Truman Names Slichter to "Phone Fact-Finding Board

The White House made a long distance telephone call to Cambridge last night and when it was completed, efforts to keep the long distance lines open were under way.

Summer H. Slichter, Lamont University Professor, reported last night that he had been appointed to head the President's fact-finding board which will investigate the wage dispute behind a threatened walkout of long distance telephone operators.

Professor Slichter said that the board would look the union's demands and report back to the President. He declined to comment specifically on the disagreement.

Strike Must Wait

Involved in the wage dispute are some 25,000 members of the American Union of Telephone Workers, a CIO affiliate. After the union threatened to strike this week if their demands are not met. President Truman took over the industry under the provisions of the Taft-Hartley Act. Appointment of the fact-finding board will defer strike action until a report is made.

Local phone service would not be affected by a strike of the AUTW, which is composed of operators and maintenance workers on the long distance lines.

Professor Slichter served on Governor Bradford's committee to review the Massachusetts labor laws last year. Besides conducting graduate economics seminars in labor relations and collective bargaining, he has written many books on the subject.