Evening star., 1916-08-03
Will Strike Tomorrow at Three
O'Clock Unless Demands
Are Granted.
MAYOR mitchell FAILS
IN ARBITRATION EFFORT
Officials of Companies Reiterate
Their Determination Not to Rec
ognize the Employees Union.

NEW YORK. August 3.-A
strike of street railway employees
tying up. every surface line in
Manhattan, the Bronx and
Queens county seemed inevitable
today. The leaders of the union
recently organized among the
employees today delivered an ulti
matum to the railway companies
giving them until pm. tomor-
row to grant their demands, and
efforts today by Mayor Mitchell
to bring about arbitration failed.
The mayor today had conferences
with the heads of the New York Street
Railways Company and the New York
and Queens Railway Company. respec-
lively, together with the Union leaders,
and neither side would yield on the
main point at issue, the right of the
employees to join the union. w. d. Wood,
president of the New York and Queens
Company. declared fatty that his con-
Germ would not recognize the union. and
railways. although not so direct in
his statements, caused the mayor to an
nounce that there appeared nothing he
could do to avert the strike at this
time. Both railway heads expressed conf
dence that the majority of their en-
ployes would remain loyal, but the
union leaders on the other hand claim
ed that the employees of both companies
had been virtually all enrolled in the
union.
Little Hope of Settlement.
The only hope held out today of
avoiding a strike on the many surface
lines operated by the New York Rail
ways Company was the slender one that
either the company or the union men
would yield. The president of the
company, however, issued a statement
objecting to the unionization of its en-
ployes on the ground that they as well
the company We're responsible to the
city for the maintenance of its trans
portation system.
Officials Of the city. the New York
Railways Company and the labor union
said that by tomorrow a strike order
probably would be issued affecting ev-
cry surface line in the boroughs of
Manhattan and Queens.
Representatives of the union and of
ne street railway company attended
in a final effort to reach an agreement.
Prior to the hour set for the meeting
between representatives of the traction
companies and union heads at Mayor
Mitchers Office William B. Fitzgerald
general organizer of the Amalgamated
Association of Street and Electric
Railway Employees. announced that de-
mands in behalf of the employees of the
New York Street Railways Company
and the New York and Queens Railway
Company would be presented to the
companies today. and that they would
be given until pm tomorrow to give
their answers. If unfavorable a strike
vote among the employees would be
taken, he said.
Attended Mayors Meeting.
The mayors meeting was attended
by Theodore P. Shonts, president of
the New York Street Railways Com
pany. William D. Mahon. president of
the Amalgamated Association, and
NJ. ]. Reagan, state industrial mediator.
Nothing definite was accomplished and
the meeting adjourned until later in
the day.
Mr. Shonts refused to commit him
self definitely at the meeting to
whether the company would allow It's
men to organize without interference,
although he said he would agree that
theS "Ould not oe uisciidi 3 GU ioi Joiii-
ing the union. The railway president
SAID that the company did not know
whether the demands that had been
formulated actually represented the
views of the employees.
II believe no questions will arise that
we can't settle between ourselves" he
said The signers of the communtca-
ton which you have handed to US (the
unions demands delivered yesterday to
the mayor are not residents of New
York. They represent an organization
of alien interests with alien purposes
and are in no sense responsible to the
people Of this city