The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-05-01
ARBITRATION BOARD ANNOUNCES AWARDS
 IN RAILROAD CASES
(Continued from Page One,

S. Through freight wage rates were advanced to 20 cents and 20 cents on some of the extremely heavy engines.
 9. Way freight enginemen will re- ceive 30 cents day more than through freight men.
 10. Surprise tests will be conducted if such a way as not to endanger life limbs or nerves.
 II. Bremen will be assisted where assistance is available in keeping coal forv ard, and the coal shall be broken into proper sizes at chutes.
 12. Where firemen on big engines esk an assistant the ma tier, if neces- sary, may be adjusted through arbitra- tion
 13. Bremen will not be required to clean engines nor will engineers be required to fill grease cups, set up wedges, or perform other minor duties about an engine where others are available to do the work.
 IA. The weight on the drive wheels of each engine shall be posted where the enginemen can have convenient access to the information.
 Requests Not Granted
 Among the requests not granted were the automatic release. time and one half time for overtime in freight arG switching service and the five-hour day in passenger service. The reward on the surprise test was as desired oy the railroads, but MT. Burgess listed 1t among the results satisfactory to the men.
 Judge Pritchards S statement follows in part:
 q deem it proper to say that in my opinion the freight rates, as well as yard rates for firemen and engineers. agreed upon are not as high as they should be. Nevertheless the rules as respects weight on drivers, time constituting days work. initial and terminal delay and overtime, passenger rates and rules, and other rules accord to the men substantial benefits " hich should not be denied them." The statement by MT. Byram and Mir. Park also was brief In part it said:
 ''That our signatures to the award may not signify approval of it in principle or in detail. a brief word of explanation seems necessary.
 ITO such provisions of the award as confer benefits upon men whose present rates and conditions merit adjustment we are in hearty accord; to those who. in our judgment, the testimony to have been liberally paid and properly treated, we feel that nothing additional is due them, and in agreeing to changes to the rates and rules and to other conditions Of the. award it was only because 1t was made apparent that these changes were necessary. if We were to have an award at all 1t appeared to us that for the maintenance of the principle of arbitra- ton for the adjustment of labor disputes which is the public interest, our duty lay in this direction, even though additional burdens of expense result.
 The dissenting opinion of Burgess and Shea contained much argument and evil dence used in the hearing and to which. tbey contended. the arbiters paid too lit- tle attention or ignored. They held that arbitration had failed to qualify as & solution of wage disputes.
 Precedent Figures
 .sThey asserted that the precedent set bv the eastern award. which they held was notoriously unsatisfactory and inap- plcable to western conditions, figured too largely in shaping the present award. They charged that advances granted will. by reason of the tendency toward heavier engines and trains result in . gradual dscrease in the actual earnings of the enginemen. Excerpts follow;
 .aThe board has not settled the Ques- tions submitted for arbitration. The very hest that can be said of such an award is that 1t settles nothing. but simply postpones any further action on the auss- tionS involved for a period of 12 months. We taka the position that 1t is manifestly