New-York tribune., 1883-06-06
LOCAL MISCELLANY.
v,,, rr, .rcRApH OPERATORS STRIKES


rHr REPORT DIscREDITED BY THE COMPANY
WHAT THE MEN SAY OF THEIR GRIEVANCES
The publlshed statement that general strike by o
telegraph operators is 'Wnsn' tsrn TS Union telegraph
me un,,nonv o,"v' Yesterday. Walter G. Humstone
Cs,'ra1rnfendent of the company. said thal
be had heard ntimation OF the tSat
eshovtI have known something about it," he re-
marhed. "if there was any dissatisfaction among
the operators we G2 se: Pe psy paV their board and
c;ve them a small salary. We offer the opportunity
Tor vacation-for that is what it is--to some OF
our hardest operators Eveoy for the
work at the summer offices is mere play 1t affords
them few weeks relaxation; OF course we we
DO "dS during the winter season. but when
fbev return they resume their proper places ana
paw. am very sure that there is no dissatisfaction
One Of the oldest and best operators in the service
Of the Western Union SAID: "The report is nonsense.
cal. When telegraph operator gets little Deer
aboard why Gould and Ri are panpeTs
usually great deal more he reveals all the secrets
of an association of which, probably, ne Is not
nember do not think there is .ne novs ali abont
onr association and all that Is done py ~ w
ebonld stand about as much show In q strlko as l
should if 1 attempted alone 10 TOD 'no 'u'
A number of other operators were seen mnos5 nad
statements varied considerably from each other ana
from the f0rss0ps SSt but
N the helief that a strike was probably close at
hand. The disaffected party possess eoprsne com
mercial operators but the rallroaa operators .ne
clerks and the boys who are learning the business;
Rrotberhood held its usual weekly meeting last
Sunday. The members number some o.oOo or or
1000. and are pledged to inviolable secrecy Ai
this meeting several grievances were discusse9 ana
I.-aI OF mi
comprehensive strike would be started. Inc main
grievances relate to Sunday work unaccompanled
6y extra pay and causeless discrimination relative
An operator of thirty years experience said: " !
do not belong TO the Brotherhood and have myself
no feeling of dissatisfaction. But the younger
men are undoubtedly far from satisfied. You see q
boy learns how to operate in very short time
Before he is nineteen he is earning $6O or
$65 month, and as years pass oy
and he does not get much of raise he begins
TO prumble Next TO him Is an old man who is
probably no better as an operator and who yet is
drawing his 500 or $100 month. Inc youngster
does not reflect that the confidence or ones EN-
pioyers takes years to gain and when gained the
mans market value is raised. One thing IS very
certain: this organization is wldoiy extenulns'
They have made overtuIes to eycryoneLclerks'
women-operators. railroad operators, learners,
everyone in ia ct. connected with the company ana
in most instances have induced them to JOIN l
view the movement with much apprehension, as i
feel certain 1t will result in much misery"
Several of the members of the Brother
hood were seen but Of az tbe,r sodsty oas
operator at the general office. however, was finally
induced to give his views. " We mean, sald ne,
"to try to force the company TO give us our Just
dues and think our society is strong enough 10 40
50. We shall only take extreme measures as last
resort but Judging from the past 90 not think we
have much to hope from arbitratlon:, Our members
are pledged to united action and will not faiI, am
convinced, when the hour for concerted move,
nent arrives. We have to work one sunday out oi
five and two hours one Sunday out OF three with
80. .xf ira nav L
strike and we assuredly will If our grievances are
not remedlcd."
ALARM OVER THE RAMAPO WATER SCHEME.
The New Jersey Water Commission is greatly ex-
ercised about the Ramapo Valley scheme of giving
New-York an additional supply OF water more es-
pecially since Governor Cleveland has signed the
bill providing for measures to obtain supply
from that source. The Water Commission was Gre
ated for the express purpose oil guarding the wafer
interests of New-Jersey, aud It's creation dates
from the time many bills were INTRODUCED III me
Legislature having in view the same object as the
present Ramapo Valley scheme. The com nlssion
consists of Andrew Clerk. of jersey CITY John ".
Stevens, of Trenton George Randall, OF Newark
Henry l.. Butler, of Paterson; ana l.. B ward, OF
Newark. who held a meeting III jersey City on
Monday and discussed the matter; Newark, PeteT-
son and Jersey City obtain their water ersupply from
the Passac River, aud the Ranapo. with It's water
ehed of l69 miles. is the chief tributary OF the
Passaic If the New-York capitalists who are au-
thorlzed by the actof the NewcYork Legislature TO
~
water daily propose to take that supply from
the Ramapo New-Jersey must suffer correspond
ing loss AS soon any attempt is made 10 put the
New York plan in operation the commission VIII
begin legal proceedings in the United States courts
to stop the work, and Will keep the matter III hti-
CATION uuti decision is obtained from the Supreme
Court of the United States. The chief danger ap-
pretended by the Water Commission Is that New
York NAV divert the waters OF the Ramapo at some
part of the State not adjacent TO New-Jersey, and
In that case it is doubtful if NewJersey could OBJ
tain any relief
A PERSISTENT SUICIDE.
switchman on the elevated road at Chatham
st saw a man sitting at third story window in
Halls Hotel yesterday afternoon smoking cigar.
Shortly after he heard pistol shot and saw smoke
coming from the window, but the man with the
cigar had disappeared, EX-Adernan Hall, the pro-
prietor of the hotel informed and he found the
boiy of the man on the floor, with the brains oozns
from wound in the right temple. The mans name
was Henry w. Green. He was mechanical engi-
neer engaged at No. 10 Elm-st IN supplying steam
for manu- and for the United States Electric
Light Co.. that lights the Brooklyn Bridge. He has
twice before within few months attempted suicide
by shutting himself III his room and turning on the
gas Several weeks ago he succeeded IN shooting
himself iu the head, Intlictlng a severe wound that
confined him to Chambers Street HOSPITAL for two
weeks. The of his act is SAID to be domestic
difficulty and the less of 100000 in business
venture Green was upward OF fifty years old. lii'
-. d., turn nf hsr