The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1921-10-19
SEE CHANCE
OF STRIKE BY
OTHER ORDERS
Speculate en- Assembly Call
for Committee of Railway
Employees Department Of
Federation of Labor.
HAS WALKOUT POWER
(By Associated Press,

IN lne possibilities of a strike order
by others of the Is standard labor or
CARNATIONS besides the five train SER
vice bodies were seen today in a call
for assembly tomorrow of the confer.
ence committee of 100 of the railway
employees department of the federation
of labor
This committee has full power to
order strike of the six shop crafts.
No final action was expected. how
ever, before Friday, according to B.
NJ. Jewell, president of the depart
ment
The first of series of conferences
at which representatives of all fac
tions in the railroad strike situation
may decide the outcome of the strike
call issued by the big four brother
hoods for Oct. 80. began here today.
to continue over the week end
Three group meetings are sched-
uled:
l. Executives of the shopmen, main
tenance of way workers, clerks, tele-
graphers and others meet today, to-
morrow, Friday and Sunday to decide
their attitude toward the announced
strike of the train service employees.
with indications of a final decision at
joint conference Sunday.
2. Brotherhood leaders are on their
way here to hear the governments
attitude through the railroad labor
board tomorrow
3. Railroad executives of the CEN
tral division meet Friday in Chicago
to discuss all phases of the strike sit
uation, while executives of other div
isions meet simultaneously in their
own regions.
Freight rate reductions approxi-
mately equivalent to the 12 per cent
wage reduction ordered last July 1. by
the railroad labor board were indi-
/ Gated as the probable basis suggestion
the labor board will propose, with the
/ backing of the administration to avert
| the strike.
81 understand" said Commissioner
! Ben w. Hooper, a member of the pub
/ lie" group of the labor board, that
! the interstate commerce commission
! has number of important rate reduc-
! ton cases on hand. on which it will
act Immediately. That will give US
something to work on"
The boards policy, as outlined by
Commissioner Hooper, would propose
! to the brotherhood chiefs immediate
suspension of the strike order on their
part and their influence in preventing
other walkouts, while the executives
would be asked to concede the with
drawal of the proposed request for
| further wage cuts and grant an i'm
mediate reduction of freight rates
Petitions Freight Cut.
/ President ]. r. Howard, of the Farm
Bureau federation, today had on file
before the interstate commerce CON-
mission here a petition for 10 to %
| percent freight rate reduction on
necessities of life, and at the same
time he telegraphed union leaders and
railroad executives urging them to join
him in conference here.
Failure of the brotherhood chiefs to
join a strike agreement with the IL
other railroad unions at a conference
here last week has made uncertain
the outcome of their strike confer
ences here beginning today.
Referendum votes have authorized
men and shop men, who meet here
today and tomorrow to call a strike at
their discretion but shop crafts lead
ers have summoned their executive
council and executives of the main
tenance of way union have called gen
eral chairmen of their Il divisions.
Membership of these two and others
of the II organizations which have
not issued strike notices number L.
100000 as compared with half a mil
lion in the train service group now un-
der instructions for sectional walkouts
beginning Oct. 80.
No Decision Yet.
Officials of the telegraphers have
scheduled a meeting here Friday. and
the clerks, Sunday No definite de-
! cision, leaders of these II unions in
dicated, will be made before the end
of the week
! While prospects for settlement o.
the strike were growing brighter,
army officials, it is understood, were
making preparations for operating
trains with federal troops.
i Dispatches from San Antonio said
officers of the Eighth corps area, in
the southwest, had been instructed to
compile and forward to Washington.
lists of all officers and enlisted men
with experience in 26 lines Of railroad
work
!, Southwestern roads largely com
prise the group under instructions TO
walk out the first day of the strike,
, and it was understood that it was the
preponderance of votes favoripg q
strike by the brotherhoods, came from
this section.
Evenly Divided.
Sentiment among employees of east
: ern roads, it is understood was much
: more evenly divided on the strike
question, so much SO that the proposed
strike on the Pennsylvania and the
Erie were deferred from the first day
until the fourth day because of doubt
:, among the union leaders as to the
| response of the men to the strike
| order.
Army officers at Fort Sheridan
headquarters of the Sixth corps area
said today they had received no in
structions from Washington to pre-
pare lists of men with railroad ex
| | perience, but that / 900 men were