Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1917-03-21
BIG STRIKE is CALLED OFF.
Railway Managers Make Concessions
In Face of National Crisis.

New YORK. March l9.-ShOrtly af-
ter o'clock this morning Secretary
Lane announced that the threatened
strike OF railway employees had been
aVerted, confirming an announcement
made by an official Of the conference
committee Of railway managers that
the strike had been declared off.
The conference committee Of rail-
road managers early this morning
authorized President Wilson's medi-
ators to make whatever arrange
ments were necessary with the rail-
road brotherhoods to call Off the
threatened strike.
The formal letter in which this
authorization was made, signed by
Elisha Lee, chairman OF the manag-
ers' committee, was as follows:
I'm the national crisis precipitated
by events Of which we heard this ar
ternoon the national conference COM
mittee OF railroads join with you In
the conviction that neither at home
nor abroad should there be fear or
hope that the efficient operation of
the railroads OF the country will be
hampered or impaired
TherefOre you are authorized to
assure the nation there will be no
strike. and as basis for such assur-
ance we hereby authorize the COM
mittee Of the council Of national de-
Tense to grant to the employees who
are about to strike whatever adjust
ment your committee deems neces-
sary to guarantee the uninterrupted
and efficient operation of the rail
roads as an indispensable arm of ma
tional Defense"
The decision reached by the man.
ayers at their midnight conference
means that the brotherhoods have
won an important victory. although
1t does not bring them all their origi-
nal demands.
By the agreement It is assumed
they Will be awarded pro rata time
for overtime on the basis OF an g.
hour day, which they have been as
sured. sr
Their original demands called for
time-and-a-half overtime on the
same basic day.
The managers left the conference
room at 2 O'Clock. but the brother
hood chiefs remained in conference
with the mediators.
The managers, headed by Elisha
Lee, returned to the conference room
at 220, and Secretary Lane sent for
the newspaper men.
ment: "Regardless OF the decision of
the Supreme Court on the AdamsOn
law the basic S-hour day will go
into effect"
The men will get their present ten
hours pay for eight hours work un-
der the agreement. These conces-
siOnS on the part OF the managers are
virtually what the employees con-
tended they would gain under the
Adamson law if 1t were declared con-
stitutlonal.
Immediately after Secretary Lane
had made his announcement the
brotherhood leaders sent telegrams
to all the general chairman. inform
ing them that the strike had been
declared of.
The announcement of the mana
gers that they had yielded apparent
ly came as a surprise to the brother
hood chiefs, for they were in bed
when summoned again to the confer
ence room.
Earlier in the evening there had
been a distinctly pessimistic feeling
as to the prospect for averting
strike. Up to that hour the railroads
had refused to make the concessions
granted and the brotherhoods had
stood fast to their determination to
strike unless they won their demand
either by the Supreme Court declar-
ing the Adamson law valid or by
their employers granting them the s.
hour day.