The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1910-02-28
NEW HAVEN TO ACT ALONE ON
 WAGE DEMAND
Railroad Will Not Combine With Other Eastern @ Lines.
UNIONS LEADERS HOPEFUL
Agree to Individual Settle ment Despite Other
 Roads Action.
New Haven. Feb. 28.

1 ! The New Haven railroad has broken loose from the other 31 eastern rail roads in the treatment of the demands of conductors and trainmen and will work out it's own settlement, independ- ent of the other lines. In this action the higher officers of the labor organi- zations find cause for belief that peace will reign on this system no matter what happens on other lines.
 An official statement issued by the company today said that the New Ha- ven was not connected with the isSu- ance of the pamphlet, ascribed to the Eastern Railroads which pamphlet refused the demands of the men and gave the reasons for this action as published in another page.
 Tn connection with the plan of the New Haven to stand alone in this la Dor union affair it was learned today that the company had advanced this proposition to the national officers of the labor organizations now here and the union representatives have replied that all the New Haven need do is to satisfy it's employees in this matter and a settlement will be reached on this system, regardless of what may take place on other lines, where talk of strike is now in the air. It is this plan to reach a sort of separate or individ- ual settlement, it is authoritatively stated which is responsible for the fact that negotiations are still in pro- gross between the union committee and General Manager Higgins of the New Haven when on other roads the men have been turned down and the situa- tion has reached that acute stage where the employees have already, or are about to ballot on the question of a strike, if their wage demands are not granted.
 While. rumors of strike are preva- lent on other roads the feeling prevails among the New Haven committeeman that the New Haven company will con- cede to the demands of the men and a peaceful adjustment of this trouble will be reached without serious ripple in the negotiations. The statement of the eastern railroads referred to is the product of a conference of the gen. eral managers of certain lines but the New Haven is not included in the list A somewhat similar statement, though somewhat shy of details, was made by high official of the New Haven be- fore the trainmen's committee met here but this only mentioned some of the salient points of this controversy from the company's standpoint. The pamphlet published today and sent out by the roads points out among other things the fact that general wage advances were given the railroad men in 1906, and the year following. It also says that wages were not re- duced during the panic period of 1907 and 1908 It points out the percen- tage of advance in the last three years for railroad men and other skilled labor, showing the railroad men to have been more greatly benefited than other classes of labor.
 In criticising this statement an au- thority on railroad labor matters to- day said. 'It is not true that general advances were made on the eastern railroads in 1907 or in 1906, for that matter It is true that wages were advanced here and there, but the only general advance in 1907 was made by the western railroads, and what the men on the eastern lines are now try up to the standard of the men on the lines west of the Mississippi.
 'It is true that the companies did not reduce. wages during the period of the business depression, but do you know why? No. Well, let me tell you It was because all of the strong est railroad labor unions in the coun- try combined to prevent a reduction. Everybody knows some of the roads tried to reduce wages at that time. Perhaps not the New Haven, but here in the east such a proposition was not up to the conductors and trainmen, and other workmen on the Boston 6 Maine, and other lines and the men turned it down. That is why wages were not reduced.
 DO you think the New Haven will follow the other lines and refuse to adopt the proposed wage schedule ?"