Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-07-31
COUNCIL TO TAKE UP
JITNEY PROBLEM
CONTINUED From First Page1

some of the weak-kneed men have
gone back to work as had been eX-
pected, but that the strike will be con-
tinued to the end" summed up the sit
uation to-day of the beginning of the
third week of Harrisburgs street rail-
way strike.
Twenty-one of the striking men are
now back on the JOB. according to
President Musser; Mr.. Thorpe says
that about twenty are holding down
their old Jobs.
Reports current among the strikers
to the effect that c. c. Page, financial
secretary of the trolleymens organi-
cation, had returned to work were
verified by Felix NJ. Davis, transporta-
ton superintendent.
Efforts to interest the businessmen
OF Harrisburg through the Chamber of
| Commerce were taken by the strikers,
| according to. Hugh L. Mclaughlin
CHAIRMAN OF the grievance committee.
Mr.. Mclaughlin said he took up the
question with President J. William
| Bowman, of the Chamber, and that
the president told him that he will
| present the matter to the directors
| Just as soon as he can get them to-
| gether.
Trains Withdrawn
Philadelphia and Reading special
| trains to Steelton which had been run
Tor the benefit of the employees of the
pennsylvania Steel Company were dis
continued to-day. Two of the big mo-
Tor trucks likewise quit regular runs.
All but two of the regular quota of
cars were in service to-day, according
to President Musser and the crews
Were mostly men who had been taken
| back into the company's employ form
er employees who had left the COM
| pany'S service at varying periods be-
fore the strike, and some men who
had been brought here from York,
Lancaster and other nearby towns to
help out.
j. z. Roach, according to a tele-
gram received from Samuel Gompers,
president of the National Federation
| or Labor, has been delegated to help
Conduct the announced ''whirlwind
campaign" for organizing labor.
What plans will be followed in this
campaign Vice-President Thorpe to-
day smilingly declined to discuss.
Mr.. Musser's Statement
In discussing the situation to-day
President Musser said:
We no longer consider q strike in
| existence, although we are still subject
| to some inconvenience. With the eX-
ceptlon of two all of our cars are in
service; schedules are being regularly
maintained; people are again riding in
| the cars. With few exceptions these
cars are manned by old men, men who
| have returned since the strike, men
we've had to bring from other towns
TO help out, or men who had been in
! our employ some time ago and who
had left to go to other jobs. We have
re-employed number of these men.
i I W.
have now 21 of the old men running
on lines. Uniforms have been pro-
Vided for the new ones. Only in the
evenings is it necessary to employ the
| strike-breakers."
For the first time since the strike
was declared two special cars were in
service this morning and more, it was
said, will be put in service this even
ing. During the morning 40 cars in all
were in operation.
In discussing the applications of
strikers for their old jobs, President
Musser said:
We are taking the men back with
the understanding that bygones are
to be bygones. Any that we re-employ
are given to understand that so long
as they do what is right we will treat
them as II nothing had happened"
Mr.. Thorpe's Statement
Vice-President Thorpe gave out a
dlnerent statement however:
All men who return to work" said
he, are required to sign away their
freedom, their principles of manhood
IN order to receive their old positions
If they want to go back to work they
are compelled to drop out of the union,
ana TO agree to have nothing more to
do with it. Furthermore they are
compelled to turn over their union
cards and buttons and any other prop
erty that belongs to the union.
This the company has no right to
insist upon" continued Mr.. Thorpe.
The company has no legal right to
take any property that belongs to the
union or the Amalgamated Associa-
ton.
Our advice to the officials of the
traction company is that they had bet
ter not take over this property and
that any they have taken had better be
given up or there will be trouble"
us it true" Mr.. Thorpe was asked,
that more men have gone back to
work."
Twenty or thereabouts, I believe,
have returned to their old jobs But
these are the weak-kneed ones that
we rather expected to do this. They
are the ones that were had to keep with
US anyway and it's probably better
that they do because a wedding out
would be necessary"
The committee headed by Chairman
Mclaughlin which called upon Mayor
Meals this morning complained about
the company's methods of handling its
cars with the strike breakers.
The men who run the cars do not
obey the traffic rules relative to the
keeping of a car to a block other
rules are not obeyed. Why can't the
city authorities advocate the passage
of an ordinance which will require a
man to have at least fifteen DAYS
training with an experienced man be-
fore he be given control of a carp
Mayor Meals said the idea was
worthy of consideration.
One thing we are going to insist
upon" concluded the Mayor as the
committee arose to go, is that after
this is all over, all the cars-both lit
neys and trolley cars-must provide
the proper kind of vehicles to haul the
public. 1t is certainly time that we do
away with 'fiat-wheels' and the rickety
type OF vehicles which the people have
| had to endure"