The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-07-17
MEDIATION COMMISSION
 SETTLES LABOR QUARRELS
BY SIDNEY EsPEY

Washington, July 16-(speciaD D-Prob- ably no commission under the federal government today Is attracting so much
 notice by It's good service than that ap- | pointed under the Erdman act to medi-
 ate differences between employers and. | employed engaged in interstate com merce.4 For more than a month the em- ployes of the Southern railway, the Sea- board Air Line and of practically the entire railroad system of the southwest
 ern section of the country have threaten
 ed to cripple the railroad industry by
 going on strike. After conferences last Ing nearly two weeks, during which
 two and three sessions a day were held
 with both the railroad officials and the leaders of the laboring men, the media
 tors amicably adjusted the differences.
 The men received a substantial increase
 in pay, and now everything pertaining
 to interstate commerce in the south pres-
 ages to run smoothly for an indefinite
 period. Both sides were satisfied and
 the people of the southern states were
 saved from disagreeable strike.
 Right on the heels of the adjustment I
 the employees of the Pennsylvania rail-
 road have threatened to strike for high
 CT wages and other wants. This would
 mean the throwing out of work of thou
 sands of men, privation in the families | of those men and a general halt of busi- | ness in the section traversed by the rails of the company. All eyes are at once | turned to the government mediators- Commissioner of Labor Neill and Chair man Knapp of the Interstate Commerce Commission-for a possible adjustment of the trouble. Perhaps the mediation commission as 1t has come to be pop
 ularly known, will be asked to hear the troubles of both sides of the controversy within the next few days. Perhaps the differences will be thrashed out by rep
 resentatives of the railroad and the lead CTS of the men without asking the aid of the commission but at any rate both of the mediators are prepared, regardless
 of the strenuous two weeks they have
 just experienced settling the southeast
 m situation, to patch the threatened
 strike.
 And if threatened railroad strikes of
 the pest fiscal year can be construed
 as a forecast there will be no strike
 on the Pennsylvania lines providing
 the matter Is left to the mediation com mission. For out of IA cases which have been brought to It's attention with Tn the past 12 months 13 of themNhave been settled satisfactorily without any los sof work on the part of the men
 loss of work on the part of the men Railroad officials and labor leaders alike are loud in their praise of the commissions work They explain the gigantic task of Keeping employer and employed In harmony and show how many thousands or tons of grain and other products would have been left to rot in the field if strikes were not in some way averted. They strongly favor the way in which the commis- sion works when adjusting differ
 ences and presage that its importance will become daily more evident
 At first there was some skepticsm
 on the part of the parties engaged In interstate commerce as to whether the commission would be the right place to take their troubles. This feeling, however has been dispellTd and about the first thing the head of a railroad or labor organization does now when a controversy starts Is to telegraph the mediators. It Is just like a per son sending for a doctor who hurrics | to the bedside and administers treat
 ment. Both Commissioner Neill and | Chairman Knapp telegraph in answer to the requested aid whether the parties | Involved would prefer having the diff | ferences threshed out in Washington
 or near the scene of the threatened diff