The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1913-02-17
WARNS MADER0
OF us. PURPOSE
IN PROTECTION
CRISIS is REACHED
IN RAILROAD TROUBLE
Strike Order For Firemen Will Be Is
sued Tonight If No Agreement Is
Reached During the Day.

New York, Feb. 1.-THE crisis in the
controversy between the eastern rail-
roads and their $4,000 firemen, which
last week narrowed down to the meth
cd of arbitration to be employed 10
settle the differences, is expected to-day
when representatives of both sides have
commerce court and G. w. w. Hanger,
acting commissioner of labor, the fed
eral mediator, in final effort to avert
strike.
1--WE are waiting for Judge Knapp and
Mr.. Hanger to announce that they are
unable, under the federal laws, to Sc
cure arbitration" President W. s. Car.
ter of the Brotherhood of Locomotive
Firemen and Enginemen said.
Mr.. Hanger met with the conference
committee of managers yesterday but
declined to discuss the nature of the
conference. He said that to-day he
would join Judge Knapp for further
meetings with both sides. Much sig
niicance is attached to the hurried visit
of Judge Knapp to Washington and
also to the conference yesterday of Mr..
Hanger and the railroad managers, and
another proposal as to the method of
arbitration is expected to be made to
the firemen to-day.
In formal statement to the public
last night, President Carter discussed
the Erdman act under the terms OF
which the railroad managers have re-
fused to arbitrate, and contradicted va
rious declarations of the railroads re-
garding the award of the arbitration
board of seven, which settled the differ
ence of the engineers with the same
line last summer.
with regard to the public statements
by the railroad companies wherein it
is said that the engineers are salts
fed and have been benefited by arbi-
tration under the railroads plan and the |
railroads have paid one million dollars
in back pay, etc. said Mr.. Carter in
his statement. Il am advised by Grand |
Chief Stone of the Brotherhood of Lo
Engineers that while it has
been ten months since they agreed to |
arbtrate and seven months since the /
hearings were closed and given to the
arbitration board for a decision, the
Iward of that board has not yet been
,ut into effect except on one railroad,
ind IL has been found necessary to re-
luest the engineers arbitration board to
Ig,.in meet and finally decide what they
eally did mean by the award that they
landed down"
The main objection of President Car.
er to the arbitration board in the en-
,ineers' case is he declared. that non
PRACTICAL men on the board controlled I
he arbitration. These men. he said
vent to the records of the interstate
commission, which he affirme3
we're notoriously incorrect, and based
heir findings and the award on these
ecords.
The railroads, according to Mr.. Car
er's statement, are naming at great
Expense in Washington bureau which ,
athers statistics for use in arbitration
under the plan which the /,
of the railroads propose in !
his instance and which the flremen re-
used to accept last Friday. He fur ,
her declared that the statistics were :
My in favor of the companies. ,
As the deadlock now stands, the FIRE :
len's committee is demanding an arbi-
ration under the Erdman act by a !,
oard of three members, while the rail
ay managers decline to agree to set !,
ement of the dispute by so small a i
oard in which they claim the odd man :
ould have too great power. If to-
,y's conferences fail to effect COM
-omise and the federal mediators, Judge !;
napp and Mr.. Hanger, announce their :
Iilure TO bring the two factions TO = !,
rms, it is expected that President Car {
r will formally issue a strike order {
might. So much is at stake, how :,
Ter, that some. sort of a compromise is :
expected by interests allied r
ith both sides. /,