New-York tribune., 1907-08-14


crippled zervice. When this fact was brought
TO the notice Of the officers they explained that
in q day or two their service would De resumed
st all points. There a well grounded rumor
afoaf yesterday that both the Western Union
end the Postal rapidly gathering in skilled
operators who thrown out Of employment
.n the recent closing up Of bucket shops al
over the country and the closing of the pool
rooms IN New York
In the downtown sections Of the city the
companies used their pneumatic tubes for the
transmission of messages from the sub-branch
Offices to the main Offices. where they had con-
centrafed all their operators. Eice-President
Brooks, OF the Western Union. admitted how
ever that none of the branch stations north of
42d street was open yesterday Vice-President
Adams Of the Postal, said that nearly all of
the suh-stations except four-and two of these
are near Broadway and 42d street-are closed.
in the financial section complaints Of poor
service were heard in the Cotton Exchange and
the Produce Exchange William V. King. super
sntendent of the Cotton Exchange, said that the
exchanges direct wire TO the Cotton Exchange
in New Orleans constantly being interfered
with and that the wire being used by the
Western Union for the transmission of other
nlessag ges.
At the office of the Western Union last night
nobody would discuss this charge But the in
caused the local New York Cotton Exchange to
depend mainly on the cabled reports from the
Liverpool exchange. where they had been
ceived by able from New Orleans The cable
operators were still at their posts yesterday,
end have expressed no intention TO strike
PRODUCE EXCHANGE SUFFERS
Members Of the Produce Exchange also suf-
sered from poor service The Western Union.
which usually supplies eighteen operators for
the floor 90 the exchange, yesterday had only
five working. The Postal. which furnishes twelve
rule. could put only two on the floor
yesterday The runor that the good operators
had been taken into the main offices of the COM
pany caused much dissatisfaction among MEM
bers Of the Produce Exchange whose business
transactions depended on quick communication.
Secretary Ely Of the New York Stock Ex
change said that the ex>hange not suffering
from the strike. Nevertheless. out of town
dsrs were said TO be smaller than usual owing
20 the difficulty Of sending dispatches. Since
the cables working. there no inter
rTIption Of communication with London and
other foreign markets
EMPLOYEES Of the Commercial Cable Company.
the Anglo-Arnerican Telegraph Company and
the cable service Of the Western Union have
no grievance and will handle local messages
from here for any point outside the United
terror points that must be received by
union operators
Belvidere Brooks, ice-prestdent Of the west
ern Union and superintendent Of the Eastern
division, said last night that he had full force
working
We have all the men we desire for the night
staff" said Mr.. Brooks. In fact. we have more
than we want The night service is perfectly
satisfactory. and judging from the way in which
inc that a strike had recently occurred
Vice-President Adams of the Postal was even
more optimistic. He announced that all the
messages that had accumulated during the pc
riod following the beginning of the strike had
been cleaned up at o'clock last night. He said
the company had 141 operators the day shift,
while the normal number only 1S0 SO that
the company was getting off its messages with
little delay.
we have a sufficient number Of men," he
said 'to move business TO all important
tres. The service in the South is growing
stronger every hour, and here in New York
have tonight eighty-f1ve operators TO handle the
rush Of business although the normal number
Is seventy. We ara getting into shape quickly,
and everything will be II there never
strike We are not feeling ii particularly, and
there is nothing to be arbitrated"
BRANCH OFFICES CLOSED.
Both Mr. Brooks and MI Adams denied the
runaor, started perhaps by the strikers, that the
business Of the companies had fallen of almost
80 per cent since the public has become con-
rincd that some messages might be held up
Nevertheless. persons in Harlem and The Bronx
found most OF the Offices closed. and in those
that were open. with few exceptions, the only
way they could get message TO the wire was
TO have IL taken by messenger to the main
offics or TO one OF the branches down Times
Square. The only one In the Western Union
Office at No. 26f0 Third avenue was girl opera
ter, who appeared very nervous policeman
.n uniform stood in front Of the DOOR AT the
three branch stations Of the Postal in The Bronx
policemen were guard.
At nearby cities the situation equally dis
couraging 30 persons who wanted to be sure
their messages would be sent In Newark three
Of the six men employed by the Western Union
we're members Of the union and went out on
strike The remaining men and the five en-
ployed by the Postal not members Of the
organization. and stayed at their keys They
had little TO DO yesterday and last night because
they got messages beyond New York and Phlla-
oelphia- In Jersey City the two operators en-
ployed by the Postal went on strike There was
no strike in the Offices of the Western Union
there where the employees are mostly girls. AT
Bridgeport the three at the keys Of the
Postal struck The Western Union men there
are not in the union. and stayed at work.
F. E. Payne general manager Of the Postal
Telegraph Company in Brooklyn, was cheerful
over the outlook in that borough He said only
thirty men. affecting twenty Of the smaller
branch Offices, had gone out This tied up the
service I'm the outlying districts. but things Were
moving without a hitch in the big main office
In Montague street.
Lis for fha