Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1909-12-01
Twenty-three Hundred Men In
voIved and Thirteen Rail-
roads Affected.
EACH ISSUES STATEMENT.
Unless Settlement of Differences Is
Soon Made Will be Serious
Interruption of Traffic.

st. Paul. Mimi. Nov. so.-After 10
days OF negotiation between the Switch
mems Union OF North America and the
toint committee OF railroad managers
representing 13 railroads of the north
west, strike involving 1900 switchmen
became effective at o'clock tonight.
The men arc 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, q serious interruption of
4 traffic.
] The first effect of the strike was q
! sharp bulge In the price OF wheat in the
1 Chicago grain market late today Roads
entering the Twin Cities and Duluth
and Superior are largely grain carriers
from the west. Tonight both SIDES to
the dispute issued statements The
railway managers committee issued the
following;
CASE OF THE RAILROADS.
TO the Public:
Tho railroads of the northwest rec
ogniSing that the public is an inter-
ested but unrepresented third party in
the controversy with their switchmen.
through the committee which has been
conducting their negotiations. desire to
place at the disposal OF the public tho
following facts in connection with the
negotiations.
THE switchmen IN the northwest ter
rltory made simultaneous demands on
13 railroad companies centering In the
Twin Cities for an Increase In wages
and certain changes in service condi-
Ions. AT the suggestion of +. T. Haw-
ley, president of the Switchmen's Union
of North America, of whose organiza-
tion the switchmen in the northwest are
members, arrangements were made to
conduct the negotiations In one confer
encc
I'm the conference the railroads wero
represented by a committee of 10 man
ayers and the switchmen by F. T Haw-
ley and by other officers OF the Switch
mems Union of North America
The demands OF the switchmen we're
for double pay for Sundays. holidays
and overtime; an advance of so cents
per day of 10 hours in the wages of
switchnen, switch-tenders, towermen,
engine -herders and assistant yardmas-
ters a modification of the rule provid-
ing for the payment of penalty IN case
OF failure to permit switchmen to Sc
cure their meals in the middle of their
shift at stated period, which contem-
pfntes double pay in cases where It be-
came necessary to work a portion of
the meal hour; and the elimination or
the physical examination and the age
limit placed upon sw1tchmen entering
the service. so
Five conferences were held In st.
Paul In which the switchmen. In no
detail rcceded from their demands.
which, II conceded. would have entailcd
an additional expense upon the rail-
roads for switching services of from
40 TO 10. per cent.
'Irhe managers committee offered
The switchmcn an increase OF 20 cents
per day of 10 hours in the rates of
pay of switchmon employed in the ter
ritory west OF HavTe. Mont, on the
Great Northern railway. and west of
Billings. Mont. on the Northern Pacific
railway. the differential IN that terri
tory for switchmen having obtained for
aloout two years.
Further concessions were declined.
for the reason that the rates OF pay of
switchmen were increased over 13 per
cent In November. 1906. and because
the rates ut that time established had
not been reduced during the period OF