Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1909-12-28
Each Side Refuses to Make ANY Fur
ther Concessions.
RAILROAD oFER STILL OPEN
by Managers Says it Will
Stand Until Wednesday.
DEMANDS OF OTHER UNIONS
Firemen and Enginemen
are Asking Substantial Advance
Statement by President Brown
of New York Central.

ST. PAUL Mimi, Dec. H-President
Frank T. Hawley Of the Switchmen.s un-
ion, after a conference with the other
heads of the other branches of the rail-
way departments of the American Fedora
ton of Labor. announced tonight that the
heads of the various branches will leave
for their headquarters tonight to prepare
for a general strike unless the railroads
meet their demands
All of the efforts of Governor Eberhart
to end the strike have apparently failed
because of a refusal of the railroad Off
cials to agree to at once reinstate the men
who went out,
Third Vice President Slade of the North
ern Pacific, and ]. NJ. Gruber, general
manager Of the Great Northern, today
handed the governor a written communi-
cation in which they restated their willing
ness to submit the matter of wages and
hours of labor to the Chicago conference,
but that they could not agree to reinstate
the men to their old positions at once, but
would take them back when their were
vacancies The railways have given the
men until Wednesday to accept their Of
fer.
President Hawley of the switchmen's
union, has said all along that he would
insist on the men being taken back at
once.
The federation committee IN latter con-
ference with the governor explained more
fully their position and made tie as
sertion that It was fight throughout the
country by the American Railway, asso-
citation on the railway organizations en-
braced In the American Federation of
Labor
Statement from Railroads.
CHICAGO, Dec. 80. L. Dickson,
| speaking for the General Managers as
! ISOLATION gave out the following statement
| today:
The conference between the railroads and
President Hawley of the Switchmen's I'm
| Ion Of North America ended in Governor
Eberharts office this morning.
President Hawley demanded that all
the striking men be reinstated pending set
! tlement through the Chicago conference
The railroads offered to take the men
back as fast as possible without displacing
men now at work Mr.. Hawley would not
agree to anything but complete renstate-
ment of all men, consequently further ne
| gotiatons were at an end.
| THE only important point of difference
was complete reinstatement Of all strikers
az once
The railroads today officially notified
| Governor Eberhart that they will hold
open their proposition to President Hawley
until next Wednesday, If he cares to ac-
| cept it,"
ID Demands of Other Unions.
| Attention was also given here to-day to
| negotiations between the officials OF forty
two western roads and representatives of
The Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen
and Enginemen. In the negotiations, w.
| c. Nixon general manager of the Frisco
road, heads the conference committee for
the railroads, and the firemen are repre-
sented by a federated board of the en-
ployes of all the roads interested. The
! firemens demands are for an increase Of
! from 10 to 40 per cent.
Statement by President brown.
| NEW YORK, Dec. 27.-Referring to the
likelihood OF the eastern railroad employees
demanding an increase in wages. President
/ William c. Brown of the New York Cen
tral is quoted today as saying:
so far as l am able TO learn, there is
no disposition on the part Of the railroads
to deal arbitrarily or unreasonably with
/ their employees. The whole matter hinges
on the question whether there has been
| stree the last increase in wages a material
increase in the cost of living"