Los Angeles herald., 1910-11-08
ENGINEERS OF 81
WESTERN .R'STO
VOTE ON STRIKE
Great Tieup of All Lines This Side
of Chicago Threatened
for December
WAGE CONFERENCE FAILS
Difference of 7 Per Cent Splits
Men and Officials -CaIifor-
mia Roads Involved

CHICAGO, Nov. IA strike vote
will be taken among the engineers OF
sixty-one roads west. south and north
of Chicago following the termination
TODAY of negotiations between tne
roads and grand officers of the Brotn-
erhood of Locomotive Engineers, Wnlcn
had been under consideration Since
September 26 -,..4o,,, p
ner cent and alteration of working con-
ditions stood between the negotlators.
Grand Chief Warren S. Stone OF the
brotherhood said today he believed the
strike vote would be unanimously IN
favor of suspension of work ana tnat
the enginemen would nave eApIesseo
their desire by December 10. lmme-
diately thereafter he said last op-
nortunity would be given the railroads
TO meet the workers, and II tney lg-
nored that opportunity WITHIN nVe
hours every engine west OF Chlcago
would be stilled, the fires drawn ana
out of the thousands of CABS WouIo
step every driver on duty.
The representative of the enginemen
in the twenty-five conferences which
ended today were:
Warren S. Stone, grand CHIEF; ASH
Kennedy, f. A. Burgess, 10. Corrlgan,
M. w. Cadle and H. p. Wills. assistant
grand cnleIS, BIolhSihOOo ~
tive Engineers. .c.-.
TheV received the advice of fifty
division managers of the brotherhood,
who recently represented the smaller
councils of the order.
OFFICIALS HEAR DEMANDS
Railroad officials as follows heard
the engine drivers demands: w. b.
Scott, Union Pacific; f. %. Ward,
Burlington; F. C.. Batchelder, Chicago
Terminal and Baltimore & Ohio; f.
A. Durham, Missouri, Kansas & Texas;
G.. III. Emerson, Great Northern: T. j.
Foley, Illinois Central; F. G. Fox, At
Gibson, Topeka & Santa Fe; Grant
Hall. Canadian Pacific; II. J. Simmons,
El Paso & Southwestern, and A. w.
Trenholm, Chicago, st. Paul, Mime.
apolis & Omaha.
The whole question arose from the
decision of the engineers in convention
at Detroit last spring.
The general working conditions or
which the enginemen complain include
the following:
Drivers of the Mallett compound en-
gines, which do practically the work OF
two engines and entail correspond
ing responsibility and capability, re-
ceiye the same wages as drivers or
engines of much smaller capacity.
Engineers wish to be relieved of the
toll of preparing their engines for
travel and of caring for them after
runs. They also ask that switching
time be paid for on a different basis
The magnitude of the wage question
is evinced by statement of the en-
ployes that the per cent wage diff
ference now standing between the
drivers and the railroads means ap-
proximately $2,600,000 a year. The cost
of altering working conditions would
be less than 100000, 1t Is asserted.
'"When the conference began" said
Chairman w. B. Scott of the con-
ference committee, "the engineers de-
mands Appropriated 27 per cent in
crease. This finally was brought down
to IL per cent. We finally agreed to
10 per cent increase, totaling $3,S4O,OOO
for the sixty-one roads we represent,
and there we both Stuck"
LIST OF ROADS INVOLVED
The following list of the lines af-
fected was given out:
Atcnison, Topeka & Santa Fe; Atchi-
son, Topeka & Santa Fe coast lines;
Gulf, Colorado G. Santa Fe; Beaumont,
Sour Lake & Western; Canadian Pa
cific; Chicago & Great Western; Chi
cago & Northwestern; Chicago, Bur-
lington & Quincy; Chicago, Milwaukee
& st. Paul; Colorado & Southern; FL
Paso & Southwestern; Galveston,
Houston & San Antonio; Houston &
Shreveport; Houston, East & West
Texas; Indianapolis Southern; Kansas
City Southern; Louisiana Western;
Minneapolis, st. Paul & Sault Ste
Marie; Missouri, Kansas & Texas;
Morgan's Louisiana e. Texas; North
ern Pacific; oregon Short Line;
Quincy, Omaha & Kansas City; st.
Joseph & Grand Island; Southern Kan
sas of Texas; Eastern Railway or
New Mexico: Baltimore & Ohio; Chi
cago Terminal; Canadian Northern;
O. Milw1II1<al
& Puget Sound; Chicago & Western
Indiana Chicago Junction; Chicago,
ST. Paul, Minneapolis g. Omaha; Du-
luth, South Shore & Atlantic; Fort
Worth q Denver City; Great North
ern; Houston & Texas Central; Illi-
nois Central; International & Great
Northern; Kansas City Terminal; Min
eral Range; Minnesota Transfer;
Missouri Pacific; New Orleans, Texas
& Mexico; Oregon e. Washington; Or
egon Railway & Navigation company;
Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific; st.
Joseph Terminal; ST. Louis & San
Francisco; st. Louis, Brwnsville &
Mexican; st. Louis Southwestern; San
Antonio and Aransas Pass; San Pedro,
Los Angeles & Salt Lake; Santa Fe,
Prescott & Phoenix: Southern Pacific;
Spokane, Portland & Seattle; Tacoma
& Eastern; Texas & New Orleans;
Texas e. Pacific; Trinity & Brazos
Valley; Union Pacific; Wichita Valley;
Yazoo & Mississippi Valley.
The wage increase demand of the
engineers was referred to by repre-
sentatives of the railroads before the
interstate commerce commission in
Chicago recently as one of the reasons
why higher freight rates ought to be
charged by the railroads. At that
time Vice President Park of the Illi-
nois Central and other officials told
the committee there was little doubt
that some Increase would have to be
granted, and ne advised the commit
tee, as did representatives of the Chi
cago, Milwaukee e. st. Paul and the
Chicago & Northwestern that the in
crease would cut off the roads surplus
unless higher rates could be charged.
Tn xyiaxu of this fha sudden cessation