The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1910-12-30
ACCEPT TERMS OF RAILROADS;
GIVEN AN INCREASE.
Average Raise Is $192; Chief War
rem S. Stone Issued a Letter in
Which He Stated That locomo.
tive Drivers Desired to Avert a
Calamity; Addition Means Mil
lions of Dollars Annually.

From Tuesdays Daily
There will be no strike of the en-
gineers on sixty-one railroads west of
Chicago The contention between the
railroads and the engineers was set
| tied in Chicago Saturday afternoon.
The engineers get an average in
crease in wages of 10 1-3 per cent Of
their 1910 wage scale, giving them a
Christmas promise of an average of
approximately 1892 for each of the
$4,000 men involved for each subse-
quent year. Specifically the agree
ment provides for a raise of 40 cents
day for all engineers, with a diff
ferential in addition of 25 cents a
day for 215,O00-pound engines, and
added differential of rs cents a day
for the smaller mallet engines and a
differential of 81 day for the heavi.
est mallets.
Reasons for Accepting Terms.
In letter to United States Com
missioner Neill, who, as mediator un.
der the Erdman act, brought the set
tlement out of what seemed a sure
disagreement, Grand Chief Engineer
Warren S. Stone of the Brotherhood
gave as the reason for accepting the
terms offered the suffering and loss
which would attend a general west
ern strike.
Numerous specific working condi.
tions are improved by the agreement
formally signed late today. Engi.
neers are given control of electric and
gasoline motor cars used as locomo.
tives, with an increase of SO cents a
day in present wages. Hostlers un-
der the protection of the engineers
get an increase of 25 cents day.
The new rate becomes effective
with the signature of the agreement
today.
Total of $4,0o0,O 900.
This agreement gives the engi
neers on all the sixty-one railroads af
fected by the adjustment a total OF
some $9,S99,000 annually. In addi
ton it means a relief to the thou
sands of shippers who have hung on
the words of the conference day
after day when it seemed that a
strike would tie the whole west and
middle west.
4 This relief was the chief factor in
the decision of engineers to accept
the average of 10 1-3 per cent, in
stead of the II per cent they had set
tied on. This is evidenced by the
letter of Grand Chief Engineer War
rem S. Stone to Mediator Neill, &C
cepting the latter's proposition as sci
forth previously as the agreed scale
The letter is as follows:
Letter Issued BY Stone.
Replying to your favor of even
date, wherein you submit for GU: con
sideration a proposition embodying
the terms by which settlement may
be reached of the differences existing
between the conference committee OF
the western railroad managers and
the Brotherhood Of Locomotive En-
gineers, we beg to advise as follows
After roughly considering the prop
osition and the question in its en-
tirety, we are of the opinion the of.
fer will not yield the engineers com
pensation commensurate with the
service performed, and 1t is with ex.
IRENE reluctance we inform you II
will be accepted
Averted a Calamity.
In this connection we were
prompted to accept the proposition
through the influence of yourself and
desire OH our part TO avert ca.
lamity that would bring suffering and
loss on large number of people who
are not parties to the controversy.
with these facts in mind, you are
hereby authorized to effect a settle
ment in accordance with the propos.
ed terms in your favor of December
"a. 1910"
Asked for an interview OH the set
tlement, Mr.. Stone replied:
My whole statement can be found
In the letter. We had in mind the
suffering it would entail if we struck.
land we are not so selfish as to use