The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1910-07-19

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The foregoing sentences were utter,
ed by A. b. Atwater, of Detroit, assist
ant to President Hays for the western
lines of the Grand Trunk during the
course Of an interview with The Times
on the strike of the Grand Trunk
trainmen, Tuesday morning.
Mr.. Atwater is not at all worried
over the strike; In fact, he appears To
regard 1t as a matter OF but little more
consequence than an ordinary washout
on the line.
THE strike, which was declared by
the trainmen Monday night, will not
bother us very much" Mr.. Atwater
said calmly and deliberately. "You
see, not all the trainmen are on strike.
Quite a number OF the older trainmen
are still with us, and with them we
shall be able to run our trains. For
the time being we shall send out our
passenger trains In charge OF the con
ductors who remained with US, and
with them we shall send new men, SO
the latter can get familiar with the
running OF the trains. In this way we
plan to keep all the passenger trains
running without any interruption what
ever.
Thus far we have had absolutely
no trouble at all. / was talking with
our superintendent at Battle Creek
late Monday night and he said every.
thing was moving along there accord
Ing to schedule. We have had nc
trouble here, either; our Grand Rap
ids train, leaving at 7:10 a. m, went
out today as IL nothing were wrong
on the road.
There Is no trouble getting men
to take the places OF the strikers, and
the substitutes are good, reliable men,
too. For the most part they are for
mer railway men-men who left the
service for some reason or other.
Railway life Is fascinating and the
former employees are glad TO get back
with us. Many of them, who branched
out into other work, find that. after
all, the Grand Trunk wages are not
so bad. Our brakemen, during the
busy times, make as high as SIS and
$50 a month, while the conductors
make over 800. Yet the trainmen on
strike have found fault with the pay.
1T may be all right for employees to
set a standard of pay and demand It.,
but I think the employer ought to
have something to say about 1t. In
many cases. as in ours, the employer
may not be able to pay all that Is
demanded, In which event the matter
ought to be submitted to arbitration
Mr.. Hays agreed. after the men re-
fused the raise of Is per cent, to let
the matter be arbitrated and to abide
by the result. This, as is well-known
now, the men declined to accept
st Is true. as the men argue, that
the Canadian Pacific railway pays its
men more wages than the Grand
Trunk. The Canadian Pacific, how.
ever, is better able to do so. as its
earning capacity is much greater. II
enjoys big bonuses from the Dominion
government and is now deriving much
benefit from large tracts Of land given
TO II some years ago by the Canadian
government. This land today Is
worth $25 an acre. In spite OF the
Grand Trunks smaller earning capac-
fly, however, Mr.. Hays told the men
that he would grant them the same
wages as paid by the Canadian Pacific
when the Grand Trunk Pacific road in
the northwest is completed, about two
years from now. ! don't know how
the road could pay such salaries, but
the promise was made by Mr.. Hays,
just the same"
Conditions around the Brush-st. sta
ton and yards, Tuesday morning were
much the same as before the strike of
the Grand Trunk trainmen was de-
clared at $3.50 Monday night. The
trains we're moving the same as usual
and travellers we're moving about as
II nothing out OF the ordinary had hap
rened. The only difference In the sur.
roundings was that there were three
police officers around the station In
stead OF the regular beat man. There
was no work for the policemen, how
ever. On the dock behind the railway
station some 200 strikebreakers were
lounging around, awaiting orders to
entrain for some point along the line.
Earlier in the morning 10 were sent
to Port Huron.
There was some trouble, however,
Monday night, when Conductor James
Robinson stepped from the Port HUI
ron-C Chicago train at the Milwaukee
Junction He was surrounded by a
mob and threatened with violence,
Sergt Tischbein and several police Of
ficers guarded Robinson while he went
to and from the dispatcher's ONCE,
thus preventing an attack. MIR. Robin.
son is taking the place OF regular
conductor He was on the road for
30 years, but is said TO have been let
out come months ago. The same dis.
turbance was repeated at 1880 when
the strike-breaking conductor alighted
from the Buffalo train at the Junction.
spilled. The strikers said. Tuesday
morning. that they were not respon.
sible for the trouble at Milwaukee
Junction, blaming II on outsiders.
The strike extends from Portland,
Ore, to Chicago, and II Is said that