The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-08-09
Employees Accept Proffer of Mediation From Federal Officials After Managers Again Wholly Reject Their Demands.
Brotherhoo While Willing to Submit Grievances to Board, Refuse to Join With Managers in Appeal to That Body.

NeW 1Ork, Aug. 9-The threatened strike of, the 100000 railway employees of the Uni ted States was averted today when the railroad brother-N hoods accepted a proffer of the United States board of media ton and conciliation to medi- ate their differences with the railroads.
 The managers previously had rejected again the demands |of the. men and had proposed a submission of the differences to the federal board of media ton. This proposal, A. B. Gar retson, in behalf of the broth- erhoods, rejected.
 MT. Garretson was willing, however, that the railroads make the appeal to the board and indicated that the brother hoods reply to the proffer from the, board would be fa- vorable.
 l Chairman Lee, in rejecting tho brotherhoods' demands and proposing mediation, made a statement in part as foliows:
 | The national conference committee of tho railways has again given most careful consideration to the matters in controversy between us and to all that iaas been said in our various confer enceA We have also carefully consid- cred the serious situation presented by l the result of the strike vote of em- p'oyes and the grave responsibility which rests on both parties to the con- ference to exhaust every honorable means to avoid the public injury which must inevitably result should you decide to exercise the power.
 'The national conference committ- tee of the railways is as sincerely anx- ious as your committee can be to reach some amica ble adjustment of the mat ters involved in the controversy but we are. convinced that in the end we shall have to invoke the friendly off, 1 fees of the board of mediation" Judge w. l.. Chambers, chairman of the United States Board of Media ton and Consolidation. announced after the meeting that the railroads had i formally appealed to the board to mediate their differences with the unions.
 l The board immediately prepared a communication to the Brotherhoods offering its services, which it was an- nouncel would be dispatched to the l Brotherhood chiefs at once. tC l Elisha Lee, chairman of the rail- road conference, in proposing, that their differences be mediated by the federal board, called attention to the 1 fact that the Brotherhoods had pre- viously declined arbitration under the Newlands act, but that the railroads saw no other way out of their diffi- culties than through mediation.
 MT. Garretson reiterated the con- tention of the Brotherhoods that in previous attempts to settle differences with the railroads through the feder- al board the Brotherhoods had failed to obtain satisfactory awards and said that the unions believed they could reach a settlement by dealing directly with the directors.
 "T believe" he said, settlement oi our differences can be much better attained by dealing directly with you without the interference of a third party"
 Meantime, it was stated the board would remain in session to await the Brotherhoods' reply.
 It was indicated by members of the board that the communication was being sent on the assumption that the Brotherhoods would accept their of- fer. A reply was expected this af- ternoon, it was said.
 Both sides, after adjournment went into executive session.
 MT. Garretson explained to news papermen that the union, had not de- clined mediation uneauivocally but had refused to join with the railroads in asking for it because they did not believe in it at this time. The Brotherhoods' chief together with his colleague, w. R. Stone, related that Itheir position was that they had not vet exhausted all the possibilities by dealing directly with the manag- CTS. ,s
 However" said MT. Garretson,
 tour position is something like Bar kis'-we are waiting and willing"