New Contract Averts Phone Company Strike

The telephone strike which threatened to halt the installation of student phones will not occur--at least for several weeks.

Scheduled to begin at midnight yesterday, the walkout by the 12,000 members of the International Brotherhood of Telephone Workers was averted Saturday morning when the union's executive committee reached agreement on a new contract with the New England Telephone and Telegraph Co.

Before the beginning of October, union members will vote on whether to accept the tentative contract. If they reject it, a strike is still possible.