100 years ago in Spokane: Davenport Hotel’s barbershop refuses to raise prices; streetcar cleaners on strike replaced

The largest barbershop in town – the Davenport Hotel barbershop – refused to raise its prices in accord with the other barbershops in town.

The rest of them, under pressure from a union, had agreed to raise prices and shorten hours.

J.C. Salter, the proprietor of the Davenport shop, said that a committee came to him and asked him to go along, but he refused.

The Davenport’s nine-chair shop would continue to charge the same prices and stay open until 10 p.m.

From the labor beat: The Japanese streetcar cleaners in the Spokane Traction Company shop went on strike for “25 cents an hour and free house rent.”

The company responded by hiring “seven American women” willing to do the same work for 22 and a half cents an hour.

“According to reports last night, the women appear contented,” said the paper.

The Spokesman-Review noted that two other local rail companies already employed women to wash the interiors of rail cars.

From the war beat: The front page of the Spokesman-Review featured an application form for Liberty Loans, i.e., war bonds.

The citizens of Spokane were being asked to purchase $2 million in Liberty Loans. The paper said the city was already on track to purchase $3 million or more.

The headline above the application form read “Spokane Is Doing Its Share.”