Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1910-07-29

status of the strike, favorable reports
being sent them daily in sealed letters
by the labor leaders, the railroad Of
ficials regard the trouble as being prac- |
tically at an end and the dispatches |
sent out by newspaper correspondents |
covering the conditions in their respec- |
tive localities indicate that the railroads |
are making substantial progress in re- |
lieving the freight congestion. Freight |
trains manned by strike breakers are |
moving with fair regularity on all the !
roads, but the strike leaders state that |
the total amount of freight moved Is but
a small part of the usual business and
they maintain that they have the freight
traffic practically tied up The pass
enger and mail service is about as good
as it was before the strike was declared.
The railroad repair shops all over the
system have been opened this week
The Grand Trunk company has de-
cided to treat all strikers as men out of
their employ and to take them back or
not as occasion warrants. The strikers
also will lose their pension interests
The pension fund of the Grand Trunk
provides explicitly that men who leave
its employ forfeit all claim to ultimate
retirement on a salary of $50 a month
1t is understood. however, that the pen
sion system is not in force on the Cen
trail Vermont lines.
There is also a rule that the Grand
Trunk will not take on permanent en-
men who went on strike are now being
treated as men who quit the service, and
if they come back it is stated 1t Will not
be for reinstatement, but as new men for
employment. This will mean that those
over so years of age will be Ineligible.
lists of the men over so have already
been prepared, and the understanding is
that those past the age limit Will ma
themselves out of job so far as the
railroad Is concerned. This viii nit the
greater force than any others, since they
are mostly men of more advanced age
who have graduated from the ranks to
the more responsible lines of work.
It is admitted by officials that this Is
hard lesson. but one which the men have
earned themselves, and especially the
conductors, who have voluntarily tied
IN their fortunes with those Of other
trainmen.
while there IS nothing to indicate that
the engineers and fremen VIII lesVe
their positions the strikers have an IDEA
that they will do so after Aug. l, when
their contract with the railroad expires
The three years agreement under
which the members of the brotherhood or
Locomotive Engineers have been work
inc avnires at the end of this month and
tho engineers have submitted a new
schedule to the road on which they are
willing to base a further contract tor
the next two or three years. II lhNoles
increase OF ABOUT 10 per GthL wv
what they are now receiving. The gem
oral committee Of the organization VIII
convene in Montreal early the coming
month to discuss the new schedule WIN
the railroad officials. 1t is expected that
the question will be settled without ull-
fculty
The request of Mackenzie King min
lister of labor for the Dominion OF can
ada, that the strikers and the rallroau
company submit their differences TO
board of arbitration was accepted frl-
dav nv Vice President James Murdoch
of the brotherhood of Railway Train
men. No response was made that day
nv the Grand Trunk officials and a sec
ond telegram by the minister OF LABOR al
Ottawa, renewing the proposition was
sent Saturday. On Sunday hlsht fresl,
dent Charles NJ. Hays of the Grand
Trunk system rejected the suggestion
his telegram reading as follows; your
telegram of the 23d received. Whlle as
you know, from the many conferences
urging your action before the strike TOOK
place and from our offer repeated anu
urged upon the committee, we were de-
sirous of arbitration and so avoiding the
existing trouble time for such action mas
now passed, and it is only necessary thai
we should have the protection to which
we are entitled to enable us to resume
the full operation of the road. The
strikers rejected the offer of arbitrator
at the beginning of the trouble.
Mr. Murdoch issued a statement fol
lowing the railroad cOmpany's refusal
in which he gave assurance that the lapol
leaders were perfectly satisfied with the
way things were going, but despite h'
assurance misgivings began to deVelol
among the men, who saw that the posi-
lions they had held were threatened pA
the progress the company was making
The railroad officials began the preseh
week with an ambitious program Inc!
Monday that all xmas o
freight would be received for shipment
and they opened Monday the various
shops which were closed week carrier
Practically all of the 10000 shop hands re
turned to their places. Many frelsh
trains were started, on both the Grant
Trunk road and the Central Vernon
road On the northern division. Will
headquarters at ST. Adams 436 car
were handled Sunday, which was som
over two-thirds the usual number. Trat
fic returns of the Grand Trunk for tn
week ending Saturday night showed
decrease of 100000 in net earnings a
compared with the previous week.
The Central Vermont and New Lon
don railroads are handling all the frelgh
they can get, and no further trouble 1
anticipated. The general repair shops a
St Adams were reopened "Wednesday
morning. bringing joy to the $50 opera
tives who find employment there,
Strike conditions have been less appar
ent IN BIdllleDOIO TINS NNthi NV 90
though the final outcome is spoken O
frequently the interest of the peopl
for the most part has subsidized, eXcep
among those who are affected PERSONAL
by it. The feverish excitement whic
held the town in its grasp last week
nowhere to be seen. That there Is niue
sympathy with the strikers is apparen
from the attendance at the mass meet
ing last night in Festival hall. Ever
seat in the hall was taken and many stoo
about the back of the room. Men, wome
and children listened with the closest at
tention to the address given by NJ :
Scully of Springfield, who outlined IN
situation in a forceful way which mad
the crowd applaud and cheer with Vigo
Besides Mr. Sculy's address bri'
speeches were made by John Calvin, WI
presided, Judge e. w. Gibson j.
Stafford Scion A. Richmond ana D.
Eckels.
So far as can be judged from appear
ances at the Brattleboro station ana
the freight yards traffic is going VIII
reasonable smoothness and dispatch. Ia
cal shippers manage to get off their gooc
by carting them to the cars and loadir
them, and incoming local freight Is III
loaded at the station platform where
can be handled with little inconveniec
The worst situation is at the Crost
grain elevator. Up to yesterday afte
noon only four cars had been loaded al
Skinned out from the elevator since Il
strike began Under ordinary condition
from 40 to so cars would have been sci
out in the same time Yesterday morniI