Norwich bulletin., 1921-10-21
Nsnaess.s tre.n esee onel

Z. N Barton of the labor board an- kuEnesd I've do not plan any further kzzfsrenoes with the labor leaders nor o We paan, at present, to call in the rail- Sund presidents I cannot say what our ] nsza step might be-" ! WaI1e the board members came out sf the afternoon session smiling and in a SUzisl mood. they left the night meeting WEh solemn faces and refused to public .ey discuss the ssssion-aside from the statements by Chairman Barton and Vice Ch2irn1zn Hopper. Union leaders said the board had not Yrssezted anything which they looked on aS in any way tangible proposition. ms somebody's move next" said the head of one of the large Of the five or Em2tions. Whether it's our or the Soads's I don't know. I only knew that 6he board brought us here and talked four hours without presenting anything that Ws cou5d even consider as a compromise. Ehs meeting was absolutely without re- ultz
 We are going back to our headquart- rE There is nothing scheduled t1nrnedi .ateiy except to. go right ahead with the plans for strfke.'
 Members of the board said that while the conference had ended and no inn mediate plans had been made, it was still possible to hold further meetings with the labor men before the date of the sched- uisd vaIk-out arrives.
 The board is determined to go as far as possible under the law" one member said. ''and if it is unable to accomplish snyShing, it will be the fault of the law, gather than tbat of the board We are sz1ished that some governm srtai agency will find a solution of the situation, as every possible sngle of the matter is un- doubtsdly being invea igated down s1 Washington.''
 None of the board members would in- dfczte an optimistic view of the days pro- ceedings. Some members were inclined to the view that even the issuance of a strike order was tantamount to a vio- iation of a board decision and that The brotherhoods could properly be cited Co appear before the board for formal determination as to whether it's orders had been defed.
 The entire board feels that 1t is much hetter informed on the situation and we hope that some good may yet result Rrom the boards inquhy.' said this member
 Board. members said that the labor chiefs remained iniexible ir maintaining that the present fight was fight fol el1e life of their organization. The diff Acuities in the present crisis were de dared by the union men, it was said t Ae entirely the fSult cf the carriers, thu bTotherhood men taking the position ma many railroads had violated the ooa-d'' orders They made IL clear to tne oGa--c. however, members said, that they did no consider these violations the faC1t of thu board, but due to the fact that the trans portztion act ''had no teeth"
 Continual alleged violations of tn noard's orders had convinced the em ployes, they were quoted as telling tn board, that there would be no end | enczoachments on what the railroai workers considered their rights. Prio statements of the brotherhood leader have repeatedly asserted that the questio of working rules, which, they said, the had been years in working up. was tn erux of the whole situation Practcau nothing was said in the conference toda, about twelve per cent. wage reduction c last July 1. which was the technical bas H on which the strike was cal'ed, it wa Iearaed.
 Members Of the board said tLey did nc consider that the board has exhausted it powers and that an executive sessio vould be held tomorrow when furthe procedure would be determined.
 
 caat If there were any concrete result H the conference they lay in the fat Ehzt the minds of the labor board men hers were disabused of the idea that th unions were not sincere in ealing strike.
 When Ee went in there" said or 6rief. the board seemed 'to be Of II spirton that we had been blufing an were just waiting for some one to dt sus5s us from csrryins out the strii order.
 .'BeLeving this. the board had virtua U nothing to offer in the way of SC Element plan Its members talked 2 | sut5ut actually had little to say of ar importance, merely trying to get us change our stand.
 They seemed to think that we cou postpone the strike, until we made plain that that could not event be col sidered and that there must be a SC tlenent satisfactory to us or the wall out Vill begin at six a. m. October :
 We hope some angel will appear wi a plan to avert the strike but the were no such angels at today's mee ing"
 The chief result of the conference Vi that the labor board knows we are n hlusHng and we know that they had rssl plan to offer.''
 The only signed statement from union head was from Mr. Stone. It sir ply said:
 The situation is unchanged and Eppose I might add that don't expe one angie of it to be changed even heaven, for if I get there expect stfIl have 9 hundred newspaper reporte chasing me around for signed stat raents.'
 e c+-,o -,-o-45.-4 .s .. engineers, William G. Lee, president tae tra5nmen. and W. S. Carter, preside o6 the hremen, returned to Cleveland night L. E. Sheppard. head of the e ductors left for his organization hes quarters in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, while C. Cashen took a midnight train Buffalo, where headquarters of Swftchmen's union is located.
 Shs executive committee of the Eineers hremen, and of the conduct now are in session. The committees che other organizations will meet M 6y.
 While the scene of strike activit stzffted back to Cleveland, with the e ing of tonig1ts conference. a union II c1ose to the brotherhood chiefs said szpected the next step to be taken fl WaRhinston.
 me labor board has forwarded AxH report of the conference to Wa dnEton,7 he said. 'sf there are furt
 tsps towards conciliation they will tzkrn there The unions will do nc anx fHxther.-
 f<1e eleven ''standard" unions wf s-xvs voted for a strike but have
 czIled one, merely marked time tod knkinz no action pending the outcome me labor board conference.