Evening star., 1916-09-13
FEW SURF ACE CARS
MOVE IN NEW YORK
Outlook Gloomy Because Both
Sides Formally Reject
Intervention Plan.
MAYOR MAY ASK FOR
SESSION OF LEGISLATURE
City's Chief Executive Has Two
Propositions to End Tie-Up
if Mediation Fails. y

| NEW YORK, September 13.-
The Interborough Rapid Transit
and the New York Railways
Company formally rejected today
the public service commissions S
recommendation for strike set
tlement made yesterday. The
two companies, controlling the
subway, elevated and green car
surface lines, declined to hold
further conferences with repre-
sentatives of the union and an
nounced that it is their intention
to continue to operate their lines
on the present basis. ...=
Following the reply of the traction
companies, the strikers through will
liam B. Fitzgerald, general organizer
of the Amalgamated Association of
Electric and Street Railway Employees,
informed the commission that the
strikers could not accede to the request
OF the commission to bring the strike
to an immediate conclusion, in view Of
the stand taken by the traction COM
panies. He accepted in behalf of the
union the recommendation that the
questions at issue be submitted to ar
bitration.
But few surface cars were operated
today, and passengers were forced to
use the subways and elevated roads
Although traction officials claim more
trains than normal are in operation,
congestion at express stations was ex-
treme. Platforms were crowded, and
many narrow escapes were experienced
by passengers. There was little or no
violence during the night, largely due
to the fact that policemen were sta
| toned on rooftops where attacks had
been made on elevated trains.
Hugh Frayne, state organizer of the
American Federation Of Labor, an
nounced today that between 1900 and
10000 men will take part in the parade
and demonstration tomorrow. Although
he declined to discuss the proposed
sympathetic" strike. other union lead
ers said plans had been made to call out
trades closely allied to the street rail-
way men in the event the demonstra-
tion tomorrow and the efforts of the
public service commission prove un-
availing to settle the trouble.
Has Two Plans to End Strike.
Mayor Mitchell. it developed today.
has under consideration two methods of
settling the strike. One is to request
Gov. Whitman to call a special session
of the legislature to pass a law com
pelling both sides to accept arbitration,
ate granting of a franchise to the New
York Motor Bus Company. incorporated,
to run machines through certain streets.
This franchise has been before the
board of estimate for the past year.
Refusal by President Shonts of the
Interborough Rapid Transit Company to
consent to proposal to arbitrate left to-
day little hope of settling the street rail-
way strike by that method. Mr.. Shonts
promised to make a formal reply to the
mayor and the public service commits
sion later, but issued a statement fatty
refusing to '1et outsiders come between
US and our employees"
The formal rejection. presented by
Richard R. Rogers, general counsel to
the two companies. reads:
The Interborough Rapid Transit
Company respectfully represents to the
commission that it cannot arbitrate its
right to enter into agreement with 10,-
| 306 of it's employees out of total of
| 1880 when the employees who have
| signed are content with those agree
ments and are endeavoring to carry
them out In good faith"
The agreements referred to are the
| master and servant contracts, which
| bind the men not to ask for wage in
creases or betterment in working con-
ditions for two years The distribu-
| tion of the contracts among the In
terborough and green car" employees
| forced the strike. union leaders claim.
| William B. Fitzgerald, one of the
strike leaders. promised that he and his
associates would attend a conference
| with the mayor today, when his reply
| to the arbitration proposal would be
given.
Hoped to Increase Traffic Today.
The mayors plan was to appoint ar
bitrators to decide whether the con-
tracts between the Interborough COM
pany and it's employees were n violation
/ of the peace agreement resulting from
a previous strike, and whether the COM
pany had used fraud, Misrepresentation
or coercion in making these contracts.
The New York Railways Company,
operating the majority of the surface
| car lines in Manhattan. hoped today to
| increase the number of cars in opera
! ton over yesterday. when 278 Of its cars
| were in service
Although transportation within the
city is far from paralyzed, thousands
age compelled to resort to the use of
! Automobiles, moving vans. trucks and
| oyher vehicles. Policemen beg rides
/ from motorists. and are often seen on
the running boards OF private cars.
Many automo mobiles have been pressed
into public service. and tokers at the
i street corners rouse the Ire of drivers
of handsome limousines and touring
4 cars by calls Of "Jitney. 5itney!
ROW AT POLLS IN CHICAGO.