Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1916-08-25

Provide For Eieht.Hour Basic Day.
The special committees plan, draft:
ed after weeks consideration, would
provide for granting an eight.hour
basic" day. &
An eight-hour "basic" day to the
trainmen, but with assurance that
every effort would be made by tho
administration to secure freight
rate increase to recompense the roads
and further assurances that congress
would be asked to enrct legislation
to insure settlement Of future labor
disputes through an Investigating
'cOmmiesion VA, - tS.s,ss4s. y I I. !
,Tlse entire plan has Rot been laid
before ail i''te- executives. and man.
ayers, but its points have been dis
cussed at the various conferences.
It developed after tonight's meeting
that objections had been raised TO
the freight rate increase feature on
at least two grounds. It was argued
by some that there can be no as.
surance of freight rate increase.
but no one could say what the inter.
state commerce commission might do,
and that some Of the most important
shippers Of the country have already
made 1t plain that they are not In
sympathy with any move which may
mean rate increase 1t was point
ed out also that, although President
Wilson has expressed his belief that
such a rate increase should be grant
ed If the eight-hour day is given the
employees, no one can tell how tho
next election is coming out and there
can be no possibility Of an increase
before next March, or later.
Attention was called, too, to tho
fact that the commission hitherto has
held that 1t cannot consider wage
standards in dealing with proposed
rate increases, although legislation
by congress might remove that din.
Guilty.
The principal arguments against
the idea Of commission for the pre-.
vention or settlement of strikes were
that it would almost certainly be
fought by labor in congress, and that
while President Wilson might be en-
tirely willing now to back such legis.
lation, he might not be in q position
to do so when it was proposed.
Plan Tentatively Accepted.
The special committees plan has
been tentatively accepted by the com.
mittee Of eight and 1t was the sub
ject of discussion today ut the White
House. Its substance was communi.
Gated to the labor representatives,
The railroad presidents are under.
stood not to be insistent upon tho
commission idea for the settlement
of future disputes and the main dim-
Guilty has been the working out. Of
operating plans under the, eight.hour
day and giving assurances to the pres
ident and managers that they can
count on a freight rate increase. Pres.
idents and managers agree that the
operating problem presented % one of
the most complicated they have ever
undertaken. There Seem1 TO b a
general opinion that the eikht.hour
day must be granted, but roadG which
now are operating on only = narrow
margin Of profit, or on which the
physical difficulties are unusual, pre-.
sent serious problems 60 ,bO over.
come. The efforts have been to IN.
clude the eight-hour day concession,
solution of some other questions, such
as overtime pay, ETC., which might
make it less expensive to the rail.
roads. There were reports. tonight
that some Of the executives still are
unalterably opposed to granting the
eight-hour day under any circnm.
stances, and might attempt tomorrow
to force a decision, which would bring
the negotiations to IN end, one way
or another.
Statements were issued tonight By
President Pennington, Of the Mime
apolis. st. Paul & Sault Ste. Marie
railway, and p. r. Albright, manager
Continued on Page TlTee)