The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1910-04-25
TROLLEY SITUATION
 QUITE GRAVE NOW
Grand Officers Will Attempt to Settle Differences With
 President Mellen
Matter Has Been Taken Out of the Hands of Local
 Bodies Since Last Poll

New Haven, April Z6.--ln discuss ing the differences between the Con- necricHt coHpany and the New Eng
 land Conference Board, Grand Officer
 Dennis s. Fitzgerald of the General
 Executive Board of the Ame1 1gama ted Association of Street and Electric
 Railway Employees of American,
 makes the following statement:
 This matter has now been taken
 cut of the hands of the local bodies
 interested, and is in the hands of the
 settlement. They are Rezin Orr, the
 treasurer of the grand body; and my
 self. l was called into this matter
 because, being a New Haven man, I era supposed to be ia niliar. with the labor conditions, not only in this city
 but in New England. The situation IS 1hds & The I9te t e 9t the +ba men ao in pany for 26 cents an hour practically means a strike vote. Hartford has voted 1t on ratio of 16 to 1, and this line. will not give you the New Haven figures at this time. This vote we are in touch with the men in Massachusetts-in Springfield, Wor- cester and Pittsfeld. I leave here today for a conference with MT. Orr and the men at. Springfield when plan of action will be determined up- on. the soundest judgment in this matter for the protection of not only the people of Connecticut but in Massa- chusetts as well, and personally be- matter was placed in our hands. Without referring. to the troublesome lfeve that the people of Connecticut can trust me to exercise the same good judgment that I did then.
 'I have absolute confidence in Chas S. Mellen and l feel that. when the real situation is brought to his at tention, that an adjustment of these matters, both for Connecticut and Massachusetts. can. and will, be reached to the satisfaction of all con- cerned.
 '"This matter now can only be ad- selves, and I would rather do busi- ness with him for five minutes than with all of his superintendents for in consultation with John Mitchell. While the temper of the men both here and in Massachusetts is very strong in favor of maintaining their attitude I am in hopes that an ad- justment will be arrived at.
 t'I do not expect that we will finally come before the Connecticut Company until another meeting of the Joint Con ference Board has been held. We shall ask for a meeting of that board some time this week, and then we shall call for a conference with the company. The 26 cent bulletin of the company posted in the car barns has been re- jected, and it is now necessary for us
 
 the company because of this. ex- pect to see that bulletin come down.
 t'The facts are that we are not only still asking for 27 1-2 maximum rate, i but also for the same modicum of | recognition from the New Haven rail- 1 road as far as grand officers are con- 1 cerned, as the road now vouchsafes to 1 it's other railroad labor bodies-the | trainmen, conductors and so on. With | these latter bodies the road recognizes | them as branches of their service and l gives a form of schedule to them And 1 when a time comes that they cannot 1 agree the road does at all times recog- | nize their international officers in an | That is what we ask for, and that will be satisfactory to | the men.
 ''The road is now willing to recog- nize the local officials of the trolley companies under their old policy, but we claim that this matter is now en- tirely out of the hands of the local of- hcers, officials of the unions, and is in don't know whether the road will re- cognize not. I don't mind stat ing to you that the situation is one of considerable gravity.i'
 The company, apparently cognizant of the attitude as outlined by MT. it is said, will not be caught mapping. It is known that many offers have come from men at the head of strike-breaking institu- tions to throw hundreds of former trolleymen into the field. All of these offers thus far have been turned down as the trolley officials will do nothing at present upon which the men might base an excuse for precipitate action.
 It is also known that politics is all of the republican leaders was ap- preached last week to use his influ- ance to bring about some sort of an arrangement that might lead to a pre- understanding and finally to ] Sett1emen of the differences accept l ble to both sides.