Bisbee daily review., 1916-08-25
Special Committee of Three Railroad Presidents Work ing to Evolve Scheme to Grant an Eight-hour Day.
NO CERTAINTY WHEN
 ACTION WILL END
Executives of Carriers Desire Assurance That President Will Urge Freight Rate h. crease and Protection.
(By Review Leased Wire)

! WASHINGTON. Aug 24-Objec- tions which developed tonight at the meeting of railroad presidents and managers to points in the tentative plan. evolved by the committee of eight presidents considering ways 10 avert the threatened general strike. resulted in a further postponement of final action. The conference adjourn ed to meet again tomorrow. and, as the President phrased it. the situa- tion is such that it may be settled in twenty minutes or the matter may go over until next week"
 A statement issued by the railroad executives tonight summed the matter up this way:
 At the invitation of President Will son. Messrs Hale Holden. Judge R. S- Lovett and Deniel Willard went to the White House at noon and held short conference with the President A conference of the railroad eXecu- tives was held at two o'clock and the matter was laid before the conference After considerable discussion. with out definite action. an adjournment was taken until II o'clock tomorrow morning. In the meantime the spe- cial committee of the presidents will continue it's labors-"
 The special committees plan. as drafted after a weeks Consideration. would provide for granting an eight hour basic" day to the trainmen but with assurance that every effort would be made by the administration to secure a freight rate increase to recompense the roads. and further as- surance that Congress would be asked to enact legislation to insure settle ment of future labor disputes through an investigation committee.
 The entire plan has not been laid before all the executives and managers but its points have been discussed at the various conferences. IL developed that objection had been raised to the freight rate increase feature on at least two grounds It was argued by some that there can be no assurance of a rate increase because no one could say what the interstate com merce commission might do and that some of the most important shippers of the country already have made it plain that they are not in sympathy with any move which may mean a rate increase.
 It was pointed put also that all though President Wilson has expressed his belief that a rate increase should be granted if the eight hour day is given the employees. no one can tell how that is coming out and that therc can be no possibility Of an increase before next March or probably later
 Attention was called too. to the fact that the committee hitherto has held they cannot consider wage standards in dealing with proposed rate increases. although. legislation by Congress might remove that difficulty.
 The principal arguments against the idea of a permanent committee for the prevention or settlement of strikes was that it would at most certainly be fought by latSr in Con greSs, and that while President VII son might be entirely willing now to back such legislation. he might be in a position to do so when it was pro posed.
 The special committees plan had been tentatively accepted by the com mittee of eight and it was the subject of today's conference at the White House. Its substance was con- municated to the labor representatives Judge William L. Chamber. of the board of mediation and coacilia- tion
 The railroad presidents are under stood not to be insistent upon the commission idea for the settlement of future disputes. and the main diff fculty has been the working out of operating plans under an eight hour day and of giving assurances to the presidents and managers that they
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