, 1907-08-13
THIRTY"
SOUNDED
ASSOCIATED PRESS OPERATORS
AT DENVER LEAVE THEIR
KEYS AND GREAT
NEWS SERVICE.
Hundreds Of Papers n Thousands Of
Readers Affected by Action Of the
Men-Laramie Republican and
Two Dailies at Cheyenne in List
Of Those Whose Service Is Grip
pled-Demand for Hearst Scale.

"Flash.-This is thirty from union
telegraphers Of the Associated Press
.73.,
SAB p. m, Aug. IL, 1907"
The above message from the local
Office of the worlds greatest news
gathering agency, the Associated
Press, was notice to the Republican
and all other members Of the asso.
citation that its operators had gone on
strike for higher wages and shorter
hours, says the Denver Republican.
The operators yesterday made their
demands upon General Manager M. e.
Stone and gave him until 1880 o'clock
last night to accede or be left without
an operator.
Temporarily Crippled.
Mr.. Stone, powerless to grant their
demands. replied to their communica-
ton courteously and requested hat the
operators send a committee to confer
with him. promising to submit the de-
mands, with his recommendation, to
the board of directors at its next meet
ing. The operators worked until the
hour they had set and then quilted
the office. temporarily gripping the
service of the Associated Press.
Service Partially Restored.
Within two hours General Manager
Stone had secured the use Of Western
Union wires and the services Of good
operators and the Associated Press
resumed the transmission Of news,
slowly at first, but with assurance OF
early resumption of its full service.
The Republican, through its onnec
ton with the New York Herald, at
once arranged for an Independent wire
service and its readers will. as usual,
be supplied with the news of the
world, regardless Of cost or strikes.
Quit Their Keys.
In accordance with a general move
ment in every Office Of the Associated
Press, the five local operators en-
ployed by that organization walked
out last night at $50 and Denver
found itself deprived of the bulk of
its telegraph news service for the first
time in twenty-four years.
The New York executive committee,
which on Sunday night notified Mel
vile E. Stone. general manager of the
Associated Press. that he must grant
the Hearst scale to all his operators
or they would strike, conferred with
Mr.. Stone yesterday afternoon. The
time limit set for Mr.. Stone to deliver
his decision to the executive commit
tee of the union men employed in his
organization was 1880 last night, but
Mr.. Stone asked for more time and for
a conference with the operators.
Voted by Wire.
This proposition was put to a vote
by wire all over the country and by
an almost unanimous vote the opera.
tors voted to leave their keys when
the time limit was up. 1t was with
difficulty hat the operators in the
west were kept at work until the hour
for striking arrived, and when the sig
nal was finally given each Office sent
the message quoted above to the news
papers which it supplied. Thirty" is
the telegraphers' code phrase used to
indicate that no more copy will be de-
livered on the night or day reports.
"73" at the end of the message signi-
fies compliments"
Denver Papers Crippled.
By this action the four Denver
dailies which have the Associated
Press service, the Denver Republican.
the News, the Post and the Times,
were cut off from their usual supply
of news from outside the state, except
over special leased wires. The follow
ing papers, which had leased wires
from the local Office of the Associated
Press, we're also cut off: The Ell Paso
Times, the Albuquerque Journal-Dem'
ocrat, the Colorado Springs Gazette
and Colorado Springs Journal, the
Leadville Herald Democrat, the Pueblo
Chieftain and the Pueblo S~tar-Journal.
Condensed Service Stopped.
Besides the leased wires the local
ONCE supplied what is known as the
pony service" a condensed form of
the regular dispatches, to the follow.
ing papers: Laramie Republican,
Tribune, Trinidad Chronicle
News, Telluride Journal. Las Vegas
Optic, Santa Fe New Mexican, Albu.
querque Citizen. Ell Paso Herald, Ell
Paso News, Roswell Record, Amarillo