The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-09-07

If the carmen can carry out their threats to halt surface as well as sub- way and elevated traffic, New York faces the biggest and most vital strike in it's history. The geoprahpical for nation of Manhattan Island-long and narrow-the wide distribution of population of the greater city and the concentration of the business, make New York peculiarly susceptible to any interruption of street e. ser- vice.
 The first test of the strike declared last night by the union employees of the elevated and subway railways came with the morning rush hours on the main arteries of travel between the two ends of Manhattan Island.
 When the workers of the city start ed for their places of employment to- day, the Amalgamated Association of Street & Railway Electric Employees. which is conducting the strike. had been unable to tie up the subway and elevated lines but had succeeded ip crippling some of the most important surface lines.
 With the aid of nearly 5000 strike breakers and under police protection. the Intert thorough Rapid Transit GO. was running its subway and "L" trains almost on normal schedules. The strike of the Interborough employees has spread, however, to the carmen of the New York Railways Co.,, which oper- ates all but two of the important surface lines in the boroughs of Man. haitian and the Bronx. Lines In Broadway. in the system of the Brook lyn Rapid Transit Co.,, are thus far at peace.
 Approximately 1S,000 employees are affected. The immediate cause of the strike is the refusal of the Interbor- ough Co. to release the men from an agreement to seek no further improve ment in working conditions for pe- riod of two years after the advance in pay which the men received last month. Behind these demands, how, ever. is a contest over the unionization of the street car workers of the city, among whom the Amaigamated asso- citation has gained strong footing only during the last few months.
 The union employees of the Inter- borough Go. voted to strike lat 9:SO o'clock last night and several thousand union men immediately scattered through the ClIN tO VIII over all car employees to their cause. Little effect from the strike was noticeable during the night. One elevated train was pelted with bricks. the passengers were taken off and the train sent back empty to the terminal with feH broken windows. About midnight sev- eral hundred men, many of whom wore the union button, crowded into the subway at the Grand Central rail- road station and induced all the ticket choppers and platform guards to leave their jobs. The company quickly fill- ed their places.
 In response to the railway company's appeal for protection, 5000 policemen were released from patrol duty today and made available for strike duty. Two or three patrolmen were placed on guard at every subway and elevated station and two rode on every train. For the protection of motormen heavy wire screens were nailed to the ex- posed sides of the car vestibules.
 The traction chiefs declared that they could maintat service on the subway and elevated lines but ex- pressed fear that police protection would not be adequate to enable them to keep the regular number of sur face cars running. As a precaution all the cars on the Twenty-third street
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