The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1918-09-24
DISPUTE NOW IN HANDS OF ALPHEUS WINTER War Labor Board, Through Chairman Taft, Refers All
 Questions to Him. DECLINES TO OPEN THE EIDLITZ AWARD Meeting of Board Lasting 12 Minutes Leaves Situation
 Much As Before.

This Is not a hearing for the re- opening of the Eidlitz award as has been suggested enormously in the press" declared former President Will liam Howard Taft, at the hearing of the National War Labor Board yester- day afternoon at. the County Court house. Continuing he said; "In the first place we do not propose to exceed our Jurisdiction and we have no Jurisdiction to open the award" About 300 people crammed their l way into the courtroom and many of those were disgruntIed machfnists who had f1ocked to hear a scathins rebuke administered to the manufac- turers, but nothing of the kind hap pened. MT. Taft was in a hurry to 1 catch a train and in fact took the time out of the few minutes he was present to inquire of those present What time does the next train leave here?" In the course of his brief address | MT, Taft said: 'The award is with the arbitrator and Ene Presidents let | ter carefully drawn points out that ap- | plication for rehearing may be made. 1 but of course that appeal must be made to the tribunal deciding the case. The tribunal deciding the case l is the arbitrator.
 'The arbitrator himself suggests 1 that respecting certain questions the 1 boards provided under the award may take up those questions and make pro- | Gressive application of the award.
 We do not agree to open full dis cussion of this subject, for the reason we think a good many extraneous things may be brought in. We have understood there were many questions regarding the operation of the award by our examiners, but our examiners in whom we have confidence, can re- | port for our action, if that be neces- sary.
 We propose to leave the matter in the hands of the gentlemen who are
 charged with the needed authority
 having, after conference with them, satisfied ourselves that they have the
 correct view of the award.
 | "Of course we are not foreclosing
 any right of appeal to the board in
 application or interpretation. We
 do not represent the whole board. We
 are only a section and the examiners
 view, not meeting the approval of
 either side, we will hear it before the 7 whole board. In the meantime, the ) examiner, Alpheus Winter, has full authority to act and you are bound , by his interpretation when he makes ; it." At this point MT. Taft was told by ' the business agent of the Machinists' 7 union that the administrator had re- fused to make rulings or to interpret 5 In reply MT. Taft saH, "He has re- fused because we told him to do SO
 He now is fully authorized to gc . ahead"
 l More questions were asked by the } business agent of the union and b1 l Joseph A. Schultz. to which MT. Taf '. replied, finally saying, You see gen r tlemen, as important as Bridgeport is !. you will be wasting good time; al least were we to keep going here s Good bye"
 It was announced at the apartments
 occupied by the War Labor Board in 3 the Stratfield last night that I. K e Russell, government representative e for the manufacturers have been S withdrawn from Bridgeport perma- s nently and that hereafter Alpheus
 Winter will act alone with such cleri- . cal help as he may need.
 = Upon the authority announced by = MT. Taft for the War Labor Board
 Examiner Winter announced the fol
 lowing rulings to govern the Bridge
 port labor situation:
 l. That the institution of collec.
 tive bargaining, including the organ.
 ization of shop committees, is to be
 established solely under the direction
 of the examiner, and that any inde.
 pendent action will not be permitted z 2. That the retroactive wage pay ments are to be worked out on the
 basis of rates paid on May 1, June 26
 and July 1, 1913.
 8. That the S-hour basic day pro = vision, so far as compensation Is con t cerned. is to be retroactive to tht U same dates as increased rates of pay s 4. That strikers without regard tt or recognition of their union affilia q tions, on returning to work, shall b, y given proportionate representation il 5 the convention to select nominees fo T. local board of mediation and concil iation. - -...
 i' b. Employers shall immediatel.
 pay wages due under award since Au ~ gust 26; they shall have until Octo
 Der 1, 1918, to make retroactive pay |, ments.
 6. When charges of discrimination
 are made to the examiner, he shal ,a immediately instigate an investigation
 and if the charges arc sustained. h
 shall immediately reinstate the em
 ploye who has been discriminate, "a against and order payments to b
 made to him for time lost Pendin f appeal to the local board, the em
 ployes shall remain at work. ,e '. All strikers who returned t
 work at the Presidents request hay l. the option of reinstatement in, thei
 old positions.
 8. The local board of mediatio
 and conciliation after its election i
 authorized to create specialized craf V or other boards to work out specia
 craft problems such as classificatio and minimum rates of pay.
 g. After the establishment of tn aa99 local board of mediation and concil
 iation, the examiners shall take u
 the selection of shop and craft com bo mittees.
 T aI (signedj ALPHEUs WINTER, +o Examiner he Four thousand students registere Nv at Harvard