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Show OPERATORS OPPOSED 10 WAGE SCALE Strong Probability That D. & R. (. Men Will Go on Strike. The first development of Importancs that has arisen In tho controversy between be-tween the telegrnphera of the Donvor & Rio Grande system and the officers of that road over the proposed reduction in salaries paid operators camo Monday, when notice was received here of. tho first assessment levied against tins operators opera-tors by the committee representing them In Denver. The nFsensmcnt was levied pro rata on the operators and tho money will be used to defray the expenses of the conference confer-ence committee. Tho men arc growing more restless dally over the uncertainty of the situation. Tho committee appointed by the telegraphers teleg-raphers Is having considerable trouble In Denver In securing satisfactory conferences con-ferences with tho officials of tho road, according to reports received by local telegraphers. A. C. Rldgcwny, general manager of the Denvor & Rio Grande, was expected here on No. 3 at midnight, but did not arrive. He will come In on No. o Tuesday Tues-day morning. What his visit portends no ono knows. lie has left Denver at a time that is very Important to both tho road and the employees who will bo affectod by tho abrogation of tho working agreements on March II. While It Is pretty generally believed that tho Denver & Rio Grande hus decided on Its course and that salnrlcs will be cut on .March II, conferences or no conferences, yet tjk-prnpheiM and other employees speculated considerably Monday ovor Mr. mdgeway s anticipated arrival. There are fewer than two hundred operators employed by the entlro Denver & Rio Grande system, and tho company has notified the committee representing there, that on March 14 a n w: wage scale will go Into effect. The operators get from CJ to ?i)0 a month. The avorago, taken up and down the Hue. is about $70 a month. Tho Denver & Rio Grnndo officials have preaent.'-d a ncaie to the operators thai will put practically every man working a key on a salary of 5&U.50 a month. Tho next pay-day for tho operators Is tho 10th of April. Until that time they don't know what they are working for. If they accept tho new wago scale proposed by the road they will get ?50.f0 each. If they refuse to accept this proposition the question that presents Itsolf Is thus: On what basis- will tn-3 company pay salaries sal-aries for the coming four n'ocks? Tho operators are very blttor ogalnst the company and navy already laicon a referendum vote as to striking, ahould tho company persist In its purpose to puy them but $50.50 a month. Every man has filled out a blank stating his view of the matter and they were sent to tho committee In Denver. It Is piotly generally gen-erally understood that the majority of the operators voted for a strike If the now wage scale was forced upon thorn. SIncn the nine-hour day went Into effect, ef-fect, the operators claim that the Denver Den-ver &. Rio Grande uystem, Instead of hiring new operators, simply closed a number of small .stations and brought tho i operators Into the iarrcr pln"rt w"ir-Tp i threo shifts were put on to do what two m?n had been reiiuvd t) no iei oe. The railroads claim that the num-hour law Is really an eight-hour law. "How can ire dlvldo a iwon-y-fou.'-hour day Into throe shifts of nine hourri each?" they ask. |