Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-08-05
STRIKE
DISPUTE STILL
AT STANDSTILL
Strikers Ask Citizens to Notify
Company to Remove Their
Telephones.
THE PHONE STRIKE.

The telephone strike situa-
ton was today practically the
same as yesterday.
The strikers are asking citi-
zens to notify the company to
remove their telephones.
The municipal tuberculosis
sanitarium reports that medl-
cal attention has been delayed
and suffering caused due to
delays in phone service.
The strikers declare they
have cut no lines of the Cen
trail Union Telephone company.
1t was reported that several
wires had been "snipped.7
1t is not definitely known
when Miss Mae Matthew's,
leading picket of all operators,
will be able to arrive here.
Telephone strikers are today
forcing new measures to break
a strike deadlock at the Central
Union Telephone company and
force the company to grant their
wage demands or allow the tele-
phone service to be completely
disrupted
Following a call issued yester-
day for all union men to assist the
strikers by taking out their tele-
phones, plans were started today
which, if carried out, will lead to
removal of phones by many public
sympathiZers.
Blank papers are to be circulat-
ed around the city, to be signed
by citizens and sent to the tele-
phone company as notices tina.
their phones must be removed
within ten days after receipt of
the paper. 1t is not known now
how many people will take this
requested action, but many people
have expressed the opinion that
their phones are of no use anyway,
due to crippled and often COM
pletely destroyed service. 1t is ex-
pected by the strike leaders that
a great many people will respond
by ordering their phones removed.
No New Employees Reported.
II is not known now whether
or not the company has taken any
action toward filling the strikers
places, as contemplated in notice
to the strikers las week.
When questioned this morning
as to the company's actions,
Thomas S. Brown. district man
ager, refused to make any state
ment other than that he has
nothing to say. That covers the
whole situation"
In reference to the report that
telephone lines have been cut in
certain places, the company Off
Gals refuse to give any informa-
tion and the strikers claim that if
any lines have been cut they were
not severed by the ex-employes.
Many Complaints.
Many complaints from citizens in
the hill district have been made
during the last few days. Resi-
dents in the vicinity south of Long
View park. say that telephone ser
vice in that district is practically
destroyed 1t is said that in one
locality there are 20 persons who
are unable to obtain any telephone
at all with the rest of
the city.
Poor communication has been
causing considerable difficulty to
public service. Certain fire alarm
boxes have been out of order A re-
port has been sent in from the mu-
nicipal tuberculosis sanitorium
that proper medical attention can
not be secured in emergency due
to inability to obtain telephone
Suffering, it is
claimed, has been caused at the
sanitorium on account of COM
delays.
1t is not known when Miss Mae
secretary and leading
picket of the national body of tele-
phone operators, will be in Rock
Island. 1t is understood that she
has been delayed in st. Louis.