El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1914-07-31
GENERAL TIE-UP
ON RAILROADS IS
SET FOR AUG. I
Strike Is Certain Unless the
Railroads Aceede to the
Plans For Mediation.


N~N-------N~ -
Brotherhood Of Locomotive engineers.
Brotherhood Of Locomotive Firemen
and enginemen- A ". Trenholm, gen
eral manager OF the Chicago, st. Paul
Minneapolis and Omaha railway. was
chairman Of the managers committee
The last general movement by the
engtnemen for an increase in wages
was in 1910 at which time they OBJ
tanned an increase Of about 10 per cent
Since then. they declare, the roads
have greatly increased their revenues
and facilities Preparation of the
mems case indicated their close OBJ
servatiOn Of the proceedings Of the In
terstate Commerce commission Every
report Of the roads to the federal body
apparently had been scrutinized and
compared with former reports and de-
ductiOns favorable to the mems de-
mands drawn where possible.
Mediation Attempted
Objection by the enginemen to fed
eral arbitration was asserted TO rest
on alleged refusal by the roads to
govern themselves by the recOmmen-
dations Of the board. They we've rec
concentrations and not court mandates,
the men declared. and the roads either
disregarded them or placed their own
interpretations on them in such a man
ner as 10 nullify them The managers
committee challenged Stone and Car
ter TO name an instance in which such
a thing had been done. When con-
ferences between Stone and Carter and
the managers apparently had come TO
the point of a strike the managers
were urgent that the federal board OF
mediation and Cancellation should be
appealed TO. The mems committee sud
denly acceded to this. stating that II
would have a bad appearance il they
refused and asking only that the ses-
sions begin Immediately.
Accordingly. William L Chambers,
chairman OF the federal mediation
board. assistant commissioner G. ".
". Harger and federal judge Martin
A. Knapp left Washington at once
prepared to begin sessions in Chicago.
The conference began July p.
Mems Statement Of Case.
The mems statement Of their case
as presented to the board is in part.
as follows:
Added responsibilities and the in
creased cost Of living induced the en-
ginemen in the western territory to
make certain requests OF the man
ayers Of their railroads These re
quests carried moderate increases in
pay and some improvements in work
ing rules, having for their object the
standardization Of wages and working
conditions which were to be revisions
and additions TO the present schedule"
In their printed statement OF their
position the enginemen laid emphasis
on the increased traffic Of the rail-
roads declaring that more powerful
locomotives. larger freight cars and
longer trains had vastly increased the
earning power OF the roads and had
added cOrrespOndingly to the respon-
sibilities OF the enginemen with no
corresponding Increase in their pay.
The Managers Position.
The managers committee replied
that railroad conditions at the pres
ent time do not justify any increases
in wages. The demands OF the men,
according to the managers. center
upon the substitution OF an eight hour
day for a ten hour day IN the compu-
tation Of overtime.
The employees know" the man
ayers statement asserts. that II
would be impractical to reduce the &C
tual working day in train service to
eight hours. To do SO IL would be
to shorten practically all
railway divisions. TO relocate yards
and shops, in fact to reconstruct the
railways at prOhibitive cost. The en-
plOyes know the only effect Of chang
ing the basis OF a days wage from 10
TO hours would be enormously TO in
crease the overtime paid.
All FL PasO Roads Involved.
Among the railroads involved are the
Atchison. Topeka & Santa Fe and all
branch lines, including that In the
Pecos valley Of New Mexico and Tex
as; the Rock Island. E. PasO & South
western, G. II. & s. A. and the Southern
Pacific and Texas Pacific, which in
cludes all railroads entering FL Paso.