New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-09-07
marlborough Agreed to
Arbitrate All Cases,
Say Car Men.
RIGHT TO ORGANIZE
ALSO CONCEDED
Six Hundred Swept Out
with Demand Committees,
Workers Declare.

The union leaders, who had been up
the greater part of the night, resumed
activities Just after o'clock yesterday
morning when James II. Valley, of Bos-
ton, general counsel for the Amalga-
mated Association, arrived in response
to a hurry call. He went into confer
ence with Fitzgerald and other leaders.
Soon after Fitzgerald gave out state
ment denying substantially all that
Mr.. Shonts had said the night previous
and accusing the company of breaking
faith.
Fitzgerald Accuses ]. X. I.
He declared that the lnterborough
had agreed 70 arbitrate, to allow the
men 10 organize and to be represented
by committees and spokesman not en-
pioyes of the company, and that Mr..
Hedley had assured him that the treat
ment of the Interborough employees
would be the same as that accorded the
men on the New York Railways. In
proof of this he referred to the stenog-
raphers minutes Of their meeting =.
Nv this time men in the uniform OF
mototmen and guards had begun to ar
rive at the Hotel Continental to COM
I plain that they had been discharged be-
cause they insisted on wearing union
buttons. They were told TO report at
the mass meeting in Lyceum Hall. More
than 100 such complaints were received
before Fitzgerald, with several OF his
aids. went to a meeting of the green car
men in Plaza Hall, Fifty-ninth street.
To these men, who were presided over
by Thomas Conway, the case OF the In
terborough men was presented. Inc
500 present unanimously voted to stand
BY the lnterborough men to the extent
Of a strike.
when Fitzgerald returned 70 his
headquarters he found several score
men awaiting to report their dismissal
from the Interborough for various
causes and a few who had been IN the
green car service.
Soon after this James l.. Quacken-
bush announced that all Of the com,
mittee which on the preceding day mad
called on Mr.. Hedley had been dis
charged for failing TO report for duty,
and that others had been dismissed fori
characterization and other offences.
Sixty Carmen Ousted.
"All told" said he, I'VE have dis
charged about sixty agitators.
at is nearer $780," said p. j. O'Brien,
vice-president of the Amalgamated,
when the remark was repeated to him.
This isn't strike. Ii is rapidly be-
coming a lockout
Fitzgerald, Yahey and Frldlger con-
ferred next with the New York Railways
Company officials, and then issued
statement, which said:
AT the beginning of the conference
Mr.. Hedley was told by the spokesman
for the committee that information had
been received TO the effect that working
agreements or contracts OF employment
similar 20 those circulated among the
employees Of the lnterborough Rapid
Transit Company were beng circulated
among the employees Of the New YORK
Railways Company, and he was asked II
this was true. His answer Il nrst was
merely that il had been discussed
Without going into detail at this
time, suffice it 10 say that further ques
tions were put 70 Mr.. Hedley by the
Spokesman for the committee, and an
swers received, the gist of which is as
follows:
"That the officials of the company
had discussed the advisability OF OBJ
tanning written contracts OF employ
ment for definite period from the en-
ployes of the New York Railways Com
pany. and il was contemplated that
such contracts OF employment should
be obtained from them; that the ques-
ton was discussed as to whether or
not these contracts on the New York
Railways lines would be in violation or
the agreement Of settlement OF August
I; that the suggestion and discussion
with reference to the advisabllity OF
getting all of the New York Railway
Company's employees under contract
had taken place not only subsequent 10
August 7, the date Of the New York
Railways settlement, but they hrst be-
gan after the conferences which were
being held between the officials OF the
New York Railways Company and the
committee OF employees and their
spokesman; that these discussions had
I reached such a point that the con-
tracts had actually been set up III type
and proofs had already been submitted
to Mr. Hedley, which he had seen and
read, but that he was doing nothing
with them at the present time, although
it was contemplated and expected that
they would be circulated for signature
in the future.
Delay Over Contracts.
"He refused TO state when or how
soon in the future these contracts
would be circulated, pleading that al.
Z though he was the general manager ana
vice-president OF the company he did
not know when il would be. In con-
clusion. Mr.. Hedley admitted that the
contract contemplated TO be signed by
the New York Railways Company en-
ployes was identical with the one cir
culated and signed by the Interborough
employees
"Mr. Hedley was then requested TO
grant a few minutes adjournment of
the conference so that the individual
members of the committee and their
advisers could confer, and it was the
individual and unanimous opinion of
every member OF the committee that
the company had been, and is, acting
in absolute bad faith, in utter disre
gard Of the agreement and spirit of the
agreement of August 7, and contrary
TO the spirit in which they, the COM
mittee, had entered into and conducted
the conferences, and they instructed
their spokesman that it was their unan-
imous opinion that the conference
should be brought TO close.
"Mr. Fitzgerald. then speaking for
the committee, informed Mr.. Hedley, in
the language above set forth. of their
decision and declared the conference at
4 close. lie stated in conclusion that
he greatly regretted that this action
was necessary, and told Mr.. Hedley
that this situation was made necessary
by reason Of his bad faith as well a.
/ that ~ tha compapy and ita o6ciaIa -