The sun., 1919-08-09
GARRISON REFUSES
TO MEET UNIONISTS
At Hearing Is Firm Against
Treating With Outside Anal
gamated Leaders.
CALLS POLICE NEGLIGENT
Burr Asks Nixon to Order Re.
ceiver to Negotiate With
Labor Leaders.

A@inuiey M 0arrson, receWer OF the
the strike held yesterday before the Pub
the principal witness at q hearing on
thestrike held yesterday before the Pub
lilo Service Commissioners. He was
questioned by Terence Farley for the
commission and afterward by Corpora
ton Counsel Burr. He was most em-
phatic In his assertions that he on no
account would consider recognition OF
Amalgamated Association. which, he
said. represented, only a small percent
age Of the company's employees. He
asserted his willingness to meet any
properly representative committee Of
b. r. T. men and women at any time
and discuss with them any question OF
wages. hours or working condition
The B. r. T. receiver also was asked
by Joseph T. Grimm, president of the
Passengers Protective Association,
whether he would obey an order from
the Public Service Commission, II II
were issued. commanding him to enter
into negotiations with the Amalgamated
Association. He replied that he would
obey any order of any legally consti-
tuted body.
Mr.. Garrison was inclined to lay the
blame for the transit paralysis in Brook
lyn on the police. He said that they
were slow in appearing on the scene
after he had requested protection from
the Mayor: that the disposition Of the
men was not what II should have been,
and finally that the men themselves II
not actively siding with the strikers had
at least not exerted themselves to pre-
serve order.
Gould Stop 1t I'm Hour.
You can't tell me-" he said. that a
single hours energetic action by the
police would not have put stop TO this
disorder. The mere physical presence
Of the police Is not enough-they must
take action"
Mr.. Garrison said there were too few
policemen in some barns Thursday
morning and too many in others, and
getting them transferred took a long
time because the police orders were is
sued and routed like those of an army
and considerable time elapsed before the
men were shifted. Meantime disorders
broke out and the police seemed 10 in
terpret their orders as instructions not
to interfere with what was going on.
Il have always been in favor of COL
lective bargaining" Mr.. Garrison said.
"and am still. ! am willing to recog-
nize any organization that represents
the company's men and women, but I
will not recognize an organization that
represents only 20 per cent. of them. I
do not believe that they represent the
men and no amount of violence can make
me believe so.
What won't do" Mr.. Garrison said
with an emphatic bang of his first on the
rail about the witness chair. lis to deal
with men sent in by these outside people.
never have done 1t and never will"
He described the wage demands of the
Amalgamated as mere scenery" when
Mr.. Farley asked him IL his corporation
was financially able to pay the increase
asked. The real demand, he said. was
for recognition of the union.
Mr.. Burr then tried to harry the wit
ness into admissions about various mat
tiers, in which he was uniformly un-
successful Finally he asked about a
newspaper article in which the receiver
was quoted as saying that he would
resign IL ordered by Judge Mayer to
recognize the Amalgamated. Did you
say that?" the Corporation Counsel
demanded.
II did not" said Mr.. Garrison. what
! did say was that in case l received
such an order I would consider seriously
whether / should carry II out or whether
some one else should do so. The gentle
men of the press, remembering a little
incident which happened at the Federal
capital. merely put two and two to-
Rether."
Mr.. Garrison said that he was not
under the same necessity of trimming to
popular approval that rested upon those
who held their Office by votes ''I am
merely a trustee OF certain property, act
ing under the orders OF the courts. and
as such my duties are clear to me- Until
some force stronger than I compels me
to do so. / will not treat with an out
side organisation. The rights of the
people ought to be properly protected by
the maintenance of order"
Delaney Raps Murphy.