The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946, 1913-07-18
MEDIATION LAW.
Bills For Changing Erdman Act
Are Prepared.
REASONS FOR THE ACTIONS.
National Civic Federation and Other
Bodies Are Supporting Proposed
Notifications Which Would Change
Number of Men on Committee.

Notifications Which Would Change
Number of Men on Committee.
Amendments to the Erdman concilia-
ton act have been drafted by members
of the National Civic federation and
supported unanimously by joint COM
mittee of railroad men and railroad la
Dor representatives A number of de-
viations from the Erdman act are pro-
vided for in the new bill, which will
shortly be introduced in both branches
of congress. Chief among these are
ahanges in the number Of members of
conciliation committees when possible
and the creation Of the Office Of com
missioner of mediation and arbitra-
ton.
The Civic federation calls attention
to the fact that the railroad situation
in the eastern part of this country is
acute. The engineers and firemen
have struck within the past year, and
the trainmen and conductors are now
taking a strike vote This situation
makes 1t imperative to devise means
of arbitration more efficient than those
which already exist
Mr.. Low, president of the National
Civic federation, has issued state
ment describing the amendments and
giving the reasons for their adoption
by the committee He says:
Like all measures which represent
the asset of many minds, the bill as
submitted to congress represents a
compromise on certain points. Both
the railroads and their employees ads
nit that the arbitration board Of three,
as provided by the Erdman act as 1t
now stands, Is too small when the In
terests affected are the interests of q
whole section of the country and not a
single railroad
"The Erdman net, broadly speaking,
provides for mediation between inter
state railroads and their employees at
the request Of either party by the
chief justice Of the commerce court and
the commissioner Of labor. 1t also pro-
vides q method f5r arbitration under
the authority of federal law For
several years after its enactment no
appeal was made to the services of the
mediators under the Erdman act. OF
late years, however, it has been In
creasingly resorted to both by the rail
roads and their employees, with the
result that as to the mediation fea-
lures Of the law the work has be-
come so continuous and so important
that the proposed bin suggests the
creation of a commissioner Of media-
tion and conciliation, to be filed by
the president. by and with the advice
and consent Of the senate, whose time
shall be exclusively devoted to this
work. With the commissioner Of me-
diation and conciliation is to be asso-
ciated under the proposed bill an as
slstant commissioner of mediation and
conciliation.
"This proposed bill, like the Erdman
act, relies entirely upon voluntary arbi-
tration Arbitration which is volun-
tary has repeatedly proved its value
In railroad experience, because when
men arbitrate voluntarily they accept
the terms OF the award. Compulsory
dfDllIdLoH, on Ine otuef udnu, is LII
practicable, because not even the
power of the state can compel men
to work under conditions which do
not command their assent When the
employers and employees of a great
industry, therefore, as in this instance,
are simply asking for a law which
viii give legal sanction to a method
of arbitration which both are willing
to accept, the argument in favor of
such legislation is exceedingly strong"