Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-07-21
MEDIATORS ARE
IN SESSION TO
AVERT STRIKE
Board Takes Up Question of
Railroad Managers De-
mands First.
MEN READY TO WALK OUT
IF ROADS GAIN THIS POINT
Board Believed to Take En-
ployees' View That Roads
Demands Are Barred.

NEW YORK, July 21.-The confer
ence committee Of railroad managers
held their first meetiag today at the
Hotel Manhattan with members of
the Board of Mediation and Concilia-
tion, who are trying to mediate in
the dispute between the Eastern rail-
roads and their trainmen and con.
ductors
The members of this board. Judge
William L. Chambers. Martin A.
Knapp and G. w w. Hanger de-
cided first to hear the position of the
railroads and later to receive the rep
resentatives of the employees.
w G. Lee president of the Brother
hood of Railway Trainmen, and A.
B. Garretson. head of the Order of
Railway Conductors, waited at their
headquarters in a downtown hotel.
They expected an opportunity to ap-
pear before the Federal board this
afternoon as soon as the commission
ers finished their conference with :he
railroad managers
Chiefs Ready for strike.
The chiefs of the employees are
keeping their men in hand, ready to
send them out on<strike at an hours
notice, If need be. But they are OPP
timistic as to the outcome of the at
tempts at adjustment of their diff
culties
1t is generally believed that a
strike will be aVerted through con-
cessions by the railroad managers,
who insisted on having their griev-
ances considered as well as those
of the brotherhood men.
The trainmen and conductors have
a number of demands affecting their
pay and working conditions and the
roads will agree that these shall be
Incorporated in the signed articles
for arbitration.
The railroads have eight griev-
ances they wish arbitrated, but their
employees say they were submitted
too late and cannot be put forward
They told this Thursday to the
roads conference committee, and
Friday the conference committee said
it would refer this phase of the dis
pute to the mediators.
Men May Decline Arbitration.
The roads did not say they would
abide by the decision of the media
tors, but it is believed that they will.
If the mediators admit the roads
grievances the trainmen and conduc-
tors will withdraw from all artitra-
tion and order strike. The con-
ference committee know this and,
1t is said will undoubtedly decide to
waive the grievances rather than see
the men walk out.
The railroads say they are morally
right in demanding that both sides
of the matter be discussed. but admit
they were slow in formulating their
complaints. If the mediators refuse
to consider the point raised by the
roads it will be up to the conference
committee to maze the next move.
With the articles of agreement
signed the mediators will return to
Washington and each side will choose
two men to represent them on the
arbitration board These men will
be empowered to select two addition
al arbitrators by a majority vote. If
they fail in five days the men will be
named by the board of mediation
and Cancellation. The arbitration
board will then set date for the
hearings. Thirty days after the
final hearing, unless otherwise stipu-
lated, the board will announce it's
award.