Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1919-10-16
ECONOMIC MEET DIFFERS ACTION
 ON LABOR PLAN
Committee Now Split in Effort to Define "Collective
 Bargaining" MOVEMENT TO DROP
 STEEL ARBITRATION Labor Willing to Relinquish Stand on This Matter if Principle of Col lective Bargaining is
 Supported.

Washington, Oct. l5.-DeSplte re- peated declarations by employers delegates that they never would ap- prove intervention in the steel strike and instant demand from the same group that the labor arbitration pro- posaT be disposed of definitely, the national industrial conference, voting as an assembly, today deferred ac- tion on the labor plan pending an ef- fort by the central committee of 15 to agree on the question of collective bargaining.
 The motion to defer, made by Ber- nard M. Baruch, chairman of the public delegation, was defeated under the group voting plan, the employers group voting against it, and the pub lie and labor group supporting post ponement.
 But on a point of order being rais- ed, Secretary Lane ruled that the motion involved question of pro- cedure and not a policy, and, there fore, should be settled by a simple [ majority vote of individual delegates.
 Judge Ebert H. Gary, chairman of the United States Steel corporation board, and Ward M. Bergess of Oma- ,ha, were the only members of the public group opposing postponement and c. s. Barrett and T. c. Atkeson, farmers representative, also the en- ployers' group favored the motion. The labor group was solid for post ponement.
 The central committee was direct ed to have report ready when the conference reconvenes at 2:30 o'clock , tomorrow afternoon, but it struck snag late today in attempting to de- fine "collective bargaining" and made but little. headway during it's three-hour session. The right of en- ployes to organize was generally rec ognized, it was said, but no agree ment could be reached on the ques- tion of dealing with employees of company acting as spokesmen for the workers.
 The committee will meet again to- morrow morning, but it appeared practically certain tonight that no aereement would be reached and that the labor and public delegates in the committee would ask for more time. Such action would mean a further delay in obtaining vote of the steel strike arbitration resolution.
 Labor Conference.
 Labor delegates said today they would be willing to drop the steel strike resolution in case they can ob- tain clean cut acceptance of the principle of "collective bargaining" with the rieht of employees to select representatives, "just as the compa- nies hire counsel" Failure of the conference to arbitrate the strike or to accept their view of collective bar banning would mean disruption of the conference, some labor representa- tlves went so far as to say.
 On the Fright" of the hall em- pployers objected to consideration under pressure" of such funda- mental principle as collective bar gaining. Herbert F. Perkins of Ghlcago said "we cannot be forced or nur1ed into arriving at any decision m such an important matter as col 1ectlve bargaining" while J. w. o. Leary. of Chicago, declared that clear thinking" on the issue was impossible with "other disturbing in- fluences."
 After the meeting, employers uelegates said that the labor steel strike arbitration resolution was never intended for other purposes tnan to force recognition of the unlons and their spokesmen, inas- much as agreement to arbitration to ,ne union officials and company off tne strike by committee contain ,eIs would have amounted to abso- luEe acceptance of the things for winch labor is fighting.
 Charlaa EI,,,o,.J D,,o.o11 of Novy icrk, spokesman for the central oel committee, told press representatives alter the meeting that both capital ana ana labor were disposed to make con- se;s3 sessions and that nothing had tran splred sped to shake his conviction that a sne conference would accomplish treat great and constructive results" He s%umltted, however, that serious diff iherences of opinion. exist which must ce,,l, ue ln,armcnized before the committee could report.