Evening star., 1917-03-16
Ry the Associated Press.

BY fhe Associated Press.
NEW YORK. March 1e.-The brother
hoods side of the railroad controversy
is made public in a statement signed
by the four brotherhood chiefs, W. G.
Lee for the trainmen: W. S. Carter. for
the firemen; l. Z. Sheppard. for the
conductors. and w. s. Stone, for the
engineers.
I'VE presented q proposition to place
the Adam eight-hour law into effect
along the lines suggested by President
Wilson last August, which was that in
all road service except passenger.
where schedules now read. 100 miles
or less. nine or ten hours or less, over
time at ten or eleven miles per hour.
insert eight hours or less for basic
day and twelve and a half miles per
hour for speed basis for the purpose
of computing overtime. Overtime to
be paid for at not less than one-eighth
of the daily rate per hour.
In all yard. switching and hosting
service where schedules now read, ten.
eleven or twelve hours or less shall
constitute a days work. insert eight
hours or less shall constitute a days
work. Overtime to be paid for at not
less than one-eighth of the daily rate
per hour. In passenger service the
present mileage basis will be main
tained. provided that the basic passen-
ger day will not be in excess of eight
for at not less than one-eighth of the
daily rate per hour.
Receive Counter Proposals.
The conference committee of the
railways took our proposition under
consideration. and at the afternoon
a
accept it, and submitted in lieu thereof
the following:
IF the Supreme Court holds the law
TO be constitutional and the two sides
cannot agree upon the application of
any Of the points. we will agree that
the eight-hour commission shall de-
terInine how the law shall be applied.
I'm case the law is declared uncon-
stitutiona1. we offer to join you in
asking the eight-hour commission to
determine the whole controversy. Any
settlement arrived at to be effective
from January l. 1917.
"It will be noted that in any event.
uality the managers committee have
declined to negotiate any settlement
of the eight-hour day: that, IL the la w
is held constitutional. they will not
agree to our Interpretation of the law
and desire to submit the application Of
the law to an arbitration, the Tnembe RS
of the eight-hour commission being the
arbitration board.
"On the other hand II the law is de-
ciared unconstitutional. they decline
to make any settlement of the matters
in controversy with US. and again
ofYer to submit the matter to arbitra-
tion. the members of the eight-hour
commission being the arbitrators.
IF the railroads are willing to sub
nit either of these propositions to
arbitration, It is evident that they are
willing to give their employees an
eight-hour day If the arbitration board
SO decides. but the roads themselves
will never grant the request directly.
I'VE submit that this is an unfair
attitude for the conference committee
of the railways to assume. for II they
are willing to grant the eight hour
day through any method. they should
he willing TO grant it directly to their
employees and not prolonS the con-
troversy.
The public should remember that
after having failed to reach an agree
1nent with the conference committee OF
the railways last August. President
Wilson interyened and attempted 10
mediate our differences. and. after
hearing both sides of the discussion
and considering the matter for sew
eral days, proposed settlement, which
settlement is practically the same as
we have just proposed to the railroads
The railroads refused to accept the