The sun., 1907-08-19
STRIKERS not SURE OF SMALL
DON'T KNOW WHEN TELEGRAPH
CHIEF IS COMING.

Meeting Wf Operators VINO Are Out Chcereti
by Announcement From Actors Pro-
tectise Union That They VIII Get More
Than SIS 200. M Necessary, Maybe.
The striking telegrsphers did not know
yesterday just when President Small Of
the Commercial Telegrsphers Union was
coming here. Percy Thomas. vice-presi-
dent of the union. said he had not re-
ceived any communication Of any kind
from Small Regarding the ultimatum Of
last week giving the brokers who have
not signed the new scale until ~ O'Clock
noon to-day to do 30 OF face a strike there
we're no definite statements. As mat
ters now stand the telegraphers in the
brokers offices may strike or they may
not.
Head Strategist Russell announced that
the telegraphers are going to publish a
daily paper. the first issue TO be out to-
morrow, called Pair Play, which is TO give
the movements in the strike from the union
standpoint This is TO be published from
the new headquarters OF the strikers in
the Astor House.
1t was stated IN the Offices of the Western
Union and Postal telegraph companies
exactly as they were before the strike the
companies were making good headway.
Since the strike began changes have also
been made TO facilitate the work so that il
can be handled by fewer men. Nice-Presi-
dent Nally Of the Postal company made the
following statement:
The strike situation is fully as salts
factory to day as it was yesterday so far as
the reports in this city are concerned. We
have word from Dallas. Tex, that several
strikeih have returned, and in other points
strikers have applied for their old places.
"Of course il would bSfoolish to say that
while we are not crippled conditions are
AS good as before the strike though we are
not crippled in our service in any way.
We certainly regret that our men left us
without any excuse as far as we can learn
and while we know that they will be the chief
sufferers eventually we feel keenly the
disruption of the organized conditions by
which our business was carried ON like a
smoothly ri inning machine. Losing, as
We did. men who had worked wires with
other expert operators in other sections
until the business WIS systematized and
these men in team work knew their circuits
as a physician would know the pulse of a
patient, il of course threw our work ont of
gear and hindered al first the steady flow
Of business.
I'VE did the best we could cut out n lot
of unmportant branch Offices and took
operators from relay work. reinforcing
their work by extra battery power. In
stead OF relaying many Of our wires AZ
Chicago We oDencd circuits straight from
New York to San Francisco and saved two
OF orators on each wire. II was not as
satisfactory as we would have liked as 10
made work slower, but We have got the
business ouI Of the way. The men who
have come in from branch Offices here
had to accustom Themselves to long circuits
and timed themselves TO the wires but they
are doing the work
II want to say plainly that the Postal
Telegraph Company proposes TO avail
itself most fully Of this opportunity to
weed out the undesirables on the force.
Men who were retained for sentimental
reasons will be Dropped permanently.
We do not propose to take back any one
who does not measure UP to our standard
Of what good operators should be.
The strikers had meeting behind closed
doors in the afternoon at tho Manhattan
Lyceum, where Joseph r. Aheam, who
presided. and others told the strikers they
were winning. Henry de VeaUS. president
of the Actors Protective Union and Albert
Abrahams of the Press Feeders Union
took the floor as representatives of the
Central Federated Union To invite the
strikers to take part in the L. J.. U's Labor
Day parade.
M This was agreed 10, and then DE NeaUy
told the strikers that the Actors National
Protective Union, of which he is the preei-
dent had been the means Of raising SIS 900
for the mine workers during the coal strike
and would il necessary raise even more for
the striking telegraphers.
When the meeting was over Russell
said that reports had been received from
oil over the United States which showed
that 81 per cent Of the telegraphers were
on strike, a gain of one per cent since
last Wednesday
He was asked IL the operators were
going to strike at noon to-day. in ac-
cordance with the ultimatum Of last
week, in the Offices OF the brokers who
had not agreed TO the new scale. At
first he said that there was no need for
them to strike. Then in a burst Of con-
fidence he said:
81 believe the trouble with Bache & Co.
will be settled tomorrow. Strikes will be
ordered in all brokers' Offices first where
an agreement in not signed, and second
where an assurance is not given that the
agreement will be signed as soon as possi-
ble.7
The mass meeting of messenger boys
scheduled for Yesterday in Tammany Hall
did not take place. Ho ward Leroy said
that the boys would lik ely have a meet
ing OH Wednesday evening. Meantime
organizer Of the American Federation Of
OF Labor, he said, and get an A. F. OF L..
charter.