The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1883-08-16
The Work of the Labor and Ednration
(,ommtttae

Committee.
NEW YoKR, Aug I3.-The sub-com- |
mittee of the United States sena;s COM |
mittee on labor and education began its |
sessions to-day in the post Office build |
ing. The members present were Sena-
tors Blair, Of New Hampshire, Chair
man George. of Mississippi; Pugh, of
Alabama; Call, of Florida, snd Aidrich,
of Rhode Island.
The special subject OF investigation is
the strikes and labor movements, It's
general object being to obtain lnforma-
ton which may be used in securing f1-
ture legislation TO prevent them.
The first witness to-day was Master
Workman John Campbell, of Pittsburg.
He testified that he had been telegraph
operator over twenty years, and been
connected with the Knights of Labor
and the Brotherhood of Telegraphers
two years. There were between $1,000
and $4,000 telegraphers in the United
States and Canada members of the
Brotherhood, and the whole member
ship was about 1900 The cause of the
strike was the refusal to grant the de-
mand on the part of the operators for an
increase of compensation. decrease in
hours and extra compensation for SuR-
day. Since 1870 the salaries of tele-
graph operators had been systematically
cut down, and the object of the strike
was to bring the rate of compensation
back to the former standard. Opera
tors were now paid fixed salary
per month, the average rate through.
out the country beng $54 tor CONNER
/ cial operators and $50 per month for
railroad operators. The average rate OF
railroad operators in Pennsylvania by
} actual census is $38. So per month. The
I rate of service for first-class commercial
operators now ranges from $50 to $85
per month. The salaries in New York
, City were higher than those in smaller
/, cities with the exception of New
2 Orleans, Memphis and Nashville, where
4 the scale of wages was about equal tC
e that in this city. The lowest rates FOL
D commercial operators were from $35 Il
$40 per month, tor operators at small
q
s wages the rates were from 81 to 40 pc
g cent. higher than at present. In 1871
y first-class operators could make from
$50 to $3.50 per month. These rates eX
10 tended back to the time of the beginning
r OF the war, when the scale was about tn
g same as at present for railroad operator
n and that for commercial men it'll
higher. The Western Union cOmpan
employ q quarter of all the operators i
s. the country, and about two-thirds ar
Ie railroad operators. The American Raj
l. id company only employs about enc
~ fifth as many operators as the Wester
le Union. The protest of the Brotherhoo
was against all the companies and a
" employers OF telegraph operators. Til
~ rate of wages was not considered suff
Gent to live upon; was much less tina
'e that of common labOrers in some case
70 The companies were able to pay hight
wages TO their men without increasin
their rates for service to the public
q This was evident from the large div
" dend paid by the Western Union, b
u sides their facilities for transmittin
u messages has been increased by the il
. vention OF duplex and Quadruplexe
j. instruments. There has been no redu,
ton in the tariff in consequence of thes
70 Improvements, but on the other haE
" the wages of operators have been redut
C. ed. The number of operators ha
le doubled since 1870, while the facilitit
of the companies had more tha
doubled. The Western Union in thu
y year handled seven million message
and last year the number was thirty f1s
million.
- Campbell recited the history OF Il
strike since it begun. There was col
- vention of the Brotherhood, he sal,
held in Chicago last March, at which
bill of grievances was drawn up. Til
= was presented to different local Assem-
" blIes of the Brotherhood throughout th
~ United States and Canada, who unan
~ mOusly ratified the action of the col
ventiOn. Returns to the executiV
board were made about two months az
- and the committee was instructed I
present the demand of the operators [
the different companies, and they wei
:. also empowered to arbitIste upon a
propositions that might be made by II
companies.