The daily commonwealth. (Greenwood, Leflore Co., Miss.) 1916-1919, 1916-12-27
INDUSTRIAL AND ECONOMIC

II OUTSTANDING Learure or tire ye0f
In the industrial world was the threat
ened strike of the 100000 members d
the four great railway brotherhood
which was prevented only by tie NJ
sage by congress Of the Adamson bn
The demands Of the four brother
hoods, representing the engineers nre
men, conductors and trainmen, wse
made upon the railroads early IN Tie
year and after fruitless conferences
between the representatives Of III
b~rotherhoods and the committee X
general managers representing prat
tically every railroad in the United
States. a strike vote was taken among
the members Of the brotherhood. On
July &c It was announced that tho
vote had been overwhelmingly 10 favor,
Of a strike unless the demands Of ths
men were granted by the railroads.
The federal board of mediation I'm.
medlately offered Its services In an d.
fort to prevent a strike but on August
IL the hoard announced that II bad
been unable to bring about an agree
ment and on the following day Pred.
dent Wilson summoned the general
managers committee and the brother
hoods representatives to the Whit
House for q conference. This confer
ence produced no result. the railroad
managers offering to submit the whole
controversy to arbitration but tho
brotherhood representatives refusing
to agree to arbitration Of their eight
hour day demands. August %. Prea.
dent Wilson, with a promise from the
brotherhood leaders that they could
rescind their strike order, already Is
sued, II a law were passed providing
for the placing Of their wage scales
on m eight-hour basis, went befofs
congress and asked the passage v
three bills which he deemed necest
sary to meet the situation. One Of
these bills provided that "eight houe
shall be deemed the measure or stand.
ard Of a days work for the purpose q
reckoning the compensation for sef7'
Ices Of all employees" operating trains
in interstate traffic.
Other bills proposed by the president
provided for the compulsory sublnls-
sion Of rail labor disputes to a boafc
Of mediation to be appointed BY the
president before a strike could be &c.
clared and for government operation g
the railways In case Of military neces'
sity.
TAe bill embodying the provision fof
the eight-hour basis for wages, known
as the Adamson bill, was rusnea
through the house September ] ano
was passed by the senate SeptembefA
The order for a strike which was g
have gone into effect September I wa
then rescinded. The session OF con.
gress ended shortly afterwards ano
consideration Of the other measures
proposed by the president was pcss'
poned until the next session.
Strikes were in progress In q nun.
Der Of industries during the early part
OF the year and some were markee y
scenes Of violence. April "a, striRlus
employees Of the Westinghouse CON:
pany, led by a masked woman, rlo'eu
In East Pittsburgh. Fatal strike rlos
occurred at the Carnegie Steel woI.'
In Braddock, Pa May 2. A big str'ks
was started by the Chicago gari,ens
workers May 9. Express drivers y
Chicago struck May 18 and conslder
able violence marked the strike g,
press wagons being operuted Under ~
lice protection. July 10. state trcops
were sent to La Sale. H.. to quel'
riots Of cement works strikers.
A strike Of street railway insa
stopped all surface cars In fne w
Of Manhattan, Bronx a. K'cn.
New York, August 5f nut -
ended two days latef ten'I%
September 8, b strike OF y
men on*ths subway, elevated anu smr
face lines In New York was ce'lsa
Serious riots marked the street 81
strike In New York. particularly
October 4
Continued on Page 81