The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-02-18

New York, Feb 1S-The imminent danger of a strike of 35,00O locomotive firenen, tying up 54 eastern railroads was averted today, by the unexpected and reluctant consent of the railroad managers to arbttrate the controversy under the Erdman act
 This decision of the railroad man agers yves acclaimed by the f1remen as a victory. The news was taken to the representatives of the hremen's brotherhood by Judge Martin A. Knapp, of the commerce court and Acting Commissioner of Labor Hanger
 the government mediators. who had for days been working to bring the
 disputing parties together
 The f1remen had held out conSis-
 tently for arbitration under the Erd- man act, which provides for three arbitrators one representing each side in the dispute and a third of disih-
 terested standing. The railroads had opposed such means of arbitration claiming that the act gave the third arbitrator entire control over the pro- oeedings, thus~ putting too much re- The. arlstrator- named by the rail-
 roads waSlW. ". Attenbury, vice president and general manager of the Pennsylvania Railroad.
 When the decision of the roailroads was announced to the firemen, Presi-
 dent w. s. Carter, of the firemen's DrOLn6fhOOOs Sa1Q:
 I've have won a great victory but am not man to crow-''
 Albert Phillips. vice-president of the
 brotherhood, living in Sacramento, representative on tRe Erdman act board. As soon as the railroads an nounced their arbitrator, it was ar ranged that the two should select the | third man on the board. The law pro
 vtdes that two representatives of the
 parties to the controversy shall select | after the board is complete, the de-
 mands must be presented before the board and that within another 20 days 1 the award must be made.
 The demands of the hremen include
 substantial increases in wages; a 10
 hour day or 8 run of 100 miles to con of overtime charges; two fremen all locomotives of more than 200, 600
 pounds and a number of minor de-
 mands.
 The decision of the railroad man iagers was announced in the following letter to the government mediators,
 Judge Martin A Knapp and Acting Commissioner of Labor G. w. w.
 sAt the urgent request of you, as representatives of the government, are able to voice the managers com mfttee agreement to arbitrate the
 firemen's controversy under the Erd- man act. The managers also desire to give notice at this time that they shall urgently request that the hear ings in this arbitration be open to the public.
 GAS the managers have stood out to the limit against the Erdman act and
 as the government-or the public-ls ! responsible for whatever the conse- quences may be, the managers re- iterate their principal objections to the Erdman act. These were point ed out by the board of arbitration in
 @f The responsibility which ulti- mately would rest upon a third mem
 Der Of Erdman arbitration board man. The operation of the act is to settle a dispute rather than to
 adjudicate a controversy. The arbi-
 traitors are three in number. Each side is represented by arbitrator. It rests, therefore, upon the third ar
 bitrator bo bring the other two arbi- trators nearly as possible together and if he cannot do so, he must de- eide between them. This is ac- complished by splitting differences and the case may be adjusted without adequate investigation of the facts in voIved and the award may not rest upon basis of equity. But the most Fundamental defect of the E1rdrnan act is that the interests of the public are not guarded by it..
 '"rhes managers feel that the public will not tolerate strike and rea1iz-
 ing their threefold responsibility to the public. their men and their share holders, they only agreed to arbitra- tion under the Erdman act when it seemed the only way to avert the calamity of a. strike.
 The fremen's brotherhood has no
 responsibility except to it's members.
 '@The question the public should seriously consider is whether, in com polling the railroads to arbitrate un-
 der defective and inadequate law and in thus securing temporary con Venience and accommodation they are not sacrificing their permanent wei fare
 ''The managers committee wishes to warn the public at this time of other and similar demand for increas-
 ed wages made by the conductors and trainmen. We desire to put the pub lie on notice to the crisis that will confront them when these demands are considered by the railroads.
 we also desire to call attention tc the serious public danger of these re- curing demands backed up by re-