The Pulaskian., 1916-08-18
RAILROAD CRISIS IS
 UP ID CONGRESS
Strike Seems Certain Unless Fed.
 eraI Commission Acts.
IT REPRESENTS THE PUBLIC

Brotherhood Leaders Reject Proposals,
 One of Which Provides For Inter-
 state Commerce Commission as Ar
 bitrator - Also Oppose Arbitration
 Provided by Law They Helped to
 Enact.
 Washington.-Whether the wage con. troversy between the railways and their engineers, conductors, firemen and brakemen is to be settled peace ably or by strike now seems to de- pend largely on what action congress will take on the proposal to refer the question to the interstate commerce commission.
 The national conference committee of the railways at the recent confer. ence in New York with the train serv- ice brotherboods proposed settlement either by submission to the interstate commerce commission or by arbitra. ton under the provisions of the New. lands law.
 The brotherhood leaders promptly rejected both proposals. not only ob- jecting to the interstate commerce commission as an arbitrator, but ex. pressing their determined opposition to the plan of arbitration provided by the law which they had helped to get en. acted.
 To meet the objection that the inter- state commerce commission now has no jurisdiction over railway wages the committee representing the railways proposed that we Jointly request con Sress to take such action as may be necessary to enable the commission to consider and promptly dispose of the questions involved"
 Upon the failure of the companies and the labor organizations to reach an agreement the question was put up to congress in another form, in a resolu- ton which was introduced by Senator Newlands on June 9 providing for an investigation by the commission of the whole subject of railway wages and their relation to railway earnings.
 This resolution was proposed by the chamber of commerce of the United States after having been approved by q practically unanimous referendum vote of nearly 1000 commercial organ izations throughout the country. Tue proposal of the railways. The latter refers only to the questions presented by the demands of the IS per cent of railway employees engaged in train service and asks the commission to set tie the controversy by decision The Newlands resolution is much broader and, without contemplating final set tlenent by the commission, directs it 10 investigate and report on "the mini mum, maximum and average wage paid, with hours of service, to each class of railroad employees in the Unit ed States not merely the "big four'' brotherhoods of train employees The commission would also be directed to report on the hours and wages in oth. CT industries, the relation of wages to railroad revenues, the question of whether railroad revenues based on existing rates for transportation will admit of equally favorable terms to all classes of railway employees and "any other matter in this connection that the commission may deem relevant
 The brotherhoods object strenuously to any idea of federal tribunal fixing wages and declare that an investiga- tion by the commission would only serve to delay matters. The only pro- posal they have made Is that their de mands be granted in full, with the alternative of a nation wide strike They insist that the railroads will be more inclined to yield to their de mands when confronted with a strike rote
 In their reply to the brotherhoods the railways advanced as their reasons for proposing to refer the question to the Interstate commerce commission that { is 'the only tribunal which by req son of its accumulated information bearing on railway conditions and it's control of the revenue of the railways is in a position to consider and pro feet the rights and equities of all the interests affected and to provide addi ional revenues necessary to meet the odded cost of operation in case your proposals are found by the commis sion to be just and reasonable"
 Whereas a board of arbitration con stituted under the Newlands act could ass only on the questions presented 1t in an arbitration agreement sign .d by both parties and would In no gay represent the interests of the pub
 c in the controversy, the interstate commerce commission would not be so restricted and could consider the rela lion of the wages of the train and en zine men to those of the other em ,loyees, as well as the necessary ef feet of an increase in wages on the rates to be paid by the public.
 Without the support of public opin- ion the railway brotherhoods could not