The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-03-19
RAILWAYS GRANT 8=HOUR
 DAY; STRIKE CALLED OFF

than one eighth of the daily rate per hour.
 "In all yard service switching and hostelry service where schedules now read 10, II or 12 hours or less snail constitute a days work insert eight hours or less shall constitute days work at present 10 hours pay
 "Overtirae to be paid for at not less than one-eighth of the daily rate per hour.
 'In yards now working on an eight hour basis the daily rate shall De the present 10 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 less at pres ent 10 hour pay will constitute a days work.
 'In passenger service the present mileage basis will be maintained. On roads now having 8 flat 10 hour day in passenger service the rule will be amended to read eight within ID hours
 "For all classes of employees in short turnaround passenger service, where the rule now reads eight within l2 hours it will be amended to read eight within 10 hours
 "For such territory as has no num- Der of hours for days work in short turnaround passenger service the eight within 10 hour rule applies. Over time to be paid for at no less than one-eighth of the daily rate per hour.
 The general committees on tndi- vidual railroads may elect to retain their present overtime rules in short turn around passenger service, or the foregoing provisions but may not make a combination of both to pro- duce greater compensation than is provided in either basis.
 "In the event that the law is held to be constitutional, if the foregoing Is inconsistent with the decision Of the court, that application will be ad- justed to the decision If declared unconstitut tiona1 the above stands with all the provisions as written
 '-The foregoing to govern for such roads, classes of employees and classes of service represented by the national conference committee of railroads
 "Schedules except as modified by the above changes remain as at pres ent''
 When the railroad managers left the conference room at II o'clock last night without having arrived at an adjustment of the differences. 1t 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 mediators 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 interyened-
 The first intinaa tion that the strike had been averted same unexpect edly at 1z-45 o'clock this morning when a representative of the railroad man |agers' conference committee called up The Associated Presz. and announced 4-the strike Is off" Several hours elapsed before the settlement agree chiefs autographed division officers resembling the strike order.
 w. G. Lee, head of the trainmen and spokesman for the brotherhood chiefs. declared today that the settle ment of the controversy was '-the greatest victory ever won for labor.'' Nearly 100000 men," he said, ~haTe won the eight hour day with out sacrificing a cent of their money for it, We are now in a position to go back to our men with the greatest thing ever put over for labor Mr. Lee said the brotherhood chiefs would remain in New York until to- mDrrow-
 Adv1ces from Baltimore, where members of the brotherhoods already had struck and refused to return to work, had been received giving assur- ance that the differences had been set ted" he added
 The controversy between the rail- roads and their employees began in June, 1915, when members of the brotherhoods in Boston passed resolu. tions favoring an eight hour day with double pay for overtime. However it was not until the following Decem- Der that demands were formulated by the national heads of the organ l ization- These were modified some. what from the original draft made | in Boston, and were voted on by the | workmen in all parts of the countr, 1 during January, February and March l 1916. They finally were served or 1 the railroads, with the announcemen, l that an answer would be expected b, 1 April 29 of that year
 The railroads in the meantime had
 declared that to accede to the de
 mands would mean an increase il their combined salary list of approx imate1y $1o0,000,00o year and tha they would thus be deprived of pay | ing dividends
 1 Numerous conferences followed, al ending abruptly and finally genera
 strike order was issued 70 become eff fectve in September. President Will
 son then intervened, summoning ths
 railroad heads and the several hun dred district heads of. the four broth
 erhoods to Washington. The s.rik, after the President had appeared be
 fore Congress and secured the rassag
 of the eight hour law. This law, which was to have becom, 1 operative on Jan. l, last, was at ono,
 attacked by the railroads, with th'
 result that the question of its consti
 nationality still is considered by til,
 supreme court. The contention of tn,
 brotherhoods was that the railroad
 through legal technical.ties. The!
 demanded that it be made effective a
 once. regardless of the fact that it hat