The San Francisco call., 1910-12-25
ENGINEERS and
THE RAILROADS
AVERT STRIKE
Settlement Is Made Through the
Mediation of Labor Conn
missioner NeiII
Men Who Guide Locomotives
VIII Receive Average In
crease of 10 l=3 Per Cent

CHICAGO, Dec. 24.-The wage dis
pute between the brotherhood of loco
motive engineers and 81 railroads west,
north and south OF Chicago was set
lied today. There VIII be no strike.
Instead. the engineers get an average
Increase Of 10 l-3 per cent Of their 1910
wage scale. giving them q Christmas
present Of an average Of approximately
1892 for each Of the $4,000 men in
VOWED for each subsequent year.
Specifically the agreement provides
for = raise OF 30 cents a day for all
rnEineers, with q dffferent1al In add
ton OF Is cents for 215yooo pound en-
Eznes, sn added differenttal OF 75 cents
a day for the smaller MaI1et engines
snd s diferential Of 81 a day for the
heaviest Msllet
gETTTE7fENT PREVENTS LOSS
In a letter to United States Labor
Commissioner Cherries p. Neill, who. as
mediator under the Erdmsn act,
brought the settlement out OF what
seemed a sure disagreement, Grand
chief Engineer Warren S. Stone Of the
brotherhood gave as the reason for ac-
iepting the terms offered the suffering
nd loss which would attend a general
western strike.
Numerous specific working conditions
.Sre improved by the agreement signed
formally late today and engineers are
~iven control Of electric and gasoline
eotor cars used as locomotives, with
IN increase Of so cents day in present
wages.
Hostlers are given an increase Of 25
rents q day. The new rate is effective
with the signature OF the agreement
today.
NO strike on the railroads west. north
snd south Of Chicago by the engineers" 3"
This was the brief announcement
given out at the close of the midday
conference between the railway man
ayers the engineers. represented by
Grand chief Stone Of the brotherhood
Of locomotive engineers, and Neill.
ZACH SIDE FIRM
Up 20 the time Of NeilTs arrival the
engineers were seeking practically II
per cent increase in the old pay. The
railroads had agreed TO a raise approx
imating 8 y per cent, and there hung
AS early as Thursday it was conceded
by both sides that only a small margin
Of difference separated them. but that
each side maintained that greater cues
tions than wages were being brought
n
When today's conference was begun
Neill announced that his efforts were
about concluded, and that unless the
conferees- reached a settlement TODAY
there was little use for him to remain
IN chicago Visions of arbitration un-
Ter the Eroman act. on the one hand
and Of long. destructive strike on the
other, brought the opponents together
within an hour after the conference he
gan.
SPECIFIC INCREASES
The specific increases in the wages
OF the engineers in money are as fol-
,ows:
On passenger service. 40 cents q dav
On suburban service, 20 cents a dav
Forty cents a day on through freight
except on engines weighing 2I5.0Oo
pounds on the drivers, on which an ad-
ditional differential Of % cents a dav.
also on engines Of the MalIet type, an
additional differential of from 75 cents
70 81
On pushers. helpers, wreckers, work
trains, snowplows and mixed trains
20 cents day.
This agreement gives the engineers
on al the 81 railroads affected by the
adjustment total OF so,ses.0eo annu-
ally, or approximately 1892 for every
man affected.
WHY MEN ACCEPTED
The engineers accepted Commits
sioner Neilfs suggestions in a letter
In which Chief Stone wrote:
AFTER thoroughly considering the
proposal and the question IN its en-
urety we are OF the opinion the offer
VIII not yield the engineers coupen-
esc1on commensurate with the service
performed. and II is with extreme re-
luctance we inform you it will be ac-
cepted
In this connection we are prompted
20 accept the proposition through the
tnhuence OF yourself and desire on
our part to avert a calamity that
would bring suffering and loss on
large number OF people who are not
parties 20 the controversy"
Asked for an interview on the set
Cement. Stone replied:
Ny whole statement can be found
tn the letter. We thought Of the coun-
try ana settled-that's all"