Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1919-06-14
TODAY MARKS new
. STAGE IN WALKOUT
OF WIRE WORKERS
Commercial Messages Will
Not Be Handled by 3d.
600 Keymen.
COMPANIES SAY BUSINESS
Is MAINTAINED AS USUAL
Union Leaders Claim Strike Is
Spreading Throughout
United States.
AGREEMENT OFFERED POSTAL
Officials State This Has Not Been Re.
ccived and That Men Want
to Return.
COMPANIES SAY BUSINESS
Is MAINTAINED AS USUAL
OFFERED POSTAL
Officials State This Has Not Been Re.
ccived and That Men Want
to Return.
IBy Associated pr.ss1

ShiSAIrO. June 13.--The second
stage or the com cal telegraphers'.
strike will be reached tomorrow morn
'ng when railroad operators at $4,000
points IN America are to discontinue
handling commercial messages under
an order Issued by the Order of Rail
road Telegraphers
Such action, strike leaders declared
tonight. will tie up all commercial
telegraph business except between the
larger cities i,f which the Western
Union and Postal companies maintaiu
their own offices. omciaIs of tho
Postal said that company would not
be affected by the order. as little Postal
business is handled through railroad
stations
Western Union officials while ex-
pressing belief that the order would
would not have serious results. 1l''->-
They estimated that the $4,000 points
nanr1inE naiirondE n.Ie GIommercial business over
than live messages each day.
Claim Strike Spreads. ~.
MeanWhile, officers Of the CONNER
cial Telegraphers Union OF America
ISntinned sSnt ,hs to receive reports indicating
Konenkamp. international president of
the, union, said the number of strikers
had reach rsaGhed $4,000; that the strike of
electrical workers set for next Mon
day would add 10000; workers to the
list OF those idle and that by early
NEXT NEXT week telegraph service in many
Giles and towns would be greatly i'm
paired through walkout of telephone
operators. t7l3T
Practically all union telephone opera-
Workers Union. Committees set.-to
work In many cities today picketing
being urged to join the strikers is-e-
The brokers' division of the teleg-
raphers' union has been asked to take
action Meetings were to be held to-
be decided whether to- strike in SYM
pathy. Strike leaders said walk
transmission OF financial, business 40
such an extent that business on Wall
Street would be greatly hampered,
Denied by Companies. ~
Claims OF strike leaders that the
futed by officials of commercial COM
panies. who said they We're accepting
business without restrictions. and that
conditions were practically normal.
The Association Of Western Union
Employees. representing 65 per cent
Of the Western, Union workers, an
nounced that the small number a-ot
strikers in that company had returned
to work.
Postal officials likewise stated that
Chicago Office. which was hard hit; on
the first day OF the, strike. is operating
about 20 per cent normal"
ers submitted TO the Postal conditions
upon which settlement could be
reached. They provided that the com
sne government has released control
= the company. The conditions were
nGWarded TO New York.
BurieSon Is Accused.
The union men charged that POST
master.General Burleson had in a
sense Tied the. hands OF the CONNER
cial companies by prohibiting the sign
ing or wage contracts"
placed at 500 by strike leaders. The
Western Union said only fifty-one per-
sons, were absent from the operating
department. and the Postal announced
that OF the $50 operators, 20 per cent
were at work.
The messengers of both companies
still are on strike.
POSTAL OFFICIALS ARE GIVEN
NO AGREEMENT Bi STRIKERS
NEW YORK, June l3.-The Postal
Telegraph Company has entered into
no agreement whatever with its strik-
ing operators. and has received no
communication from them at any time
except through the public press it was
stated here today by Edward Reynolds,
general manager OF the Postal system
Mr.. Reynolds added that the company
looked on the strike as virtually al
an end. a.
Mr.. Reynolds said the company had
virtually n normalsforce or operators,
and that reports from other cities
showed many men coming back 10
work The report that officials OF tha
Comm ercial Teiegraphers Union OF
America had submitted to the Postal
Company conditions upon which an
agreement could be based was at
tribpted by Mr.. Reynolds to the fact
that Postal operators in the union are
bringing pressure to bear on the union
leaders to call off the strike" ys
No principle Is Involved In this
strike" he continued. "and the men
are becoming restless. We are in
formed that they are coming back
even at strike stronghUlds like Bir-
min CHAM, Ala, and we received a re-
port this afternoon that the local at
of. ~
While we have had no negotiations
with the men, and are not urging them
to come back, we are willing to take
them back without prejudice and with
out considering their continuity of SER
vice interrupted " they return within
reasonable time,
REPORT TO RURLEsOS SAYS
COMPANIES OBEY ORDERS
By. Associated Press ] IN $500
WASHINGTON, June 13.---Employses
OF tho Southern Bell Telephone Com q
pary at Atlanta were dismissed "for 4
good and sufficient' reason g. ! and NOR
because of union Affiliations Postal ia