Weekly journal-miner., 1916-08-09
VOTE D|SCLOSES B|G MAJORITY
 FOR STRIKE
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 presentation on March 3O of demands
 by the men for an eight-hour day and time and a half overtime.
 It had been hoped that the confer
 cnce might make unnecessary the talk ing of strike vote by referring the questions at issue to arbitration. Af- ter hearing the demands of the unions, however, the railroads declined to
 make a counter proposal and dis
 missed the subject by offering to fur
 ther discuss what they termed ten
 tative proposition" which granted the mems eight-hour demand but refused
 all others.
 The unions declined to consider the
 tentative" offer and the railroads
 then suggested placing their differ cnccs before the interstate commerce commission for decision, or if that body was without authority, that both sides join in petitioning congress to grant the necessary power. If this proved unsatisfactory to the unions the railroads suggested arbitration under the Newlands act
 The men rejected the two proposi- tions. Their spokesman, A. B. Gar retson, president of the Order of Rail way Conductors, in an impassioned speech said that the men would never consent to arbitration because of the failure of the unions to obtain justice in prior disputes through this method
 The leaders of the four unions, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Ergin ccrs, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Bremen and Enginemen, the Broth crhood of Railroad Trainmen, and the Order of Railway Conductors, upon withdrawing from the conference lost no time in drafting the strike ballot and in order to expedite the vote caused their distribution throughout the country by the 600 union dele gates that had also attended the con ference.
 It was pointed out at that time by the Brotherhoods' leaders that vote ordering a general strike did not nec- cssarily mean the immediate inStitu- ton of the strike It was explained that the strike order would not be issued until every effort looking to- ward an amicable settlement had been exhausted
 In statements issued by the railroad heads, following the breakup of the conference it was held that the eight hour day demanded by the men did rot actually mean shorter workday but rather an increase Of 5 per cent over existing wages for the same amount of work, and an increase in many cases of S715 per cent for over time as compared with present rates. The demands pertain only to freight and not to passenger service.
 The railroads maintained that to all low the increase would add Sl00,O00,- GOO a year to the operating expenses of all roads in the United States. flor the benefit of men wiose average pay per day was increased from 30 to 42 percent from 1908 to 1914, while the wages of the Western engineers were further increased in 1915"
 The mems proposition submitted at the conference provided that 100 miles or less or eight hours or less should constitute a day, with overtime be- ginning at the expiration of eight hours on runs of less than 100 miles, and as soon as 100 miles had been run on longer trips, overtime to be com rutcd at one and one-half times the pro-rata rate, no one to receive less than they previously received for a minimum day. The men were to be guaranteed the right to retain any rates of pay or schedules in effect January l, 19l6, which would be pre- fcrable to the new schedule.
 The roads contcndcd that the men made no allowance for the difference between railroad and industrial ser vice. They pointed out that railroad