Los Angeles herald., 1907-10-03
TELEGRAPHERS' STRIKE

n
n waters run deep" and by that
IL measure the telegraphers strike
Is very deep affair, because, on the
surface, it is very still. Possibly this
is as the contending parties would have
1t be, but the third party, the party
with most to lose by reason of the
strike, the people of the United States,
are facing a condition now-and soon
to be worse, If a settlement Is not
reached-that threatens to cost them
millions in direct losses and more mill
lions in indirect losses by reason of the
strike, and they are anxious that some
movement looking toward mediation
between the strikers and the companies
shall take place at once.
A few weeks hence the great citrus
crop of California will begin to move
to eastern markets, and even before it
is off the trees the wires are needed to
place it favorably in the several dis
tributing points where the best returns
are likely to be had, and without tho
wires to guide in this distribution the
crop, worth approximately $12,000,000,
will be dwarfed in value by unavoid-
able losses to half that sum, and thou
sands of innocent people suffer in conse-
quence. This fact brings the pending
trouble close home to Southern Cali
fornia and calls for prompt action look
ing toward getting together that this
fell blow to one of our leading in
dustries may be warded.
Messages to the scores of eastern
markets from large percentage of the
two telegraph companies traffic in the
fall months. They start cars laden,
with no settled destination, till those
on the ground decide on the. best
market, and the wire is an absolute
necessity to divert the fruit en- route
and send it where prices are best. With
present conditions, when it requires
days to get a message to points usually
reached in hours or less time, no grower
will risk his fruit on the road to lose in
the markets and pay demurrage on
cars held up because of no orders to
move them. The citrus fruit code in
use is a compound of words and phrases
unknown to any language, and having
significance only for the citrus men.
1t is hardly probable that the telegraph
companies will get satisfactory service
from the few telegraphers they have
recruited during the strike, especially
when such difficult and important tele-
grams are to be transmitted. These
simple facts, so pregnant with wrong
to innocent people, should have weight
with the men and the companies and
urge them all to get together at once
AS the matter now stands there is q
strong chance of the Order of Railway
Telegraphers becoming involved in the
strike as it's members realize that de-
feat of the commercial telegraphers
would mean ruin to both, as individuals
and organization and if the railway
men should strike for any cause they
would tie up business with a paralyzing
bond and literally stop the current Of
trade.
In view of these dread possibilities it
is the boVpden duty of both sides to
VI iiSuioIloh
(neither side is willing to arbitrate)
and ascertain if there is not some level
on which both may agree to compromise
their differences.
The Herald proposes that the men
agree to return to work on two condi-
tions, waving all else now in dispute,
and that theA companies meet them
cheerfully on the propositions, that is,
that every man of the old force goes
back to his former position, allson the
same day, and that an eight-hour day
be granted to all, with equal pay for
equal work, irrespective of the sex of
the worker. This calls for concessions
on both sides, for the telegraphers all
over the country stand firm for an in
crease in wages commensurate with
the increased cost of living. The
workers also demand that the COM
panies furnish the typewriters with
which kilograms are handled. On the
basis suggested the telegraphers would,
he making great concessions The cor
porations would sacrifice nothing but
the pride of certain high officials in
New York The public cares nothing
for the petty details of the quarrel, but
the demand for a settlement is impera-
tive.