Roanoke Rapids herald. [volume] (Roanoke Rapids, N.C.) 1914-192?, 1916-08-25
FEDERAL INQUIRY
IN WAGE DISPUTE.
Railroad Managers Submit
Plans 10 Avoid Great Strike.
ARBITRATION IS OFFERED.

Onoor NeWlanoe Act
New York.--The announcement that
tho strike vote which has been In prog.
ress among the train service employees
Of American railroads for the past ssv.
eral weeks has been completed. and
that the nnal demands by the union
leaders are soon to be presented to tho
railroad managers here. indicates that
the public will soon know whether the
controversy between the railroad work
ers and their employers Is to be settled
peaceably, or whether q nationwide
strike Is to be inflicted upon the coun-
try.
Thus far the leaders of the four
unions--the Brotherhood Of Locomo-
tive Engineers. the Brotherhood Of 10.
connective Firemen and Enginemen, the
Order Of Railway Conductors and the
Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen--
have refused to consider any proposal
for an arbitration Of tina questions In
dispute, or for settlement Of the con-
troversy by the Interstate Commerce
Commission.
Would Cost eiooooo0oo.
The demands of the train service men
for an increase In wages. which. It y
estimated, would cost the railroads Of
the country $l00OO0000 q year. were
originally presented last March. At
that time tho Representatives Of the
unions asked for q conference with q
committee Of railroad nanagers repre-
senting the various railroad lines Of
the country.
This conference began here In New
York on June LIST. and continued for
two weeks. The railroads were repre-
sented by . committee Of ninstaea
managers, and the brotherhoods By The
heads Of their various national and 10
cal organizations some eight hundred
man In all
chsles Of Methods Offered.
The conference failed to rsaeh Z DECD
SION owing to the refusal Of the union
leaders to consider any mobilization Of
their demands. or any proposal for AZ
bitration. At the conclusion Of the
meetings the railroad managers sub
mitted q proposal to refer the whole
question to the Interstate Commerce
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 az follows;
n. Preferably by submission 10 the
interstate Commerce Commission, the
only tribunal which. by reason u 10
accumulated Information bearing On
railway conditions and its oontrsi u
the rsvsbuss Of the railways, 10 In .
position to consider and protect the
rlohts and equities Of Ill the interests
affected. and to provide additional rev.
enue necessary to meet the added cost
Of operation In case your proposals. are
found by the Commission to be Just and
or. In tho event tho Inter-
state Commerce Commission cannot,
under existing laws. act In the prem
lses, that we Jointly request Congress-
to take such action as may be neces-
sary TO enable the Commission to con.
sider and promptly dispose Of the
questions involved; or
~. BY arbitration In accordance with
he provisions Of the Federal law, emit.
led, IAN Act Providing for Mediation.
Cancellation and Arbitration in Contro.
'ersies between Certain Employers and
heir Employees" approved July ID
1913. and commonly known 40 he
Sswlands Act"
unIsns Refuse Offer.
The union leaders declined to con-
Iider the suggestion OF the railroad
and announced that they
would seek vote Of the members Of
he unions asking that they DO given
authority to declare strike on all the
abroad lines Of the country. Tkis
trfke vote has been I'm progress for tlas
'ast SIX weeks and, according to re-
'ofts which have been received here
rom time to time. will result In giving
hs four union leaders the authority
Witch they asked for to halt every
abroad train from one end Of thu
ountry to the other.
Meanwhile resolution has been I'm.
into Congress at the request
( the Chamber Of Commerce Of thu
United States directing the Interstate
commerce Commission to investigate
be whole question of railway waeea
nd their relation 10 railway earninas
he commercial interests, the newspa.
are and nuhlf0 vsxa,, "a a.. ..As