmers: "Wc don't care whether we accom modate you or not." Another thing wc are opposed to is waiting until seven o'clock for supper when we have to be gin to go to dinner at 1 1 :3() a. m . It may not make any difference to a clerk that boards, but to either a merchant or clerk who keeps house it means that their women folks will have no even ing at all as they would not get their work done until 8:30 or 9 o'clock p. m . We submit another fact: Wc are the only store in North Platte that has had a regular hour for opening and closing, having for three years closed our store promptly at 9 o'clock p. m. week days and at 0:30 p. m. on Satur days, and for about two months past have closed at 8 o'clock p.m. It is not a question of hours witli our clerks, as we have no clerk in our employ who is dis satisfied with either the treat ment received or the hours worked. The agitation for early closing appears to have come entirely from help employed by our com petitors and their employors who nave lor llie past three years compelled theiremploycs to work from one to two hours longer a day than we have. Wc further submit, that the clerks of our competitors admit the fact that our help is the best treated of any in town; in fact, the presi ident of the Clerks' Union said in conversation with us yesterday that he would rather work for the Wilcox Department Store than any firm in North Platte. It is also a fact that there never has been a proposition submitted to us that was not an ultimatum and of such a nature that the other merchants of the town knew wc would not sign it, and their signatures were attached with the understanding on their part that thev would close if the wncox department store would. A considerable number of mer chants that signed the agreement were no more in lavor of it than wc arc but try to place the blame on us because they knowwc have the courage to say and do what wc think. Wc consider it rather inconsistent for merchants in the town who have compelled their clerks to work from one to two hours a day longer than ours have, and part of that time on commission that docs not allow of their making good wages, to criticize us tnrougn tne newspa pers and in that way try to pose as the friendsof labor. Wc sub mit our record for treatment of our help and offer as witnesses the clerks of our competitors. In a store work is done differ ently from a trade. If wc have a busy day with lots of custom ers to wait on we do not get our stock work done. If wc shorten the hours we work wc have to employ more help to do the stock work, as it is not expected that a man can do more business inlcss tinic There arc only two ways in which a merchant can employ extra help and maintain his net protits: One bv raisimr the nrice of what he sells, and the other by reducing the wages of the clerks he employs to pay the ad ditional wages of the additional ones required. ruiowing mat tncre area great many things to be considered in a question of this kind, and that there has been a great deal of misrepresentation as to our po sition on the matter, wc take this time to set some of them rierht and at the same time submit a schedule of opening and closing. We believe that this not only concedes cvcrythinir that a reas onable clerk can ask, but that at the same time shows some con sideration for our countav trade and is as much as we arc willing to (io in tne matter. A proposition rcirardinir the opening and closing of business nouses in JNorth Platte, submit ted by the Wilcox Denartmcnt Store and which it agrees to sign and enforce if accepted: 1 . All business houses to close on central time and no entrance permitted after closing hours. 2. All business houses to re main closed on Sunday. 3. All business houses to close at 9 o'clock a. in., on Deco ration Day, July 4th, Thanksgiv ing Day, and not to open Christ mas uay. 4. No delivery orders taken after 6 o'clock shall be delivered until the next day. 5. All clerks . whose supper hour naturally comes before closing time shall go to supper on employer's time. 6. All clerics shall be allowed one week's holiday each year on imi pay or in ncu tnereoi, one week's extra pay, provided they remain in employ beyond the year's time. Time for taking vacation to be agreed between the employer and employe. 7. The following schedule shall be used covering hours for opening and closing business nouses: Opening hour. Mouth. CloBinfj'liour. 7:4s a in January 7:00 p m 7:45 a m February 7:00 p m 7:45 a. in March 7:00 p in 7:30 a in April 7:30,p in 7-3U a m May 7:30 p m 7:15 a m June 8:00 p m 7:15 a in July 8:00 p m 7:15 a in August 8:00 p m 7:15 a in September 8:00 p m 7:30 a m October 7:30 p m 7:30 a m November 7:30 p m 7:45 a m December 7:00 p m Except, all Saturday's closing hour shall be one hour later, and from Dec. 10th to Dec. 22d clos ing shall be 9 o'clock p. in. Dec. 23d and 24th hour of closing shall , i i . .. uf at any time employer suau see in. Violatidn of this agreement by" any merchant shall release 'all other merchants from its terms. Respectfully submitted, J. Q. Wilcox, C. O. Wilcox, D. P. Wilcox, Directors Wilcox Department Store. Whereas, Wc the representa tives of the different union labor onranizations. in ioint moclintr. v- j j O ' considered a proposition of the wm.u. .wuparimcni oiorc, on me evening of April 25th, 1901, and Whereas, Wc realize that the plan submitted is not advisable and that tlin oMior tuprelinntsi could not agree to it, therefore be it Resolved. That vrirpirc.t tint proposition and will sustain the Retail Clerk's Protective Asso ciation in their original proposi tion, and would request that all merchants in North Pin Hp. r.1on their places of business on and after May 1st, 1901, also on Sun days, in accordance with the proposition, submitted and signed by them, regardless of any action of the Wilcox Denartmcnt Storo. And all merchants submitting to tne proposition will receive our moral and financial support in so doing. Signed, S. C. Mecombcr, O. R. C. Wm. J. Roche, 1 . A. O. M. V. E. McCarty, B. of L. E. F. A. Simpson, B. of L. F. B. Z. Millikin, , B. of B. M. & I. S. B. Committee renrPHPiitimr Hip following: International Assnri.-ilinn nf Machinists. Order of Railroad Conductors. Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers. Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen. Brotherhood of Railroad Train men. Brotherhood of Boiler. Mnkoi and Iron Ship Builders. sanies' Auxiliary of B. of L. 10. Ladies' Auxiliary of B. of L. F. Ladies' Auxiliary of 0. R. G. Retail Clerk's Tntnnmfinntil Association. The oil strike m Sonne Vallev. Utah, ia causing considerable ex citement and a number of companies have been organized to develop the properties. ThiB oil is said to be the hnrliest grade ever struck in me wona, analyzing ninety-live per cent pure petroleum. We Are Still Selling Potatoes at 20c a Peck. Wc also sell as follows: $ Kerosene Oil per gal 15 Arbucklcs Coffee 2 pkgs 25 Lion Coffee 2 pkgs 25 XXXX Coffee 2 pkgs 25 Yeast Loam 2 pktrs 05 On Time Yeast 2 pkgs OS Vinegar per gal ,20 White Wine Vinegar per gal. ,25 Bakers chocolate 18c, 2 pkgs. .35 Walter Bakers Cocoa 25 Bluing Paddles 10c size 07 Bluing Paddles 5c size 04 Searchlight Matches per box . .04 Sulpher Matches per box 01 S.ipolio per cake 9c, 3'lor 25 I'carline per pkg 04 41b pkg Gold Dust 18 Kingsfords Silver Gloss Starch per pkg 08 Kingsfords Corn Starch Pul l'kg 08 Corn Starch per pkg 05 Argo Gloss Starch per pkg.. .05 Dr. Prices Vanilla per bottle. ,15 1-lb pkg Dukes Mixture To bacco 35 1 II) pkg Old Style Tobacco. . .30 Horse Shoe Tobacco per plug.' .45 Star Tobacco per plug 45 Standard Navy Tobacco per plug 35 Battle Ax Tobacco per plug.. .35 140-lb Sack Salt $1,05 Wilcox DerjMfcmenft $foFe,