The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1909-12-01

and the Joint committee of railroad
managers, representing 13 railroads of
the northwest, strike involving $500
switchmen became effective at o'clock
last night.
The men are employed by railroads
running west and north of st. Paul
from Lake Superior to the Pacific
Coast, and, unless speedily settled, the
strike will mean serious interrupt
ton to traffic.
The first effect of the strike was a
sharp bulge in the price of wheat in
the Chicago grain market late today.
Roads entering the Twin Cities and
Duluth and Superior are large grain
carriers from the west Already both
sides to the dispute issued statements.
The railway managers committee is
sued the following:
Statement is Issued.
'To the public:
'"The railroads of the northwest, rec
| Ognizing that the public is an interest
| ed, but an unrepreSented third party
| in the controversy with their switch
men, through the committee which
has been conducting their negotiations,
desire to place at the disposal of the
public the following facts:
1.-The switchmen in the northwest
territory made simultaneous demands
| on 10 railroad companies centering in
! the Twin Cities for an increase III
| wages and certain changes in service
conditions. At the suggestion of F. T.
! HaWley, president of the SWitchmen's
union OF North America, of whose or
| ganiZatiOn the sWitchmen in the north
west are members, arrangements were
made to conduct the negotiations in
one conference at which the railroads
were represented by a committee of
ten managers and the switchmen by
F. II. HaWley and by other officers
| of the switchmens union Of North
| America.
1.-The demands of the switchmen We're
/ for double pay for Sundays, holidays,
and overtime; an advance of so cents
a day of ten hours in the wages Of
sWitchmen, switch tenders. towermen,
engine herders and assistant yard
masters; a modification of the rule
providing for the payment Of penalty
in case of failure to permit the switch
| men to secure their meals in the mid
die of their shift at a stated period.
| which contempates double pay in cas-
es where it became necessary to work
! a portion of the meal hour; and the
elimination of the physical examina-
! ton and the age limit placed upon
! SWitchmen entering the service.
| Five conferences were held in ST.
Paul in which the switchmen in no
/ detail receded from their demands,
which, if conceded, would have en-
tailed an additional expense upon the
railroads for switching services of
from 40 to As per cent.
"The managers committee offered
the switchmen an increase of 20 cents
per dav of ten hours IN the rates of
pay of swtchmen employed in the ter
ritOry west of Havre Mont, on the
Great Northern railway, and west. of
| Billings, Mont, on the Northern Pa
! cifc railway, the differential in that
| territory for sWitchmen having obtain
ed for about two years.
| Further concessions We're declined
for the reason that the rates of pay
were increased more than 13 per
cent in November 1906, and because
| the rates at that time established had
not been reduced during the period
of business depression which followed.
1.-The attention OF the sWitchmen
was called to the fact that in 1906 the
sWitchmen We're granted a larger per-
centage of increase than any other
class of employees in train service. At
| the present rate the wages of the
| sWitChmen average over 500 per
month.
Arbitration Offer Refused.