New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-11-01
MESSENGER BOYS
STRIKE; 1000 OUT
Picket Offices, Hold Pa
rades and Fight Loyal
Employees"

At least 1000 messenger boys are
out on strike, officials of the American
District Telegraph and Postal Tele-
graph companies admitted yesterday.
The strike went into effect at 9
o'clock in the morning. and within an
hour New York was beginning to real
ize what an important link in the bust
ness world the grimy, lodging messen-
ger boy really is. Wall Street found
itself shy of stock runners. Many
brokers were compelled to take The
youthful strikers into their own employ
at a salary figure higher than that paid
many stenographers and clerks in the
Street.
Wire Offices Deserted
Many Western Union and Postal Tel
egraph Offices throughout the city were
deserted. Clerks and managers filled
their pockets with kilograms and set
out upon delivery routes. Wherever
possible kilograms were relayed by
phone to the firms TO which they were
addressed. Where an objection was
raised to this method business people
were informed they would have to send
to the nearest district Office for their
messages.
Service" which consists in the de-
livery of packages and letters, was
abolished. Both companies likewise
confessed to their patrons their inabil-
ity to call for messages.
The messengers assert that they have
1, 300 out Of 800 boys on strike. j. c..
Turner, general manager of the A. D..
T. Company, which handles all of the
Western Unions messages. declared
yesterday afternoon that he was only
900 boys short, while the Postal Tele-
graph officials estimated that they had
not lost more than 400 out of 800 mes
sengers. Both companies denied that
they had hired strikebreakers.
Messengers Place Pickets
The events Of the juvenile strike
proved that striking is not an art, but
an instinct.
Youthful pickets were placed outside
every important district Office in town.
Their pleas to "loyal employees" were
eloquent, but where eloquence failed
other methods common in labor dis
putes were adopted. There were pa
rades of the striking messengers
through many of the downtown streets;
official union cards were issued;
strike headquarters were opened at "a
East Fourth Street, where the pres
dent of the union sat in state behind
a broken down desk, issuing orders,
and where the secretary bowed his
slender back over a book in which he
wrote the names of the faithful.
The boys didn't see how they could
have a real strike without few
skirmishes with "scabs" and the police,
so six of them managed to get them
selves arrested during the day. Louis
Sherman had a wonderful hour in the
Tombs-which he reviewed in rich de-
tail at strike headquarters last night.
He also had the thrill of paying 81
fine when he was convicted of disor-
derby conduct.
Boy Striker Put in Corner
James Dowling's experience was not
so heroic. He was hailed before Magis-
trate Simms for failure to move on"
and was sentenced, like a schoolboy
who had thrown paper wad, TO stand
Tombs court for two hours.
Three boys appeared at strike head
quarters last night to proudly exhibit
heads plastered with adhesive tape.
"Organizer" Hartmann declares his
"men" are being assaulted on every
hand by clerks and office managers, and
saws he will send committee TO see
Mayor Mitchell about the matter this
morning.
Officials of the two companies be-
lieve the strike will fall of its own
weight. Mr.. Turner, of the A. d. T.,
declared the messengers would tire of
being STRIKERS" within three days. He
exhibited his payroll book yesterday to
show that hundreds of them are earn
ing above $40 week, and that some
of the older boys are making as high
as $50 to s25. He charged that the
boys have been tempered with by Ger
tain men staying at the Hotel Con-
tinental, who are diseruntled because
they have already lost one strike"