Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1916-06-16
Ballots Will Be Distributed Immediately Among
 100000 Men.
RESULT WILL BE
 KNOWN AUGUST 1
Railroad Managers Refuse to Make Specific Offer Covering the Double Compensation Rules, and Suggest
 Arbitration.

New York, June 15.-More than 100000 union and non-union railroad workers of America will vote with in month on the advisability of calling a general strike to enforce their demands for an eight-hour day and time and-a-half for overtime, as result of the failure by representa- tives of the railroads and the men to reach a settlement here today after a two weeks conference.
 Hope of adjusting the dispute through the conference faded when the railroads submitted a tentative compromise offer to the men, grant ing their demands but eliminating the majority of existing double com pensation" rules. The conference adjourned yesterday to give the rail- road managers opportunity to dis cuss further their stand on this point, but when they met the men today they not only refused to make a specific offer covering the double compensation rules but advised that their differences be submitted either to the interstate commerce commis- sion or to a board of arbitration to operate under the provisions of the Newlands act. The men declined both offers and the decision to take strike vote followed. The leaders and the 50 delegates of the four brotherhoods who attended the con- ference decided on the necessity for the strike vote at secret meeting.
 Know Result by August |.
 A. B. Garreston, president of the Brotherhood of Railway Conductors, announced later that the ballot will be drafted tonight and distributed to all railroad men, whether members of the brotherhoods or not. before the close of next week. The canvass will leaders agree, and before August 1, the result will be known. If the men vote for a general strike, the leaders will return here and again present the demands of the men to the rail- roads in an effort to gain their de- mands or compromise without the necessity of actually putting the strike into effect.
 Elimination of the double com pensation rules would not only im- pair but limit their earning power, the men say. 1t would wipe out wages increases that the men have fought for and gained during 25 years from individual railroads and systems. Monthly remuneration of certain engineers would be reduced by $75, while certain firemen would suffer cuts averaging $50 to $40 per month, whereas, under the present rules, the men state, an engineer or brakeman, for example. now receiv- ceives pay for two full days for per forming duty other than that pre- sc-ibed in his class within one work ing day of ten hours, under the rail- roads tentative offer, he would re- ceive pay only for day of 8 hours and no overtime rate for overtime. no matter what the varieties of duties assigned him.
 Men Against Arbitration.
 MT. Garretson said the men would not consent to arbitration for the reason that they had lost in arbitra. tion awards in the past.
 "The railroads have no desire,'' says the reply of the manager, ito change either the existing rates oe pay or working rules, or to reduce the earning possibilities of the em- ployes under their existing schedules. but your proposal in connection with it's interpretation is so inherently and fundamentally opposed to the view of this committee that we here by decline. Our conferences have demonstrated that we cannot harmon ize our differences of opinion, and that eventually the matter in contro- versy must be passed upon by other
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