Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1919-04-17

Boston, April 15.-New England settled
down tonight to the realization that
telephone service In this section. except
In Connecticut. had been almost COM
pletely tied up by the strike Of several
thousand operators of the New England
Telephone & Telegraph Co. and the
Providence Telephone company The
walked out at 700 a. m. and a day with
out facilities for quick communication
brought home the seriousness Of the
situation.
Business men found their transactions
greatly hampered. In homes whore there
was Illness the delay in summoning ply
sicians caused much anxiety. News
papers had considerable difficulty in
gathering the news of the day. includ-
ing that of the strike itself as there
was no telephone connection either with
the companys offices Or with the strike
headquarters.
No move toward settlement had been
made tonight The operators seek
wage advance and the opportunity of
bargaining directly with the officials Of
the companies. They declare that since
the operation of the wires was taken
over by the postoffice department they
have been unable to obtain proper con-
General Bureson has insisted that he
has provided machinery for the handling
of wage questions and that the opera
tors have failed to take advantage of 1t.
Replying late to-day to telegram
sent by Governor Collidge yesterday
urging the postmaster generals inter-
vention to end the strike, Mr.. Burleson
wired that Every step possible was
taken" to avert the strike, that the
operators had walked out without any
cause existing and that the operating
officials of the companies had been
directed ito take every step to restore
the service"
The strikers maintained pickets about
every exchange of the two companies
In the larger cities they also watched
the railroad stations for the possible
bringing in of strike breakers. The tie
UP was complete in Boston, but in some
smaller places a partial service was re-
stored by putting clerical employees on
the switchboards and hiring former
operators or inexperienced workers.
The telegraph companies were
swamped with messages.
E. A. Crane, manager of the Western
Union Telegraph company, estimated
the increase in business in this city as
30, 900 messages. ]. C. Mcdonald. man.
ager of the Postal Telegraph company,
said that everyone Of the 81 Boston
branches of that company had handled
from 100 to 200 more messages than
ordinarily.
APPEAL TO PRESIDENT
A cablegram signed jointly by Gov
errors Coolidge of Massachusetts,. Bart
lett of New Hampshire and Beeckman
MT T,l- - ttxyA
action on the telephone strike situa-
ton was sent to President Wilson to-
day. 1t read:
New England urges your immediate
action to relieve from great loss by
telephone strike"
Governor Coolidge yesterday sent a
message to Postmaster-General Burle-
son urging his intervention but re-
ceived no reply.
Washington, April 15.-Holding the
New England telephone strike without
justification, the postoff1ce department
to-day instructed the manager of the
company at Boston to replace the
strikers or take any other steps neces-
sary to maintain service impaired.
Officials said that department had ex-
pressed willingness to bargain collec-
lively with the employees, it's position
on that question being entirely har-
monious" with principles laid down
with the War Labor Board. The en-
ployes. 1t was said, were asked to pre-
sent a schedule of the wage increases
desired, but refused to do so and the
department had nothing on which to
act.
committee of the employees called
on Postmaster-General Burleson several
weeks ago, being received as representa-
tves of their fellow workers. They
asked for certain wage increases and
were told that the demands would have
to be presented to the company In Bos-
ton, which 1t was said they agreed
to do.
Before they left it was stated officially
to-day, Postmaster-General Burleson
called the company manager and directed
that when the schedule was received it's
consideration should be expedited as
much as possible and forwarded with
recommendation to the wage board in
New York.
When the schedule was not presented,
1t was said, inquiry evoked the reply
that the employees did not desire to pre-
sent a schedule.