Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-03-26
Managers of Forty Western
Railways Decide Against
Wage Increase
UNIONS VOTE TO STRIKE
Demands Of Men Will Be Submitted at
Conference Today With Company
officiaIs-Inerease Asked Would
Cost Railways Many Millions.

Chicago, March 26.-General manA-
gers Of western railroads and repre-
sentatives Of the Brotherhood Of Rail-
way Trainmen and the Order of Rail
way Conductors, commenced today
what promises to be the final confer
ence regarding the demands for an i1-
crease Of pay and q working day Of
nine hours. For several weeks the
men belonging to the two organizations
have been voting on the question of
striking If their demands are not corn
piled with, and altho the vote was
not announced today prior to the COM
mencement Of the conference,<it is un-
derstood to be Overwhelmingly In favor
Of strike II such step should be
necessary.
Chicago, March 26.-Demands OF 50,-
900 employees Of more than forty west-
ern railroads for an increase In wages
will be rejected as a result of a 5corl-
ference of railroad managers in Chi-
cago yesterday. Demands OF the men.
who have voted ip favor Of 2 strike Il
they are not granted. will be presented
to the railroads today.
The Intention Of the railroad officials.
It is said, is to place leaders Of the
unions in the position Of rejecting .
substantial wage advance, already ten-
dered by the railroads, and thereby
losing the sympathy Of the public In
case Of 3 strike.
This was the attitude Of the mama
gers. as announced officially. Repre-.
sentatives of the employees declined to-
accept it as the true position Of the
railroads They said they expect to rs-s
ceive q further wage increaees altho II
may not be granted until diplomacy on
both sides has been exhausted In the
conferences. Negotiations, the men
hope, will last several days.
At the Masonic temple In the after
noon committees representing the con-
ductors and trainmen held long ses-
sion, formulated their demands, and
placed entire charge Of their side OF the
controversy in the hands Of Chief Nor
rissey and Chief Garretson OF the two
brotherhoods.
Specifically, the men will ask wage
advance OF IL per cent? per cent
more than offered by the roads-and
nine-hour day. The latter demand Is
said to be less of a stumbling block
in the way Of a compromise settlement
than the question Of wages. It has
been pointed out by railroad officials
that the reduction of hours will be
equivalent to a 10 per cent wage ad-
vance in itself It is believed employees
are willing to waive it.
Roughly estimated. the increase de- /
manded would amount to $6,000,000 .
year. It is this large figure in addi-
tional operating expenses which has
caused the stand of'the rail managers.
"If the wages OF the trafnmen and
conductors should be raised" said one
manager, sit is fair to suppose that
the roads would have to meet the same
demands all along the line. There are
$4,000 men employed on the roads in
terested. The annual pay roll on these
lines is $320, ,00o, 900 annually. The total
amount Of II per cent advance would
be close to $40,O00,600. Proportionate-
ly. this would represent an added cap
italization OF almost 100000, ,000."
Another reason cited by railroad Of
ficials in defense Of tleiT position was
the general wave Of legislative action
antagonistic to the railroads. In this
connection the passage Of cent pass
enger rate laws by ten western states
was pointed to. A further argument
against granting the demands was the
condition Of the stock market ana the
recent decline OF railroad stocks.