Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-10-04
Southeastern Lines to Give
Men ST, 800, 900 More Yearly.
MEDIATORS SETTLE FIGHT
Obstinate Controversy Just Ended
Affects Approximately
$4,000 Employees.

A settlement Of the protracted wage
and working conditions controversy be-
| tween the southeastern railways and
their employees was reached late -ester-
day afternoon. The men, by the agree
ment signed, will receive an average adj
vance in wages of approximately 10 per
cent.
The rules and working conditions on
| each Of the roads remain substantially
unchanged under the agreement signed
here IN the presence Of mediators 1,p-
proximately 13.OOO employees. of whom
5000 are colored. are affected. They in
cllde conductors. brakemen. baggagemen
flagmen and yardmen. Trackmen and
shopmen were not involved in the contro-
versy.
The agreement means to the roads an
increase in fixed charges for operating ex-
penses of approximately 81, 300, GOO a year
AS an Offset to this, assurance is given
that there will be no strike of the men.
and that the working conditions now
agreed upon are fairly satisfactory to the
operatives and to the railroads.
Referred to Mediators.
After several weeks of futile effort by
the representatives of the employees and
officials Of the roads to settle their differ
ences it was decided that the controversy
should be referred to the mediators des-
ignated by the Erdman act-Presiding
Judge Martin A. Knapp Of the Commerce
Court and DR.. Charles P. Neill, commits
sioner of labor. For ten days the medi-
ators have been in daily conference with
both sides. wrestling with one of the
| most obstinate controversies in the his
tory Of such negotiations under the pres
ent law. For more than a week it ap-
peared impossible for the mediators to
bring the opposing sides to anything ap-
prOximating an agreement
Finally a day or two ago what sub
stantially amounted to an ultimatum was
made, looking to settlement of the con-
troversy on the basis reached by the
officials of the Chesapeake and Ohio, the
Norfolk and Western and the Virginian
railways with their men at the Norfolk
conference. This ray of light was fol-
lowed. and the agreement signed yester-
day provides practically that all the en-
plOyes of the roads involved shall receive
the same Increases as were provided for
IN the Norfolk settlement, except in those
cases where the present wages equal or
exceed the Norfolk basis.
Signers Of Agreement.
For the operatives the agreement was
signed by A. B. Garretson, president OF
the Order of Railroad Conductors, and
Val Fitzpatrick, vice president of the
Brotherhood of Railway Trainmen; for
the railroads, by Horace Baker, general
manager of the Cincinnati, New Orleans
and Texas Pacific railway. chairman OF
the general managers committee.
The railroads were represented in the
conference by the general manager OF
each line and the men by Mr.. Garretson
and Mr.. Fitzpatrick, and joint commit
tee Of nearly 200 others.
The roads involved in the controversy
were the Atlantic Coast line, Alabama
Great Southern, Alabama and Vicksburg,
Central of Georgia, Cincinnati, New Or
leans and Texas Pacific. Georgia South
ern and Florida, Mobile and Ohio. North
ern Alabama. New Orleans and North
eastern, New Orleans, Mobile and Chi
cago Seaboard Air line, Southern rail-
way. Southern railway in Mississippi,
Tennessee Central. Vicksburg, Shreve-
port and Pacific and Virginia and South
western. These roads represent a mile
age of 10000 miles, all of which is east
of the Mississippi river and south Of the
Ohio and Potomac