The Portland daily press., 1883-08-14

A FAIR HEA RING.


Before the United States Labor and Edu-
cationaI Committee.
NEW YORK, Aug. 13.-The subcommittee
of the U. S. Senate Committee on Labor and
Education began its sessions today in the Post
Office Building. The members present were
Senators Blair of New Hampshire s-Chairman;
George of Mississippi Pugh of Alabama, Call
of Florida and Aldrich of Rhode Island. The
special subject of the su ub.committees investi-
cation is strikes and labor movements in gen.
eral, the object being to obtain information
which may be used in securing future legisla-
ton to prevent them. The committee had sew
eral sessions last winter, when number of
witnesses were examined The first witness
today was Master Workman John Campbell of
Pittsburg. He testified that he had been tel
egraph operator over twenty years, and had
been connected with the Knights of
Labor and the Brotherhood of Telegraphers
for two years. There were between IS 900 and
10000 telegra pliers in the United States and
Canada, who are m embers of the Brotherhood
and the whole membership is about % ,000 The
cause of the strike was refusal to grant de-
mend on the part of the operators for increased
compensation, decrease in the hours and extra
compensation for Sunday work. Since 1870
the salaries of telegraph operators had been
systematically cut down, and the object of the
strike ives to bring the rate of compensation
back to its former standard. Operators were
now paid fixee salary per month, the average
rate throughout the country being about $54
for commercial operators and $50 month for
railroad operators. The average rate
for railroad operators in Pennsylvania by
an sctual census, is $685. per month. The
rate of wages for hrst-cass commercial operat-
ors now ranged from $50 to So5 per month.
The salaries in New York city were higher
than those in smaller cities, with the exception
of New Orleans, Memphis and Nashville,
where the scale of wages was about equal to
that in this city. The lowest rates for COM
mercial operators were from S35 to $40 q
month for operators at small way stations. Be-
fore the reduction in wages the rates were
from So to 40 per cent higher than at present.
In 1870 first-class operator could make from
800 to $120 month These rates extended
back to the time of the beginning of the war,
when the scale of wages was about the same as
it is at present for railroad operators, and that
for commercial men little higher.
The Western Union Company employs a
quarter of all the operators in the country, an
and about two-thirds are railroad operators.
The American Rapid Company only employees
about one-ffth as many operators as the West
ern Union. The protest of the Brotherhood
was against all companies and all employers of
telegraph operators. The rate of wages was
not considered sufficient to live upon, and was
much below that of common day laborers in
many instances. The companies were able 10
pay higher wages to their men without increas-
ing their rate for service to the public. This
was evident from the large dividends paid by
the Western Union. Besides this the facili-
ties for transmitting messages had been in
creased by the invention of the duplex and
Quadruplex instruments. There had been no
improvements, but on the hand the wages of
the operators were cut down. The number of
operators had doubled since 1870, while the fa-
cilities of the companies had more than dou-
bled. The Western Union in that year hand
led 1000, 900 messages, and last year the num-
ber was 81, ,000,0 ,000 Mr. Campbell related the
history of the strike since the beginning. There
was convention Of the Brotherhood, he said,
held in Chicafo last March, at which bill of
grievances were drawn up. This was present.
ed to the different local assemblies of the
Brotherhood throughout the United States and
Canada, who unanimously ratified the action
of the convention. The returns to the execu-
tive board were made about two months ago,
and the committee was instructed to present
the demands of the operators to the different
companies, and they were also empowered to
arbitrate upon any propositions that might be
made by the companies.
On the 10Th of July the demands were pre-
sented to the Western Union, American Rapid,
Baltimore and Ohio commercially and numeT-
GUS telephone companies in this city. The
only answer which has yet been received was
from the American Rapid Company, which
had partially acceded to the demands OF the
brotherhood. The answer of the Western
Union Company to the appeal of the operators
was that it was not known whether the COM
mittee had authority to speak for the employees
of the company. Mr.. Campbell said that 30
per cent. of the employees were members of the
brotherhood. Operators had frequently pre-
sented grievances to the local managers for
increase of wages. but these had been
disregarded. 1t was generally believed
that the Western Union Company had
a well established system of blacklist
ing men who made applications for increase Of
wages, and took the first opportunity of dis
charging them from its employ, upon some
pretext or another. Favoritism was shown by
all the local managers and skill was at a dis
count. A system OF intimidation was practic-
ed by the officials Of the company. Since 1870
several movements have been started to organ
ize the operators, but all had failed on account
of this system of intimidation. Ms. Campbell
also intimated that by the process OF watering
its stock, practiced by the Western Union
whenever 1t has absorbed a competing line,
the company was now paying at least % per
cent dividends on the real value OF its stock.
He also STATED that the work of an operator
was very wearing and exhaustihg and the men
seldom lived long who continued in the busi-
ness. Many left it after following 1t for a score
OF yeaos, and this was about the limit Of an
average mans endurance.
John McClelland, an officer of the Brother
hood, and an operator of fourteen years ST rnd-
ing, was next examined He said that the di-
rect cause of this strike was an insult offered
by the Western Union Company to the COM
mittee of the Brotherhood in refusing to rec
ognize or treat with them. The grievances
were real ones, and If there had been a spirit
of concession manifested by the company the
operators would have met them in that spirit
The committee adjourned till 10 o'clock to-
morrow, when the examination of Mr.. Nc
Clelland will be concluded and other members
of the Brotherhood will be examined.
The States Must Pay for she Gut Wires.
Colonel Somervile of the Western Union
Company states that since o'clock last night
150 wires have been cut. The company is short
about 70 wires on Albany Circuit. Twenty
four wires we're also severed on the Southern
route between New York and Newark; twelve
OF the south way wires and two Pittsburg lines
were also cut this morning. Eastern lines all
o. X. Twelve OF the gold and stock wires
were cut in this city between midnighnt and
daylight this morning. Linemen are now re-
pairing the damage. The Western Union
Company has employed detectives to watch
wires, but 80 far no reports have been made.
Sommerville says the States in which the wires
were cut would have to pay for the damage
done, and the expense of repairing them.
Striking linemen persistently deny that they
cut any wires. Officers of the Western Union
Company say they are well up with business.
and need but few more telegraphers to put
them in as good circumstances as before the
strike of the 153 offices of the company in this
citv II are now open.