Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1909-06-23
STRIKE ARB|TRAToRs At WORK
First Witness for the Strikers, Charge
That Georgia Railroad Made Few
Requirements of Its Firemen and
Disseminated Against the Whites
Petition From Citizens.
(Rv Associated Press.l

cs fer the fircmCn before the GeofSld
Railroad arbitration commission this
afternoon testified that the Georgia !
Railroad Company did not require It's
frcmen to carry either watches or
time cards, did not compel them to-
read orders and did not compel them
to pass examinations until they were
promoted 10 engineers.
Vice-prcsident Ball said some engi-
neers wanted negro tiremen because
the employment of the black created
a scarcity Of competent engineers
Vice president Kelly declared in favor
o. strict examinations and the elimina-
tion of incompetent men. He said
that when it was published that the
strikers were holding up malls ne
went to the railway officials and offer
ed white firemen free to take the mail
trans out, but this offer was refused
and attempts were made 10 operate
the trains with negroes.
Whites Disseminated Against.
Fireman T. A. Campbell told now
white firemen were suspended for TIL
val violations OF rules while the
blacks broke rules at will and were
never punished.
+. =. BARLEY, an engineer on the
Central of Georgia, testified that ne
groes were incompetent and menace
TO the lives of tTainment and pasSen-
gers when in the cab. He created a
laugh when in answer 10 a question
about the likelihood of a negro fireman
going TO sleep and passing signal,
he replied: Lord man, niger Is
worse than 'possum when 1t comes
, to going TO sleep
Negroes on Passenger Trains.
Fireman j. c. H. Wink swOre mat
the Georgia Railroad now employs
about % per cent negroes on passen-
ger runs.
f. A. Ball. one of the brotherhood
vice preside nts. was the first witness
called He began recital of the hre-
mems side of the case
Hardly had he begun when Major
Cummings, for the read, OBJECTED on
the ground that the witness was ar
guing and repeating hearsay tesu-
mony as to the requirements OF IRE
men on other roads.
Quickly Ball reached into big suit
case .and. began to pull cut armfM after
farnfnIlof books -
St..Tiitssc. ar cSfict hearsas = hcsremark-
ID "~Thcsoidre the rule books off very
big railroad in North America They
show that the big reads do require in
J tcIligent, capable men as fremen-'
] Rail was permitted to conclude his
statement, when Cummings asked that
IL be stricken from the record The
board decided to lei it stand for what
it was worth.
Three Reasons for Truce.
As this argument was ended Ban
said: ~Gcnilcm, n. there were three
reasons why We called of the strike
The first was that Commissioner Nell
assured us that the aTbitrators would
throw down the bars and permit Us
10 inircdacc any testimony or any
STATE mcnts We desired The second
was that he agreed. In case ne Two
arbitratcrs were unable To sficc;
third he would submit To Us sax
names from which the third man would
b. chosen and W. could obi-ct TO any
man on that list. The third reason
was that W. kucW federal interference
would Dc a great loss 90 thc rail-
road and tn public ]: w Thought
that there would D. any a-tcmri q,
limit the scope at the inquiry 70
would never have called The strike
Of
Pcutioncd Presented.
As EaH concluded h. offered a o.
iition ~ COO names FROM LIthonia,
asking the arbitrafors MT - put the
negro IN the cab. The board declined
10 rec. i've the petition
The riSt II Balls testimony. und'r
Attorney krnold's question was that
. the Georgia Railroad bird ucgrocs BE-
cause shcy were cheaper. ID MT
make them pass examinations and
threatened 10 pot them 10 SIN more
rcsuonsfbfc POSITIONS.