The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1903-06-16
THE UNION WILL
MEET AT MIDNIGHT
What It Decides to DO Will Be Known
To-Morrow-Committee Not Au-
thorzed to Declare Strike-If
One Comes It Viii Be by
Majority Vote of Mem
bers Of the Union.

of this city, Manchester, Petersburg, su.
burban and inter-urban lines, involving
in all about 60 PERSONS, now seems al
most inevitable on Wednesday,.
There Is now no other choice on the
part Of Division 152. but to strike or re-
ceda from its position asking for gem
eral agreement with the company or ar
bitration with respect thereto. and the
full meeting Of the division and branch di.
vision to be held tonight will decide
which alternative the men will choose.
For several weeks now the proposal OF
the employees that a general agreement
involving an increase in wages Of three
and half cents an hour for all motor.
men and conductors on the various limos.
has been before the company, together
with proposition to submit the matto~
to arbitration.
Manager HufFs Answer.
The Times Dispatch printed \ Sunday
morning the communication from the em-
ployes to the officials Of the Virginia Pas
senger and Power Co., making final ap-
peal for some action looking to settle
ment I'm some satisfactory manner of the
differences between the two. The full text
z OF the original proposal has been printed
several tlmes.yThe answer of thoS com.
pany, through General Manager s. w
Huff, firmly refusing to accede to the re-
iterated request. Here is the letter:
"June Is, 1903.
"Messrs. WI. Grlggs and others. Com
mttee:
"Gentlemen.-I am In receipt Of yours
of Juno 18th, proposing that another
meeting be held with a view to making
the proposed agreement for one year, or
elso that the entire matter be submitted
to arbitration.
'@rhis seems but q repetition of propo-
sitons that have already been declined,
and a s full conference has already taken
place betweenaus,s and as the company is
unwilling toy yrearbltrate, for reasons al
ready given. u + must again decline both
proposition ~ E.5s
VERY truly yours.
.S IS. w. HUFF,
g. General Manager"
Meet at Midnight.
It can be stated with certainty that no
further action will be taken by the d.
vision No. 152 on the matter until after
the general meeting to be held tonight
after midnight at Sanger Hall. 1t Is eX-
pected that every man in the division will
be there who is not OH duty, and repre-
sentatlves from the branch division at
Petersburg will come over also. In the
event that a strike Is ordered, 1t VIII
hardly he mado effective before noon on
Wednesday,. Tho only contingency that
cur prevent a strike now, 1t would seem,
Is that a majority Of the men may nor
favor a strike.
It was stated last night by Mr.. Rezln
Orr, Of Detroit the national organizer OF
the Street Railway Employees of America.
that the impression that n strike could
be declared by the committee which has
been endeavoring to secure a settlement
OF the differences was wholly erroneous
AS q matter of fact, 1t will REQUIRE ma
jority vote OF the members present at q
general meeting to take such an impor-
tant step. so vitality affecting each man.
Still Has Hopes.
Mr.. orr. n member of the special COM
mittee. stated yesterday that he still had
hcpes of an nmlcablc agreement but
when asked to specify upon what he based
his hopes, did not state, any further than
to say that he always hoped for such a
solution until the last spark or nope mao
been extingushed. He admitted that the
prospect now seemed very small. The
meeting to be held tonight would take
such action as 1t deemed proper, but the
organizer did not undertake to prophesy
what that would be.
General Manager Huff. OF tho virginia
Passenger and Power Company, wher
asked as to the situation. stated that
there was nothing further to say thai
had not been already several times tlrmly
said Further than this, he asked to be
excused from talking of the matter.
MI. Rein Orr, President w. j. Grlggs
of Division NO. 152; Mr.. r. ii. Mullen, o.
The Central Trades and Labor Council
and several men of the car employees com
mittee went over to Petersburg last nigh
to a meeting OF the branch division there
The meeting would only transact the bus
mess of the regular meeting, 1t wa:
stated last night by one of the party
There may be an address summarizing
tho situation in the recent negotiations
Anticipates Strike.
There is little doubt that the company
| anticipates strike, for other evidences
of#such a prospect are perceptible be
Sides their refusal to discuss further thu
propositions out of which the crisis grows
More substantial evidences are apparent
in the fact that cots have been secured
and placed at It's car barns by the com
pany, presumably for the use sof strike
breakers In tho event OF n tie-up.
It Is understood that the company, II
tho event of strike, WILL make efforts e
secure men of experience from car lines
! In other cities, but with what success
remains to be seen. In rSany or the
| smailere towns where no or. .nization eA
| lists tho wage scale Is not equal to thai
here. Just what efforts the company has
| made to secure men when needed have
not heen diyulged.,