Evening journal., 1913-07-05
RAILROADS
URGE PUBLICITY
AS TO STRIKE

Elisha Lee, chairman of the confer
ence committee of managers of forty
one railroads, including the Pennsyl-
vania, Baltimore and Ohio and Phila-
delphia and Reading systems has is
sued the following statements to the
public:
"one hundred thousand conductors
and trainmen on the Eastern rail-
roads have completed taking a vote to
decide whether or not they shall strike
in the event they fail to effect a set
tlement with the railroads of their
demand for an increase in wages of
S17000,000, or 20 per cent per annum.
The presidents of the conductors
and trainmen's organizations in an
official circular have cautioned the
employe to give Just as little public
ity as possible to the taking of the
strike vote and of the dates on which
the vote is to be completed.
The trainmens and conductors
brotherhoods ordered that a strike
ballot should be sent out on June IS.
and that the vote should be completed
and in the hands of the general chair
men by July 1, on which date they
we're TO reconvene in New York City.
THE managers committee desire
the greatest possible publicity given
to every feature of this controversy.
III the railroads are forced to pay
eXtravagant wages to men in train
service, the burden must fall on the
public, for it is only from the 50,O00,-
600 people directly dependent on these
railroads fer transportation facilities
that the roads can secure revenue
1T is obvious. therefore, why in
dealing with the trainmen and con-
ductor, the managers committee hold
the public's interest paramount. and
why the managers insist that the pub
lie shall have complete knowledge Of
every detail of the controversy. II is
the public that has most at stake.
"A strike of vast proportions is
again threatened on the Eastern
railroads, and it is important that the
public know what is liable to take
place.
The 100000 conductors and train
men on these roads have made a de-
mand for an increase in wages of S17,-
100000, or 20 per cent per annum.
The railroads, acting in the interest
of the public as a. whole, have refused
TO grant any increases to these en-
ployes, who. in 1870 received advances
in pay amounting to S30000,000 per
annum.
In making demands for extrava-
CANT wages-wages entirely out of ac-
cord with the railroads obligations as
a whole-railroad employees apparent
ly act on the assumption that a strike
which would tie up traffic would never
be permitted by the public. Their
feeling apparently is that the public
will force arbitration and that in the
end splitting differences between
what they demand and the wages they
receive will result in their favor
The trainmen and conductors were
the first to receive an advance in pay
il the cycle of wage increases for rail-
road employees just completed last
May when the firemen received an in
crease in wages of some 10 per cent.
when, on May 2, the managers re-
fused to grant the conductors and
trainmen's demands. the latter, fol-
lowing the example of the engineers
and the fremen, offered to arbitrate
under the law
"In view Of the fact that the wages
of conductors and trainmen at the
present time are liberal. and in many
cases excessive, the railroads rejected
their proposal to arbitrate. following
which an order was given by the heads
of their organizations that a strike
vote be taken among all of the train
men and conductors on the forty-fve
principal railroads east of Chicago and
north of Virginia.
"A strike of conductors and train
men would mean that practically
every road in the Eastern territory
would be tied up; in their strike ballot
there is this paragraph:
Unless you are prepared to sup
port your vote by your action. dc not
vote for carrying the matter for
ward.