The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-07-10
WILSON WILL MEET
|. EASTERN TRA|NMEN
T0PREvENT STRIKE
Conference at White House
Will Also Include Rail-
road Operators
HOUSE MAY AMEND
ARBITRATION ACT
Both Parties Prepared to En-
dorse it---Vote to Ratify
Strike Vote Scheduled
For Sunday
WASHINGTON

I WASHINGTON. July F~An-
nouncement was made at the White
House tonight that President Wilson,
on next Monday afternoon, will meet
the representatives of the Eastern
trunk lines and representatives. of the
brotherhood of Railroad Operatives,
who are now seriously threatening
to tie up the transportation facilities
of large part of the country
through n strike.
The conference at the White House
has been arranged as result of a
joint request by the railroads and the
union employees. Its chief purpose is
( 20 represent to President Wilson the
urgent necessity of the adoption by
congress Of an amendment to the Erd-
man act. which will open way for
the settlement by arbitration, or
mediation, of the differences which
now threaten a disastrous strike.
/ The representatives Of both the rail-
roads and the employees are prepared
+ to give their immediate approval to
the projected amendment to the Erd-
man act. The point which they wish
to emphasize is the necessity for
action at once.
The senate already has adopted an
amendment to the Erdman act, which
has been approved by both railroad
employers and employees. There were
evidences today that the house Is
arousiug Itself to the necessity for
immediate action. There Is a possi-
bility that the senate amendment may
be passed by the house on Saturday,
but the likelihood now is that the
house will hold off until after the
White House conference.
! House to Take Hand.
( WASHINGTON, July with q
,riou tn of
tration satisfactory to the great In
I terests involved in the threatened rail-
road strike, the houses according 10
/ leaders of both parties, will on SAT-
urday pass the senate bill proposing
amendments to the Erdman act that
are approved by both railroad EN-
Eloyers and railroad employees. Both
I sides to the controversy refuse to arhi-
trate under the Erdman law in its
present form. They AXE the ground
that the law as at prs sent constituted
! does not provide for an adequate rep
resentation of both sides to a contro-
versy between employers and en-
| Iloycs. and SO far as the present
! emergency is concerned, the act Ia
useless
/ The proposed amendments do net
/ change the provision of the Erdmsn
act, which seeks the adjustment OF
railroad tEtuDleS III the HFSl lfStdDCc
/ by conciliasio and mediation through
the mediam of the government board.
! The impression seems to be quite
general that il congress acts prompt
/ ly on this proposed legislation the
threatened railway strike can be
averted.
/ Vote on Ratification.
! NEW YORK, July 9.--The general
( adjustment committees of the train
men End conductors on Eastern rail-
roads met this afternoon at the Broad
way Central hotel and appointed .
committee to engage a hall in which
/ the / 1000 members of the ADJUST
ment committees on all the Eastern
systems will meet on Saturday and
Sunday to ratify the vote in favor of
a strike.
( Later, il was said that the heads
I OF the organizations of trainmen and
conductors had the offer of the large
dining-room at the Broadway Central
/ for the purpose and that the offer
| may be accepted.
After the conference w. G. Lee,
| president of the Brotherhood of Rail-
way Trainmen, and A. G. Garretson
made the statement that the demands
of the trainmen and conductors for
which they are expected to strike next
week. are for the same wages as are
! paid on the Western roads They gave
out a list of the wages paid in the
/ East, West and South In substitution
OF this.
Our grievance" said President
Garretson, SIS mainly that In the
East. whore the railroads have rich
earnings and do an ncomparably
larger and more profitable business
than the Western railroads, the wages
should be so much smaller than in
the West,
President Lee. of the trainmen. talk
ca 10 the same effect, and added that
il was no concern of the men II the
cost OF the increase in wages demand
cd by the trainmen and conductors
was sl7oo0,000 annually. 1t was q
question of the men being paid fair
wages, as much for the same work
as the men on the Western railroads.
These statements were replied to
| by a statement issued behalf II
the railroads later by Elisha Lee.
chairman of their managers commits
tee, in which he said:
president Lee says that II Is no
concern Of his that the cost of the In.
creases in wages the trainmen ana
conductors ask will amount to $17,-
000. 900 annually. It probably was no
concern TO him when the railroads n
1910 increased their pay to $30.-
900, 200. figure which, President
Lee says. is a conservative one. Tho
cost is of great concern to the man.
ayers of the railroads. and it ID o.
greater concern to the public
/