The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1917-07-05
PHONE SITUATION NOT
CHANGED DURING DAY
Each Side to Controversy
Beats Time, Waiting for
Other to Make Move.
OFFICIAL IS COMING
Strikers Will Not Give in
and Officials Say They
Lack Authority.
OFFICIAL IS COMING
CONTINUED from rage One.)

reply coming to the effect that the
governor would be ont of the city until
noon today and that 1t would be i'm
possible to communicate with him I'M
til his return. The mayors message
follows:
Nissoula, July 4, 1917.
Hon. Sam V. Stewart Governor.
Helena, Montana.
No telephone service in Missoula
on account strike. Serious results
NAV follow on account of lack OF
communication with fire and po-
lice departments. win you please
have this matter taken up at once
with public utilities commission so
that service may be restored i'm
mediately.
H. T. WILKINSON. Mayor.
It was suggested in some quarters
that an appeal for an immediate set
Element with the strikers be made di-
rect to the public utilities commission.
No appeal was made, however, as it
was said that the commission has no
to compel the settlement or
Of strikes. and may only
fix rates.
City Suffers Greatly.
AS a result of two days Of no scrv-
i've, the business of the entire city,
quadruplcd because of the extra de-
mands of the Fourth of July and the
Stampede, has been hampered to an
enormous degree. Specially suffering
l., nj 80 ho N,y }
cab companies and confectionery
stores. The former are not able to
receive emergency calls for their scrv-
Ice, and orders for ice cream for the
Fourth of July, which always are
greater for this day than for any other
one day in the year. cannot be made
by phone. The physicians of the city
have no means of receiving calls for
the sick except in person. There Is
danger that in case Of fire the depart
mcnt may not be informed at once be-
cause of lack of service.
Messenger Service Started.
Business houses in the city estab-
|ished a messenger service during the
day to offset in part the great injury
to their bushes. Many of them COM
planned of what they termed an intol-
cradle condition, and declared little
sympathy for the strikers, regardless
Of whatever Justice their demands
possess. One business man said that
he was not interested in whether the
union is recognized by the company.
h1,f that 10 ha1iavnI fhprn chnn1l no
some step taken to produced immedi-
ate service and at the same time pre-
vent a repetition of the present state
of affairs.
Emergency Service Asked.
Mr.. Cotton was served with an APP
peal by Mayor Wilkinson in which the
latter urged that a partial service for
use only in emergency be established.
Mr.. Cotton declared this is an impos-
sfbility without grave danger of put
ting the big switchboard at central
out of commission beyond possibility
of repair.
There is no way" said Mr.. Cotton.
that we could limit the number OF
calls even if We established an emcr-
gency system. This is because We
turn on the current for all the telc-
phones in the city when we turn on
any part of it. If we could he abso-
lutoly certain that there would be no
calls except in case of fire. we might
he able to do this. But VIC cannot be
sure.
Would Burn Out Board.
When call is made to central it
must be answered within ten minutes
or it will be likely to burn out the
board. If We had one operator and
an emergency service. there would be
certain to come a time when so many
calls would be made that the single
operator could not handle them and
the board would be sure to burn out.
That would mean a new board, and
to get one here and install it would
require anywhere from year to Is
months. The situation then would be
obviously very much worse than 1t Is
now with no service for few days"
Girls Demand Recognition.
Officials of the girls union are
Mrs. Lena Brisbin. $50 East Pin,
street, president Miss Ida Minister
737 East Front street, vice president
and Miss Clara McGcc, 1897 DcFot
street secretary.
They declare that they will not &,
back to work until their organizat ior
is regularly recognized by the com
pany. Officials of the company her,
say they are willing to recognize tn,
union. At the same time, however
they admit that such recognition
would be in no sense binding upon tn
officials at the company hcadquartcr
| in Denver.
Wages Issue Not Obstacle.
! 1t is believed that the question G
increases in salaries will not form
serious obstacle to the settlement {
the difficulties. The union dema nd
a scale operating from s45 a month fc
apprentices to $50. the salaries In
creasing regularly after six month
OF apprenticeship. The offer Of Il
company Is a scale starting at $35 +,
the first month and then increasir
regularly to $50.
Attempts at Cancellation. made
4