New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-08-29

commissions membership is increased
by two it would be like packing a court
while case is pending. Furthermore
the Middle Western legislators are
mindful Of the shippers out there aho
they don't take kindly TO the idea OF
shifting the expense of the roads tc
that part Of the public.
For the last few days the railroad
managers have been mapping out theli
strategy in the event of a strike. GUY
of the 250.000 miles of trunk line GOV,
erinp the United States it is planned
70 keen about SO. 900 miles in operation
Every mile of that, if the railroads
carry out their plan, would be guarded
by faithful employes-there are TWEEN
tv-,bree other employees TO every seven
train service employees against posi-
bic spike pulling and tearing up OF the
rails. The roads are counting on some
1000 men who can operate locomotives
TO tide them over the strike.
How TO draft the eight-hour law is
the big problem confronting the tour
men who are shaping the legislation
which President Wilson is expected 10
urpe before Congress. The other ques-
ns-providing for arbitration OF Ia
Dor questions where interstate com
merce is affected, increasing the num-
her of members Of the Interstate Com
merce Commission, and providing that
increases i'm wages shall be considered
by the commission in deciding on apPh-
cations for freight rate increases-are
comparatively simple.
Hunting for a Basis.
But the trouble about the eight-hour
provision is that neither the President
nor any of the four men who under ms
direction are preparing the legislation
has any clear idea of what is wa1ted:
The frst plan discussed was to amend
the present sixteen-hour law. But the
whole idea. of that law is safety, and
the health of the men. II seeks TO
make impossible the working OF rail
road employees longer than sixteen
hours a day.
Men Want Overtime.
The railroad employees do not want TO
be prevented from making overtime,
and the quartet at work on the bill re-
alize this What these men really want
is ten hours pay, on the present scale,
for eight hours work. They also want
their overtime proportionately in
or -ased.
The committee if Messrs. Lane,
Newlands, Clark and Todd could be
called a committee considered the
question Of providing fatty for an
eight-hour day, with no reference TO
wages whatever. Later they consid-
cred the question of providing for an
eight-hour day without change OF pres
ent wages until the merits of the whole
question should be thrashed out by an
Investigation.
II is regarded as doubtful il so lu-
ton OF the question will be reached Tor
several DAYS. 1t is felt that, since the
President has come out so frankly for
the eight-hour day in this controversy,
il is almost necessary for there TO be
some legislative move with regard TO II.
Were it not for this it is probable
that the whole eight-hour proposition
would be sidetracked. The President
was particularly insistent on this beng
included, however, when questioned
about it by members OF the Senate
steering committee to-day. The DIM
culties of this piece of legislation were
pointed out to him at length, but he
stood firm that this should be part OF
the programme, and at the conclusion
of the meeting Senators declared quite
positively that the committee was
unanimous behind the President.
Hit Back at Rea.
The four brotherhoods took issue to-
day with the statement Of Samuel Rea,
president of the Pennsylvania, that the
roads preferred a strike to the wilson
settlement. A statement issued By the
four chiefs reads:
"The statement issued by Samuel
Rea, in which he is quoted as announc-
ing that rather than give up arbitra-
ton the executives regarded it better
to face a strike is of peculiar value
when contrasted with the attitude OF
the company of which Mr.. Rea is pres
ident toward the question of arbitra-
ton.
"The Pennsylvania Railroad Company
owns and controls the Waynesburg e.
Washington Railroad Company, the
Wheeling Terminal Railroad Company,
the Ohio River & Western Railways
Company and the Cincinnati, Lebanon
g. Northern Railroad Company and in
conjunction with the Chicago, Burling-
ton & Quincy owns SO per cent of the
SlOCh OF tue lOituof tpiid q hSoNNAH
GAS the controller of these FIVE roads
they absolutely refused to allow hem
to be represented by the conference
committee Of the railways in the face
of repeated requests therefor, and f ar
bitration was agreed to. theIe would
be nothing to arbitrate upon these
roads, for the simple reason that the
number of men employed upon each OF
these properties is so small that they
do not constitute a menace, and where
the company feels that it can defeat the
purpose of the men this sacred arbitrs-
tion demand takes on an entirely differ
ent character.
what was the attitude Of the Penn
sylvania Railroad toward it's shopmen
in their effort to organize two years
since. and how many millions did the
company spend to defeat organization
and deny arbitration? Is consistency a
jewel?"
Railroads at Baltimore