The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1916-08-18
FEDERAL INQUIRY
IN WAGE DISPUTE
Railroad Managers Submit
Plans 10 Avoid Great Strlka
ARBITRATION IS OFFERED.

Agree to Refer Demands Of Men For
More Pay to the Interstate Commerce
Commission or to Accept Settlement
Under Newlands Act.
New YOpk.-The announcement that
} the strike vote which has been In prog
ress among the train service employees
OF American railroads for the past sew
eral weeks has been completed. and
that the final demands by the union
leaders are soon TO be presented to the
railroad managers here, indi .ates that
the public will soon know whether the
controversy between the railroad work
ers and their employers is to be settled
| peaceably, or whether a nation wide
| try.
Thus far the leaders OF the four
unions-the Brotherhood OF Locomo-
tive Engineers, the Brotherhood Of Lo-
comotive Firemen and Engin emcn, the
| Order OF Railway Conductors and the
Brotherhood Of Railroad Trainmen-
have refused TO consider any proposal
for an arbitration OF the questions in
dispute, or for settlement of the con
troversy by the Interstate Commerce
Commission.
Would Cost S100,ooo,o00.
The demands OF the train service men
for an increase I'm wages. which. 1t IL
estimated, would cost the railroads Of
the country $1OO,OOO,oOO a year, were
originally presented last March. At
that umo the representative OF the
unions asked for a conference with a
committee OF railroad managers repro
senting the various railroad lines OF
the country.
This conference began here I'm New
York on June 1st, and continued for
two weeks. The railroads were repre-
sented by committee OF nineteen
managers, and the brotherhools by the
heads of their various nations and To-
cal OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES eight hundred
men In oil.
Choice of Methods Offe ed.
The cei&orence failed to rea n a deci-
sion owing to the refusal OF the union
leaders TO consider any modifi cation OF
their demands, or any proposal for ar
bitratlon. At the conclusion OF the
meetings the railroad manalers sub
mitted proposal to refer the whole
t1.N 80 I.t. Ana
Commission, or to arbitration under the
provision Of the federal statute cover
Ing this matter.
The alternative suggestions which
they advanced for adjusting the con-
troversy were as follows:
~. Preferably by submission TO the
Interstate Commerce Con,ris sion, the
accumulated information beuring on
railway conditions and its control Of
the revenues Of the railways Is in a
position to consider and protect the
rights and equities Of all the interests
affected, and to provide additional rev.
enue necessary to meet the ad dded cost
Of operation In case your proposals are
found by the Commission to be Just and
reasonable; or, In the event the Inter
state Commerce Commission cannot,
under existing laws, act I'm the prem
ises. that we Jointly request Congress
TO take such action rs may lie neces-
sary to enable the Commission to con
slider and promptly dispose OF the
questions involved: or
A, IA Tor, In .lo ,
the provisions Of the Federal law. enti-
tied. AN Act Providing for NJ ,diation.
Cancellation and Arbitration In Contro-
versies between Certain Employers and
their Employees" approved July X,
1913, and commonly known as the
Newlands Act"
Unions Refuse Offer.
The union leaders declined 10 con.
slider the suggestion OF the railroad
managers. and announced that they
would seek n vote of the mei ibers OF
the unions asking that they ne given
authority TO declare n strike Oh all the
railroad lines OF the country. This
strike vote has been In progress for the
past six weeks, and. according to re-
ports which have been receiN ed here
from time to time. will result IN giving
the four union leaders the authority
which they asked for To ha { every
railroad train from one end of the
country to the other.
Meanwhile a resolution has been in
troduccd into Congress at the request
OF the Chamber of Commerc, Of the
United states directing the In terstate
Commerce Commission to I'm, estigate
the whole question Of railway wages
and their relation To railway earnings.
The commercial interests, the newspa.
pers, and public men of the nation
have como on record rs demnnC inc that