New Britain herald., 1917-03-19
Avoided National Calamity

| l The committee sent the following ] letter to Elisha Lee, chairman of the conference committee of the railways: we are in receipt of your favor of this date. placing in our hands for ifn- 1 mediate adjustment the matter of the differences between your committee l and the railroad brotherhoods. We have brought this letter before the brotherhoods with the statement that in our judgment 1t was advisa ble to put into effect the provisions of the Adamson law whether 1t be held "and or otherwise. This was accept able to them. Thus by your own ac- tion,. urged thereto by the highest reasons of national concern, you have avoided national calamity. We would be delinquent in a true sense of gratitude if we failed to ex- press our sincerest appreciation of the action you have taken. We trust that 1t promises long period of hearty cooperation between the railroad management and their employes." The Agreement. , The agreement signed by the renre- sentatives of the brotherhoods, the roads and the commission reads as follows:
 "1n all road service except passen- ger, where schedules now reads one hundred miles or less, nine or ten rours or less. overtime at ten or eleven miles per hour or less for casio day and 12 1-2 miles Der hour TOT a speed basis, for the purpose of computing overtime
 Overtime to be paid for at not less than one-eighth of the daily. rate per kour. r.
 :ln all yard service switching and hostelry service where schedules now read ten, eleven or twelve hours or less shall constitute a days work fn sert eight hours or less shall consti- ute a days work at present ten hours pay @ fe--
 Overtime to be paid for at not less than one-eighth of the daily rate per hour.
 Tn yards now working on an eight hour basis the daily rate shall be the present ten-hour standard rate, with overtime at one-eighth of the present standard daily rate.
 In case the law is declared uncon- stitutional eight hours or Tess at pres ent ten-hour pay will constitute days work.
 ''In passenger service the present mileage basis will he maintained On roads now having fiat ten-hour day in passenger rule the rules will be amended to read eight within ten hours. ,s -
 For all classes of employees in sfort turnaround passenger service where the rule now reads eight with in fHHyo1 to read eight within ten hours
 "For such territory as has no num- Der of hours for days work in short turnaround passenger service the eight within ten-hour rule ap- plies. Overtime to be paid for at not less than. one-eighth of the daily rate pe1S hour.
 '9The general committees on indi- vidual railroads may elect to retain their present overtime rules in short ,turnaround passenger service or the foregoing provision but may not make a combination of both to produce greater compensation than is provid- ed in either basis.
 .1n the event the law is held to be constitutional in favor of the fore going, the settlement is inconsistent with the decision of the cout that application will be adjusted to the de- cision. If declared unconstitutional the above stands with all the provi- sions as written:
 ''The foregoing to govern for such roads, classes of employees and classes os service represented by the national conference committee of railroads.
 Schedules except as modified by the above changes remain as at pres ent."
 Pcssisnlisnl in the Air.
 When the railroad managers left the conference room at II o'clock last right without having arrived at an adjustment of the differences. it was with set faces which showed the strain they were under. When the heads of the brotherhoods left an hour earlier they, too appeared to be depressed. Neither side would make any statement. Secretary Lane, standing in the doorway of his room, plainly indicated that the mediatofs had all but reached the limit of their appeals-and apparently without re-. suit. The strike. it was understood, would go on as announced, without a further truce, unless something un- expected intervened.
 The nrSt 1ntlmaIlOn that the strike had been averted came unexpected- 1y at 12:45 o'clock this morning when a representative of the railroad managers conference committee called up the Associated Pres and an- rounced "the strike is off, Several hours elapsed before the settlement agreement was signed and the brotherhoods chiefs telegraphed di- vision officers resembling the strike or der.
 Labor's Greatest Victory. w. G. Lee. head of trainmen and spokesman for the brotherhood chiefs, declared today that the settle