Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1915-04-15
Postal Telegraph Men Do Not
Form Happy Family Alleged
by General Manager Of the
Company,
WALSH CONTINUES HIS
INDUSTRIAL PROBE
Operators Think They Are Re-
quired to Do Too Much
Work for Pay Received for
Services,

10y MORNING JOURNAL SPECIAL LEASED w,RsI
Chicago, April 14.--Fiye Postal Tel
egraph company telegraphers, sudden
ly subpoenaed to appear before the
United States commission on Industrial
relations, today unanimously contra
dicted yesterdays testimony of Ed
ward q. Reynolds general manager
Of the company, who said that condi-
tons of employment were 100 per
cent satisfactory. Mr. Reynolds re-
marked that the commission could
confirm his statement by asking the
men.
The five witnesses said that mono of
the operators was satisfied In the
main because they thought they did
too much work for too little money
and knew of no way to obtain re-
dress of grievances d. +. Rogers,
working a regular extra split trick"
for the Postal company, was the last
witness. As he was being excused he
was asked by Frank p. Walsh, chair
man of the commission, If he had any
further complaint to make.
Feared Being Fired.
"Only that / won't have any job to-
morrow" he said.
Mr.. Walsh replied. "If you, or any
other of the young men get into diff
ficulty because of your testimony dur
ing the life of the commission, please
notify Secretary Brown"
IT'S ten TO one that YOU hear from
me-" Rogers insisted
"Oh. let us hope not" smiled the
chairman,
"In be fired ana I'll never get am
other Job" concluded the witness.
other witnesses were Thomas j.
Carroll, traffic superintendent west
ern division, Western Union Telegraph
company: George Duffy and Eli Ros-
enberg, messenger boys; Il. Frank
Shrimpton, secretary-treasurer of
the New York local. Commercial Tel
egraphers of America, and w. T. Rus
sell. S. 2. Aubrey, T. l.. Warrington
and Clare r. Emerson, Postal COM
pany operators who preceded Rogers.
S J. lSonenkamp, president OF the
telegraphers' organization, added a
few words to his previous testimony
regarding the telegraphers' strike OF
1907.
Much Dissatisfaction.
When Mr. Russell took the stand,
Mr.. Walsh asked interrogatively'
"Mr. Reynolds, your general man
ager stated yesterday that conditions
among Postal company telegraphers
were satisfactory and there were no
complaints
There is much dissatisfaction over
wages and the hounding' of men to
speed up" replied Mr., Russell. In
Chicago our instruments are too
4 nalr Ia
comfort, and when short relief from
the key is necessary, some times you
can't get IL for hours"
Mr. Walsh asked:
"Why don't yoT state your griev-
ances through the union, or associa :
tion of employees to which Mr.. Rey-
nolds testified yesterday? Mr. Rey-
nolds stated that this union elected
its own officers and was a channel for
the adjustment of grievances"
Never Heard of Union
IT never heard of it." responded
the witness. The other telegraphers
either had not heard of the union. or
only vaguely. They regarded the chief
operator as the court of last resort,
they said. and regarded it as ffaz-
ardous experiment to appeal that
high. They complained. If at all to
the sub-chiefs. Mr. Russell said he
wrote direct to Mr.. Reynolds year
ago. but never received a reply
"There are 800 men in the Chicago
office and / don't believe you can find
two of them who are satisfied said
Russell
The messenger boys testified to de-
tails of their business. Both said
they had been used to obtaining
opium from a Chinaman recently
convicted of the crime in Chicago.
shrimpton testified that the spy sys-
tenn Of the Western Union makes men
in that office seem to be afraid to be
seen talking to a union man, much
less join the union. He said the only
remedy for conditions was to protect
the men in their right to organize.
Not Much speeding Up"
Mr.. Carroll presented another side
Of the picture. and went into details
of portions of the testimony given
previously by the president and the
vice president of the Western Union.
Automatic transmitting machines are
gradually decreasing the number of
men employed, but not the cost to the
company he said. TO employ as many
men as possible during the depression
OccaslOnod by the war, ne Sdlu tnde
the company ceased buying the ma
chimes and were carrying on his div
ision alone 600 more men than we're
justified by strict business require
ments
Touching the subject of overwork
land speeding up" Mr.. Carroll stated
that the average Of all operators of
his division in the year 1914 was be-
tween 500 and 500 words an hour.
---a---------
skilled Mechanics Wanted.
Chicago. April 14--Eleven hun