100 years ago in Spokane: Private taxicab drivers walk off the job following Teamsters’ agreement

About 25 taxicab drivers walked off the job yesterday amid claims the teamsters’ agreement has not been lived up to.

“As an aftermath of the strike of the teamsters’ and chauffers’ union, which was settled Monday,” union officials reported that 10 employees from the Seven Seven and 10 union and five nonunion men left from the Five Hundred company, reported The Spokesman-Review.

The agreement called for a wage scale of $3.50 for taxicab drivers for an 8-hour day, compared with the present wage of $3 for a 12-hour day.

Officials declared that Frank M. Mohr of the Seven Seven company and manager W. C. Nichols of the Five Hundred company had refused to confer with them following the walkouts, but that they would be willing when ready.

The company managers were reported to be objecting to outside dictation. “We cannot afford to raise wages at this time unless we are also permitted to raise rates. A city ordinance regulates taxi cab rates. … We do not care to have outsiders dictate to us how we are to run our business.”

From the crime beat: Records compiled by the county clerk showed an increase in delinquency, insanity, probate and divorce cases over the past year.

According to The Spokesman-Review, juvenile records indicate there was an increase of juvenile delinquency cases from 30 to 50 in 1919.

There was also an increase from 32 to 43 probate cases started during the past year.

– Samantha Malott