The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-05-05
EASTERN RAILROAD
 MANAGERS MAKE
 PUBLIC STATEMENT
Explain Why They Decline to
 Arbitrate Under Erdman Act Trainmen's Wage Controversy

The Eastern Railroads through the Conference committee of managers. has made public it's statement dec1in- ing the offer of the conductors and trainment to arDitrate their wage dis putee under the Erdman act. This is the statement made by the managers when the trainmeE, after their wage requests had been refused. offered to arbitrate.
 It follows:
 MT. A. B. Garrettson,
 President, Order Railway Conduc- MT. w 2. Lea.
 President. Brotherhood Railroad
 Trainmen.
 Gentlemen:
 agers have given careful consideration to your proposal to submit to arbitra- tion under the Federal Law the issues involved in this controversy.
 We again call your attention to the increase in pay of s30, 900 per an- to their conductors and trafnmen in 1910. You now ask for a further in crease of ST, .0Oo, or. 20 per cent per annurn. We reiterate our statement that no conditions have arisen since 191O to warrant any increase in wages or changes in working conditions for conductors and trainmen.
 As to arbitration under the law, it was only at the urgent request of the representatives of the Government, and under the strongest protest the managers were able to voice. that, were due the firemen, they agreed to arbitrate the firemen's wage contro- versy under the Erdnaan Act
 At that time we warned the public that the conductors and trainnen had made similar demands for increased v,Tr% aTT S1- tice as to the crisis that would con- front them when these demands were considered.
 We called attention to the serious public danger of these recurring de- nands, backed up by repeated propo- sals that the railroads arb1trate un- der the 1aw.''
 You have followed the example of the engineers and the firemen and have proposed to aTfbitrate under the law" the while from the public state ments made by the Conference com mittee of managers you must have known that they could not accept such a. proposition. We would further call your attention to the fact that prac- ttcaly all the leaders of railway labor recognize the defects of the present law by joining in an effort to have it amended.
 The principal objections to the Frd- man Act were pointed out by the Board Of Arbitration in the engineers case.
 '~The responsibility which ultimately would rest upon a third member of an Erdman arbitration board was too great ito impose on any one man.
 s"The operation of the act is to set tle dispute rather than to adjudfcate a controversy.
 .eT4ae arbitrators are three in mum l per- Each side is represented by one arbitrator. It rests, therefore, upon he third arbitrator to bring the other l TWO arbitrators as nearly as possible l together, and if he cannot do so, he l must decide between them. s~This is accomplished by splitting | difference and. the case mey be ad- ,1sted without, adequate investigation | ,f the facts involved. and the award | nay not rest upon a basis of equity.
 .4B11t the most fundamental defect of he Frdman Act Is that the interests | ,f the public are not guarded by it.
 We, therefore, cannot accept your 
 Yours truly, THEE cONSFFRENCE COMMITTEE 1
 OF MANAGERS,
 By Elisha Lee. Chairman