The Ordway new era., 1916-12-29
INDUSTRIAL AND ECONOMIC

| The outstanding feature of the year
| in the Industrial world was the threat
"ned strike of the 100000 members Of
| The four great railway brOtherhoods
which was prevented only by the pas
| sage by congress of the Adamson bill.
The demands of the four brother
hoods. representing the engineers, fire
| men. conductors and trainmen. were
| made upon the railroads early in the
| year and after fruitleSs conferences
between the representatives of the
hrotherhoods and the committee of
general managers representing prac-
| iCally every railroad in the United
States, a strike vote was taken among
the members of the brotherhoods. On
July 20 It was announced that the
vote had been overwhelmingly in favor
Of q strike unless the demands of the
men were granted by the railroads.
The federal board OF mediation i'm
medlately offered its services in m eff
fort to prevent a strike but on August
10 the board announced that 1t had
been unable to bring about an agree
ment and on the following day Presi-
dent Wilson summoned the general
managers committee and the brother
hoods representatives, to the White
House for a conference. This confer
ence produced no result, the railroad
managers offering TO submit the whole
controversy to arbitration but the
brotherhood representatives, refusing
to agree to arbitration of their eight
r. 4. Il i ~
dent Wilson. with promise from the
brotherhood leaders that they could
rescind their strike order. already is
sued. IL law were passed providing
for the placing Of their wage scales
IN an ei-ht-hOur basis, went before
congress and asked the passage of
three bills which he deemed neces-
sary to meet the situation. One of
these bills provided that eight hours
shall be deemed the measure or stand
ara Of a days work for the purpose of
reckoning the compensation for serv-
ices Of al employees" operating trains
in Interstate traffic.
Other bills proposed by the president
provided for the compulsory submis-
sion Of rail labor disputes to a board
Of mediation 70 be appointed by the
president before strike could be de-
ciared and for government operation of
the railways In case Of military neces-
sity.
The bill eTnbOdying the provision for
the eight-hour basis for wages. known
zs the Adamson bill, was rushed
through the house September ! and
was passed by the senate September 2,
The order FOR o ,trike which was to
have gone Into effect September 4 was
rhsn rssE1nded- The session Of con-
Zres. ended shortly afterwards and
consideration Of the other measures
D-Oiyssd b. the president was post
p<yslsH until the uext session.
Strikes were IN progress In num-
Der u Industries during the early part
II the year and some were marked By
SCENES of violence. April "a. striking
employees Of the Westinghouse com
DznJ. led By q masked SOInan, rioted
10 East Pittsbargh. Fatal strike riots
occlrred at the Carnegie Steel works
in Braddofk. Pa. May 2. A big strike
vas started By the Chicago garment
gorkers May .. Express drivers in
Chicago struck Nay ls and consider
able violence marked the strike. ex-
press wagons being operated under po-
lice protection. July 13. state troops
were sent to La Sale. ILL.,. to queii
riots 0f cement works strikers.
A strike Of street railway men
stopped all surface cars In the bor-
oughs Of Manhattan. Bronx and Rich
mond. New York. August .. but the
strike ended two days later tempo
rarily. September Q. q strike Of ali
men on the subway. elevated and sur
face lines 10 Nov York was called.
SERIOUS riots marked the street chr
stssks - Nsv xesk. pasticuiaeiy -