White Pine news weekly mining review. [volume] (East Ely, Nev.) 1910-1920, 1913-08-24
s. P. TRA|NMENS
STRIKE SITUATION
EMPLOYEES, COMPANY. SHIPPERS
AND PUBLIC APPEAR UNITED,
IN HOPE THAT ADJUSTMENT
NAY BIZ MADE.

IN HOPE THAT ADJUSTMENT
MAY BIZ MADE.
Daily conferences are being held
in San Francisco, by Commissioned
Hanger of the United States board
of mediation and Cancellation in con
n~ection with the threatened strike of
trainmen on the lines of the Southern
Pacific company. Shippers and the
travelling public are awaiting the out
come with apprehension, realizing the
enormous losses that would be in
flicted on the state if the men should
walk out. When the Newlands
act was passed by congress-. it was
hoped that a method had been found
for the peaceful solution of industrial
conflicts, and the prompt action of
President William Sproule of the
Southern Pacific in appealing to the
government temporarily treasured
the people that they would not be
made to suffer because of a dispute
to which they were entirely innocent
parties.
BY Offering to mediate and
arbitrate the railroad has gone on
record as recognizing that the inter
est of the public in transportation is
greater than that of either carrier or
employe. Commenting on this
subject last year, the board of arbi-
~tration on the engineers controversy
in the east said:
1T is evident that for a great sec.
ton of the United States, a railroad
strike can no longer be considered as
a matter which primarily affects the
railroad operators and employees. 1t
does affect them. and affects them
seriously; but the public is far more
deeply concerned. Indeed, the inter-
ests of the public so far exceed those
of the parties to a controversy as to
render the former paramount. To this
paramount interest, both the railroad
operators and employees should sub
NIT. II is therefore imperative that
some other way be found to settle
differences between railroads and
their employees than by strikes"
President Garretson and Lee Of
the national organization of the Or
der of Railway Conductors and the
Brotherhood of Railroad Train
men, on July "a, writing on the tie up
that was threatened in the east said
to the board of mediation that the
Newlands' act under which the
Southern Pacific has appealed. was
formed for the employee as we'll as the
employers. Part OF the letter reads;
There has never been a time when
We had even the remotest idea that
the law governing arbitration was
enacted for the benefit only of the
employe. On the contrary, We recog-
nike the right of every railway 10 in
woke its provisions at the proper time
and in the proper manner, but we
employer has the right to sweep
aside all of the methods prescribed
IN the agreements on the various
lines whenever the convenience of
the employer desires to unfairly press
those matters to immediate consider
alton. while at the same time, insist
ing that the employees must comply
with every detail of the require
ments that are so embodied. Con-
%sequently, while recognizing that,
under the new law, their rights are
equal to our own. We also insist upon
the recognition of the fact that re-
sponsibilities and duties go hand in
hand with rights, and if we must be
required to assume those response
bilities and perform those duties, We
naturally expect that any other party
to the contention shall do likewise"
President Wilson has appointed
three men of high standing and
character to serve upon the board OF
mediators and Cancellation. and they
are now engaged in endeavoring to
bring about an amicable adjustment
OF controversies concerning wages,
hours of labor and working condi-
tions on the part of railroads in the
United States. including the con-
troversey over interchange of rights
and seniority between the Southern
Pacific company and the Order of
Railway Conductors and the Brother
hood of Railroad Trainmen. In this
controversy, which vitality affects
the entire west. and which, If 1t