The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1903-05-21
TROUBLE SETTLED
THERE WILL BE NO STRIKE ON
GREAT NORTHERN.
.-eement Satisfactory to Both
sides Has Been Signed---Train-
men Get An Increase In Wages
and Modify Demands in Regard
IN Running Double Headers.

e. Paul, May 15.-The threatened
,.,;ke of the trainmen of the Great
Northern railroad has been averted and
on agreement satisfactory to both sides
has been signed.
The trainmen are granted an increase
If wages averaging l5 per cent. The
rsrdmen get three cents an hour more,
and new men are given an increase
otter one years service. The men mod
fled their demands regarding double
headers to degree satisfactory to the
company.
In the settlement both sides made
CONCESSIONS, although on the face of
the terms of compromise, as stated by
F. Garretson, the assistant grand
CONDUCTOR of the Order of Railway Con-
ductors, who with Mr.. Newman. of the
brotherhood of Railway trainmen, has
conducted the negotiations. the men
have somewhat the better of it.
They are granted an increase Of wages
Of Is per cent, the increase to date
from March / last; the yardmen get
the Chicago scale, which is 3 cents
higher than the st. Paul scale; new
men ale given increased wages after one
wear of service. instead of five, as pro-
posed by the company, and upon the
double header question, which was the
cause of the deadlock in the pegotia-
tions. the men modified their demands
to a slight extent.
East of Minot, according to the agree
ment, the road may run one-half OF one
per cent of the gross mileage as double
headers. On the mountain divisions,
west of Minot, 2.3 per cent of the gross
mileage is allowed to be double-headers.
But in computing the percentage of
double headers, helper engines must
be included.
Mr.. Ward, the general manager of
the road, in his offer to the men in re-
ply to their demands for complete
abolition of the system of dOuble-head-
ing, proposed to confine it to three per
cent of the gross mileage, which is
about the present percentage upon this
road. He, however, reserved the right
to double-head on any part OF the sys-
TEN. This offer the men rejected and
a complete deadlock in the negotia-
tons ensued, and a strike seemed inev-
table.
The business men OF the Twin Cities,
however, undertook to bring the parties
together again, and succeeded so we'll
that, as foreshadowed in last nights
dispatches, an agreement was practl-
cally arranged at once, and today's con-
ferences had only to do with consider
ing the details.
Mr.. Ward retired from his offer OF 8
per cent double-headers and agreed to
redistrict the road and confine the bulk
of the two-engine trains to the noun
tain divisions. With this understand
ing the men receded from the demands
for complete abolition of the system,
and the details of their wage schedule
and other matters at issue we're then
settled in a manner satisfactory to each
side.
Mr.. Garretson, on behalf of the men.
expressed himself as extremely we'll
pleased with the result of the negotia-
tons.
General Manager Ward refused to
make any public statement further
than to say that everything had been
settled in a manner satisfactory to the
company. President James j. Hill,
who has been making a tour of the Me
saba range, arrived home shortly after
the signing of the agreement with the
men, and said he was very glad that an
arrangement had been reached, and
that strike had been averted.