The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1916-08-18
cREATR R. R. STRIKE FEDERAL INQUIRY
IS THREATENED IN WAGE DISPUTE
Railroad Managers Submit
Plans TO Avoid Great Strike.
ARBITRATION IS OFFERED.

Agree to Refer Demands Of Men Fol-
More Pay to the Interstate Commsrcs
Commission or to Accept Settlement
Under Nswiands Act.
New YOrk.-The announcement that
the strike vote which has been In prog
ress among the train service employees
Of American railroads for the past sew.
eral weeks has been completed. and
that the final demands by the union
leaders are o o to be presented to the
railroad managers here, indicates that
the public will soon know whether the
controversy between the railroad work.
ers and their employers is to be settled
peaceably, or whether a nation wide
strike is to be inflicted upon the coun
try.
Thus far the leaders Of the four
unions-the Brotherhood Of Locomo.
tive Engineers, the Brotherhood Of Lo-
connective FiremeH and Eng1nemen. the
Order Of Railway Conductors and the
Brotherhood Of Railroad Trainmen-
have refused to consider any proposal
for an arbitration Of the questions In
dispute, or for settlement Of the con-
troversy by the Interstate Commerce
Commission.
Would Cost $1oo,ooo,ooo.
The demands Of the train service men
Tor an Increase in wages, which, 1t Is
estimated, would cost the railroads of
the country $1OO.O0O.OOO a year, were
originally presented last March. At
that time the representatives of the
unions asked for a conference with a
committee of railroad managers repre-.
senting the various railroad lines Of
the country.
This conference began here in New
York on June list, and continued for
two weeks. The railroads were repre-
scented by a committee Of nineteen
managers, and the brotherhoods by the
heads of their various national and To-
cal OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES eight hundred
men In all.
Choice Of Methods Offered.
The conference failed to reach a deci- |
sion owing to the refusal Of the union
leaders to consider cny modification Of
their demands. or any proposal for ar 4
bitratiOn. At the conclusion of the |
meetings the railroad managers sub
mitted q proposal to refer the whole |
question to the Interstate Commerce
or to arbitration under the
provision of the federal statute cover.
ing this matter.
The alternative suggestions which
they advanced for adjusting the con.
troversy were as follows:
II. Preferably BY submission 10 the
interstate Commerce Commission, The
only tribunal which, by reason Of IL,
information bsarina on
railway conditions and its control o.
the Of che railways, 10 in .
position to consider and protect the
and equities Of all the interest,
affected, and to provide additional rev.
enue necessary to meet the added cost
Of operation in case your proposals are
by the Commission to be Just and
reasonable; or, in the event the Inter-
state Commerce Commission cannot.
nnder existing laws, act In the prem
lses, that we Jointly request Congress-
70 take such action as may be neces-
'ary to enable the Commission to con-
slider and promptly dispose of the
questions involved; or
80 Rv 0ph{<ro <fou g..
he provisions Of the Federal law. enti-
led. IAN Act Providing for Mediation.
and Arbitration in Contro.
'ersies between Certain Employers and
heir Employees" approved July Is.
1913. and commonly known as the
Vewlands AcA.~
Unions Refuse Offer.
The union lenders declined to con-
ider the suggestion of the railroad
managers, and announced that thew
would seek a vote Of the members OF
ne unions asking that they be given
authority to declare a strike on all the
abroad lines Of the country. This
trike vote has been In progress for the
'ast six weeks, and, according to re-
'orts which have been received here
rom time to time, will result in giving
-FOUR union leaders the AUTHORITY \
which they asked for to halt every :
abroad train from one end of tho Z
ountry to the other.
Meanwhile a resolution has been in.
roduced into Congress at the request
I the Chamber Of Commerce of tho
United States directing the Interstate
commerce Commission to investigate
ne whole question Of railway wages
no their relation to railway earnings.
ne commercial interests, the newspa.
ers' and public men Of the nation
ave gone on record as demanding tbo+