New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1909-12-07
MORE TO ASK RAISE
FIREMEN And CON
DUCTORS IN FIGHT.
Number Demanding 10 Per
Cent Increase IN Wages May
Reach I8S,0OO.

Two ettef raiiro&G trotDerrooos. II
was learned on competent authority last
evening. have decided 10 join the lOl.0O
members OF the brotherhood OF Railroad
Trasnmen In the demand on thirty-tw0
Eastern railroads for a 10 per cent in
crease in wages. In the event OF
strike this. would involve about $500
men.
The two new organizations IN the night
are the Brotherhood OF Locomotive Fire
men and the order OF Railroad Con-
ductors. The firemen's brotherhood has
about $1,000 members and the order OF
Railroad Conductors 87.ee0 members In
the East. and the three bodies viii stand
together in enforcing the demands
The Brotherhood OF Locomotive En-
gineers and the order OF Railroad Teleg-
raphers viii not Join in this combination.
and n they make any demands each will
act independently Of the other brother
hoods.
u was learned that Charles Wilson,
vice grand chief 81 the Brotherhood 81
Locomotive Firemen. has lesn in this
city several times recently and Is be-
lieved 10 have been IN touch al alOns
with the local divisions.
Unul the news that the three brother
hoods had practically Joined hands in
the demands leaked out last evening
every effort was made 10 keep the mat
ter secret
While the railroad companies and the
officers Of the brotherhoOds hoped for
peace yesterday. the feeling was thSs
conditions in the East were looking seri-
Gus. Thc companies will not discuss the
situation pending the actual receipt OF
the demands. but II is known that all the
companies have been informed that the
demands viii he made. and that the Gen
eral Managers Association. which rep
resents most Of the trunk lines in the
East. has come 10 some kind Of informal
decision Of what kind could not be
learned.
EXPLAINS WAGE DIFFERENCE
some Of the railroads involved in the
demands have members Of the Switch
mems Union Of North America in their
employment as well as sVitchmen be-
longing TO the brotherhood. Up 10 last
night none Of them had struck on trains
connecting with the East.
u was stated al the ONCE Of the Erie
Railroad that It's switchmen have not
struck al Chicago. where members % the
SWltchmen's Union are employed by the
Erie In explanation OF the fact that the
switchmen in Chicago are higher paid
than those in New York. the following
statement was made:
The sVitchmen IN Chicago and other
hiE railroad centres where roads branch
on o. every point Of the compass have
much harder work 70 do than the New
York sWitchmen. New York being only
q terminal eNcept for local roads. The
work b. complicated IN Chicago and re-
quires the best class 81 men. who get the
highest wages
MIGHT CAUSE COAL FAMINE.
The possibility Of general railroad
strike m the East has caused some anK-
icty among the coal merchants here.
-.New York would be crippled inside OF
a week b the railroads entering the city
were tied up" said r L. Burns yester-
day. There IL no way OF storing coal
in the city a. the amount needed is so
enormous and the available space is not
''ll TilANAl fA4A FAA'FTAAAAA<lN FhAFAAeaNF-
The supply now on hand would not last
more than week or ter DAYS al the
most Mann u the railroads have plenty
or coal. buj II is stored mostly out Of the
city and what could they do with il II
their employees were not willing 20 bring
81 90 point from which il could be dis
tributed"
The people Who have their own houses
very likely bought al the coal last spring
that they needed TO last them through
the winter but those who live IN tene-
ment houses are IN the habit Of buying
their fuel by the bag. and they certainly
have not laid In an adequate supply.
The largest lighting company in the city
has a. large amount Of coal on hand and
could probably get along for long time
without any addition o. it, supply. but
practically every other manufacturing
concern tBst know ~ oUld have 10
shut down after a few DAYS
-The large Office buildings downtown
which make their own light and produce
al the necessary power 10 ran their own
elevators. WOULD be severely HIT Is very
Few could keep on for much more than a
week