The Columbus commercial. (Columbus, Miss.) 1893-1922, 1916-03-02
STRIKE Or TRlIhNEA MAY
TIE UP MANY RAILROADS
EMPLOYEES N DISPUTE WITH
OFFICIALS oVFR PAY W.
HOURS OF WORK.

WNIhlnL hNufa WHICH % now ~ pro-
gress threatens to tie un many rail
lines throughout the country, and
the ones in this immediate section
appear TO be included in those to
which such danger is imminent Com
menting upon the threatened strike,
the Memphis Commercial.Appeal, In
a recent issue. prints the following
Engineers, firemen, conductors,
trainmen and switchmen on every
railroad running into Memphis are
now voting on set Of demands
which their brotherhoods have pre-
pared for submission to every rail-
road in the country. and Memphis
business men are fearful that this
territory i'm common with the re-
mainder of the United States may
suffer from general railroad strike
in case employees fail to get what
they want.
The railroads say they cannot pos
sibly pay the increased wages for
which the demands call and brother
hood leaders have been quoted as
saying there viii be no arbitration,
as the result of which business in
terests throughout the country have
become alarmed.
The brotherhood demands are that
eight hours shall constitute days
work in all freight, yard and host
ling service and that time and half
shall be paid for overtime.
The vote on the demands has been
in progress all over the country for
some weeks and is expected to be
completed at an early date. It is
generally thought that the men will
approve the demands and that they
will be presented to the railroads
early in March.
Nothing can be learned as to the
vote in different communities or on
individual lines, as the vote is TO be
counted as whole and all are to
abide by the result Of the majority
After the demands have been pre-
scented the railroads must reply in 80
days.
Leaders of the brotherhoods say
! that the movement is for an eight
hour day and are claiming support
for it on humanitarian grounds.
Railroad officials, on the other
hand, contend that the men do moi
sincerely desire a real eight hour
working day, but are merely seek
ing TO change the basis for comput.
ing a days pay in order that they
may get material increases in theil
wages and in support of this the,
point out that under the present con
ditions railroad employees consist.
emily prefer the longer runs requir
ing longer hours of service, but Civ
ing correspondingly higher pay.
! Railroad statisticians have estima
ted that the increase in wages foI
members of the four brotherhoods il
the entire country, should the de
mands be granted, would run aboy,
hundred million dollars and in thi
connection they also claim that theil
members, the engineers, iremen
conductors, swtchmen, and brake
men are already the highest pait
men in the railroad service ant
among the highest paid classes of la
Dor in the world and that they hav
in recent years received great in
creases in their compensation.
SO great would these increases b
for many lines, II is claimed, the
would be absolutely unable to pa
them unless they could succeed /
getting the Interstate Commere
Commission. and various other stat
commissions TO grant them increase
in their rates for transporting freigh
and passengers
This is at best a long drawn ou
. process with the chances of succes
very doubtful, and it is not very like
2 ly to prove extremely popular, as tn
! public in the end would, Of course
= have to pay the bill At least thi
is the railroad view, and il is genel
!. ally believed that, holding this opir
/. ion. the railroads will feel themselve
a unable to meet the demands O
/ the men and will refuse them.
a This would bring the controvers
a to the stage of mediation or arbitrs
ton, and It is just here that the trot
bile lies, for railroad men are fearf,
: that the brotherhood leaders pla
, to abandon peaceful methods and 81
:, deavor to enforce their demands b
q nationwide strike. which would /
. something new in the countries hi
= tory and would result in prostratic
. Of every line Of industry and trad
= This fear is said to be grounded
> an official statement issued by fol
, brotherhoods from their headqus
ters in Cleveland, Ohio, few da.
. ago. in which they said that tn,
were not opposed to arbitration, b.
that they were not pledged TO seeeI
it. The brotherhood of LOGON
= tive EHgsneers fcr many years hal
Continued on page 4.