The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1907-03-29
STRIKE SEEMS NEARER
TRAINMEN AND MANAGERS HOLD
FRuiTLEss CONFERENCE.
DENY TWELVE PER GENT RAISE
Railway Managers Object to Further
Increase and Strike Of Forty.Five
Thousand Men mpends-Federal
Authorities May intervene.

Chicago, March 2S.-The $4,000
trainmen Of the western railroads
seem nearer se-ike than at any time
since the negofIS '2FN with the gen
eral managers lie 4" \. increase in
wages and shorT 81 .dtkday were
started two month. Sago. The con.
ference between the representatives
of the men and the railroad officials
las,Ied four hours. but was a failure
SO far as bringing about solution OF
the trouble is concerned.
The railroads offered the men in.
creasd'' I per cent to passenger
GO ''.o and 10 per cent to the
- employees, including brakemen,
'iR'emen, baggagemen and allied work.
ert The men had demanded an in.
9" Jase Of IL per cent and nine-hour
siorkday aud when the officials de-
cleared their offer was the best that
could be made the conference ended.
as the men by referendum vote,
taken last week, had decided not to
srecept anything short of their orig.
M demarTe,
Immediately after the conference
broke up the representatives of the
men got together to consider the ad.
visibility of calling strike in order
to bring the railroads to terms. Just
what decision was reached Is not
known, as the union men declined to
discuss what had taken place at the
meeting. They were a unit, however.
in declaring peaceable settlement
of the controversy can only be
reached by the general managers of.
fering concessions. Another meeting
of the union men has been scheduled
for today and the general belief is
that strike will be called within the
next forty-eight hours unless the RAJ
road officials request another con
ence to try and settle the M
without resorting to fight.
P. M. Morrissey, chief of the train
mems organization, said: I'VE have
been instructed by the men We repre-.
sent to call strike unless the offer
Of the roads was satisfactory to us.
The vote by which this attitude was
reached carried the strike proposition
by a tremendous majority. We are
not satisfied and the men are not sat.
isfied. We are not going to ask for
any more conferences with the gen.
eral managers. 1t is up to these gen
tlemen now to prevent the men quit.
ting work, and the only way they can
do this is to accede to our demands"
A. B. Garrettson, chief of the con.
ductors, also declared that no further
conferences would be held with the
general managers.
The railroad officials are not quite
so pessimistic over the situation.
When the men were declaring a strike
was inevitable, Secretary Slasson
Thompson of the General Managers
association said:
I'VE have not yet given up hope of
a peaceable adjustment of the diff,
Guilty. We have conceded great deal
to the men already and it would seem
to be but matter Of short time un,
til the union officials will see their
way clear to accepting the general
managers proposition. I am of the
opinion that the conference will be re.
sumed again within the next two days
and that some sort of an agreement
will be reached"
The United States government will
be asked to intervene to prevent a
strike and II the plans of the general
managers do not miscarry the whole
controversy will be submitted to arbi.
tration for settlement. The general
managers gave out a statement de-
claring they will demand arbitration