The sun., 1916-09-08
rs, BOARD BAFFLED
As TO STRIKE CAUSE
msirman Straus and Col
league, Hold Futile Five
Hour Inquiry.
THREE REASONS OFFERED
Shout,. IIcdlcy and Fitzgerald
ryplain to 5000. 900 New
York Riders.

1Ork NIVcTS.
vba, WAS the cause ~ the strike
.,cb Yesterday affected the 100000
,-,vellins public Of New York city?
ror Ave hours yesterday the Public
s.,v,cc Commission sought the reason
ma, has thrown thousands OF men out
work. tina, has put the operations Of
al, into the hands Of hundreds Of
.,dte breakers. that has upset business
4, eoun,,ess ways. And at the M Of
. ,ons day Of inquiry conducted before
osesr s. S,raus. chairman OF the COM
r.p,or. not a single fact Of definite
,s,ue had been established.
This. too. despite the questioning Of
~. three men In all New York who
.ho,ld know Theodore +. Shonts.
,,sid,n, Of the marlborough Rapid
-ransi, Company and the New York
ALWAYS company Frank tiedley. vice.
,,slden, and general manager Of these
.,me lines. and william n. Fitzgerald.
,-nnizer of the Amalgamated Associa-
.,n OF street Railway E.mploye es. the
orsanization which declared h strikes
uainst the " roads.
Three Explanations ~ strike.
To epitomize the conclusions Of each
kAoats says that his companies were at
work. on adjustment Of differences with
the workers when the strike order fell.
Hs view Is that the strike was called
simply because the men wanted to
enbarrass the marlborough. which
had obtained working agreements
with its men.
Fitzgerald says Hedley alone Is to blame.
Al negotiations conducted with that
sffcial had given the men Of the
union the Impression hat the differ
ences with the marlborough were to
b. fixed according to the terms laid
dow for the adjustment Of the
troubles of the New York Railways
employees. Hedley had misled them,
b. said. about the arbitration Of con-
,%en,ions. Furthermore. In his opinion
. del hera,e breach Of the agreement
underwritten by Mayor Mitchell and
Chairman Strsus had beef committed
vheu Hcdley purposed TO circularlxt
the Railways workers with the con-
'rac, that had pledged $500 of the In.
ierborough workers.
Hedley says the strike is due to the ef.
fort Of the union to tie his hands b,
making him surrender the contract.
h. had won from the lnterborougt
workers. While admitting he had told
the union committee several times tina
h. fel, the agreement of August
would he the guide for the Interior.
s.rI ,,..t..,. - tt..-. .-As.-.
ton did not apply for the difference,
sd'anccd by Fitzgerald and his com
ni,tee,
hue 10 lnderitng's Blander.
Tie real cause OF the strike. from IN,
'":lmony given yesterday. appears to b,
c!tside any OF these formally state,
eisonS. Mainly it appears the strik,
vas prec!piiated through the blVnder o.
zone underling In the Intcrborough scr
wee.
AT 3 o'clock on Wednesday Fi:zgeral,
afier a conference in Hedley's office m
bounced 10 him that he felt the con
lemp!aied distribution OF circulars anon
he railways employees a~utomatlcall,
had ~abrogated the agreement. Therefor,
va was declared.
Before that time the directors OF tn,
New York Railways Company at
meeting had voted not to send out ihes.
disputed circulars. Hedley was no, in
formed OF this action OF the board. Ha,
he been able to tell the union man tn
Objectionable contracts had been can
ceiled 30 far as the New York Raiiway
men were concerned the whole troubl
might have been aver:ed.
Az p,.stA, " f,- -.
know Of this action by the directors unit
yesterday inorning-:welve hours afte
TIE strike -whcn Shonts Informed him.
See Two Other strike Factors.
Two other factors embodied in the rec
efd but not asc-ibed by any OF the wit
ness'S formed a part OF the "a 8 for tn
'rlk" one of these was the distrus
~ Hed.ey by the union. They knew .
MS hostility TO the agreement they ha
s"a ''ed on August :. and believed h
'as doing everything in his power I
cripple II.
The other is the doubt felt by Hedle
'Doul the sincerity of the unions. II
heard while the controversies betwee
ne union and the two companies were O
maj fitzgerald had made the boas, h
'ou'd Tie up New York's traction ser
VICE rom The Bronx to Coney Island.
ms ne felt TO be the purpose OF tn
UNION regardless Of the meetings ar
'areniv held for friendly adjustment.
1t was the purpose OF the Publ
ee'ice commission ~ostensibly to In
qulre INTO the auses. but this was sub
FdlNated to the bigger intention O
p'nslng the contenders to friendl
o1s' Little response met the secon
proposal.
fitzgerald. when he was asked II h
Nou'd Consent to arbitration. now side
epp~d the question and In this evasio
was supported by Louis Fridiger, coun
eel for the union.
shons held that nothing was In tn
situation that admitted Of arbitration
WINE hedley said the action Of the me
N STRIKING had wiped out the agree
neht and. therefore. there could be n
whpliance with the terms that s~tipulate
arbitration.
Fitzgerald Quotes HedIey.
sunprnaes had been issued O
"euhesday night for the appearance
we railroad and the union heads. Whe
sna''Tan Straus opened the proceeding
,s'erday he found before him a roon
.tl OF LAWYERS with explanations for III
spsehcc OF the men summoned. Tn
.ha'rman and julius Henry Cohen, VIII
as been retained as special counse
save immediate orders for the appear
shce OF the persons named in the sui
penaes.
fitzgerald was called as the nr.
illness After there had been a Ion
,~sp'anation OF the events that led up I
we crisis he quoted Hedley's own word
vi 'he link between the New York Raj
nays and the Interborough that boun
mem to a similar line of conduct. H
suo'ed from the records OF the confel
."ee 70 show that Hedley said to the
tneir conference on August 80:
lhOse gentleman Tthe dir>ctor. .