Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1917-03-19
RAILROAD STRIKE
CALLED OFF; War
CRISIS roo GRAVE
tAssOeiated Press BY Federal wireles.)

ASSOCIATED Press by Federal wireless)
NEW YORK. y. Y, March 19.-The
railroad strike was called off yester-
day afternoon.
Set to start at 7 o'clock tonight,
Eastern time. the nationwide strike of
railroad employees was halted at the
eleventh hour in the name of national
defense
The order was revoked by the lead
ers OF the four brqtherhoods of rail-
way employees on On unqualified and
unconditional authorization given the
council of national defense by the rail-
road managers and executives TO
grant the employees whatever adjust
ment of hours and conditions il deems
necessary to guarantee the operation
of this indispensable arm of national
defense"-the nations railroad sys-
TENS.
Responding TO the appeal to patriot
ism addressed Jointly to the railroad
arrangements and the railroad unions
by President Wilson, Friday last, the
railroads authorized the mediators to
make whatever arrangements are ne
cessary with the brotherhoods to call
off the strike Yesterdays develop
ments in the international crisis spur
red the railroad heads to action.
Immediately the leaders of the four
brotherhoods flashed the word by tele-
graph and long distance telephone
throughout the country to the locals
and the men that there would be no
strike. .<...
At once the railroads lifted freight
embargoes that had been declared on
all main lines in preparation for the
strike. III
First word of the calling off of the
strike came from the conference conn.,
mittee of railroad managers and exc
cutives Elisha Lee, secretary of this
conference committee of the railroads,
gave out a formal statement saying
that letter had been addressed to
the committee of the council of ma
tional defense authorizing it to make
whatever arrangements were neces-
sary with the brotherhoods to secure
the calling Off Of the strike. This
committee was appointed Friday by
President Wilson as board Of media
ton to work for a possible compro-.
mise, and consists of Secretary of the
Interior Lane, chairman; Secretary of
the Navy Daniels, Secretary of Labor
Wilson, Daniel Willard, of the Balti-
more & Ohio Railroad. and Samuel
Gompers, president of the American
Federation of Labor. "-1r'f =. #..'-Eg !
The letter from the railroad heads
giving this mediation board complete
power, in the name Of the railroads, to
make all necessary arrangements with
the men reads as follows: @ = -
in the national crisis precipitated
by the events of which We have heard
this afternoon the railroad conference
committee joins you in the conviction
that neither !. at home nor abroad
should there be either hopes or fears
that the efficient operation of the ma
tion's railroads will be hampered or
impaired. u III =.
Therefore you are hereby authoriz-.
ed to assure the nation that there will
be no strike 49,.
'As the basis Of such assurance we
hereby authorize the committee OF the
council of national defense to grant to
the employees whatever adjustment of
working conditions il deems necessary
to guarantee the operation of this in
dispensable arm of national defense"