The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1907-08-30

HF+- NAAOA %
At New York nearly 5000 operators
quit. and more than $4,000 were idle
throughout the country. At the same
time the employees of the Associated
Press from n end of the country to
the other struck upon the refusal of
General Manager Stone to Immediately
accede to their demand for increased
wages. Various local causes of fric-
ton. combined with the general de-
Inands previously made by the Teleg-
raphers' union for an eight hour day,
asl0 per cent increase in wages and the
furnishing Of typewriters by the COM
panies. afforded the motive of the
strike when it came.
President Clowry of the Western I'm
ion. On the other hand. insisted that
there was no adequate cause for the
strike and that it was precipltated by
hotheads, inasmuch as the Western I'm
len vas standing by its agreement
with Commissioners Neill. He also
claimed that the older and more re-
liable employees had not Joined the
strike and that with the hey men On
hand ready to be employed they would
be able to handle their regular bust
ness. The strike leaders claimed that
most Of the new operators said to be
ut work in the telegraph offices were
Inexperienced girls OF boys drafted
from the telegraph and commercial
schools and used mainly for the pur-
pose of keeping up appearances. The
Increased use of the telephone service
svery where testified to the existence Of
the telegraph strike.
The most alarming feature of this
great industrial conflict was the prob
ability Of a sympathetic movement on
tue part of the Railroad Telegraphers'
Huion in the event of any of their
members being ordered to transmit
commercial business asa consequence
Of the strike. It appears that the tele-
graph companies have contracts with
the railroads requiring the latter to
transmit any commercial messages Of
fered. and Western Union officials
made it plain they would insist upon
the spirit and letter Of these contracts.
Realizing the seriousness of q sympa-
thetlc strike by the railroad telegra-
pliers, the managers Of the railroads
were disposed to ignore the contracts
with the telegraph companies or by
other e~xpedients to avert the actual
clash with their own t~elegraphers. In
any event, it was declared by the strike
leaders that the railroad men We're pre-
pared to lend financial and moral aid
to the strikers, and 1t was asserted
further that President Gompers had
pledged the support of the American
Federation Of Labor. Requests made
by the boards of trade of several vest
ern cities upon President Roosevelt to
nse his personal influence toward aSset-
Element were referred by him TO the
commissioner of labor without COM
ment.
Newspapers Consume Vast Forests.
K bulletin recently issued by the
census bureau at Washington on the
printing and publishing Industry
shows that this line of activity pre-
SCENTS d striking exception tosthe pre-
yaiiing tendency toward consolidation.
The number Of establishments In 1901
WINS o6.422, q number larger than was
reported for any other industry. The
increase reported from 1900 to l9o
was proportionately greater than from
1890 TO 1900. "a notable feature was
the increase In the number OF pounds
Of paper used, more than 100000 tons.
ar almost one-third OF the entire out.
nut Of the paper mills OF the United
STATES. being used for newspapers and
periodicals III 1905. To make 59 tbs
paper required the services OF nearly