The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-10-19
TO VERT NATIONAL WALKOUT
 COMES TOMORROW,
Government, Public Repre- sentativeS and Union Heads Make Efforts to Prevent Block of Transportation Facilities
Ny Associated Press

Chicago, October Exchanged by President Harding to take every possible step to throttle the threat ened rail strike order by the broth erhoods for October 30, Chairman K. M. Barton of the United States railroad labor board, reached Chi cago late tonight, coming direct from the White House.
 "The president is very anxious to do everything possible to avert this threatened calamity Judge Barton said on his arrival. ''rhe matter has been placed in the hands of the board to see what can be done"
 No fixed plan was laid down in the White House conference but opinions of board members, coupled with the announcement of the pubic group in Washington Sunday, indicated the following would be the proposals taken up in Thursdays conferences:
 |. Immediate suspension of the
 strike order pending further uc-
 gotistions looking to . settle
 ment.
 q Use of brOtherhooA influence
 to fcrestniI strike orders by any
 of the other labor organization
 now considering . walk out.
 3. Proposals of platform on
 which final settlement might be
 reached to conclude these points;
 with the promise that there will
 be no strike.
 A. Withdrawal fer q definite
 period of the proposed request
 by the roads for further wage
 decreases.
 B. Immediate reduction of
 freight rates by the roads.
 This leaves open tho two points said by the train service men to be paramount. One is the question of time and the other is the cancel lation or revision of the existing rules and working conditions. High labor loaders have been insistent that these two points form the real bone of contention, despite, the fact that the brotherhaods' strike vote was taken on July wage reduction.
 Just how the labor board proposes to get around these two stumbling blocks was not made clear.
 'I understand the interstate com merce commission has number of important rate reduction cases on hand on which it will act immedi- ately," Judge Barton explained last night. That will give us something to work on. Of course the int r. state commerce commission has no Jurisdiction on wage questions"
 Ckiceso, October 1S.---Efforts
 to avert the nationwide rail
 strike scheduled for October 90
 tonight found governmental
 agencies. representatives of the
 public and railway labor unions
 taking action simultaneously
 which all hoped would prevent a
 tieup of the ccuntry's transpor-
 tation system through a walk
 out of nearly 2,0OO,O GOO employees
 in protest of wase cuts.
 Foremost among the moves being made by the different groups was n meeting between the United States railroad labor board and tho heads of five unions which have already au- thorized their men to strike, called for Thursday by tho board at the re- quest of President Harding, it was said by board members.
 The first move on the part of the public organization to avert strike came when the Amerlcdn raTm bu- reau federation, representing 1,25o,- 900 farmers. sent petitions to the interstate commerce commission ask ing an immediate 10 to 20 per cent reduction In freight rates on neces- sities and announced that it also would appeal to the labor board not to grant a new 10 per cent wage re- duction which the roads have an nounced they will seek, but rather to generally revise wages in accordance with the cost of living in various sec- tions. Concurrence In these requests should avert the strike. the fedora ton said in it's announcement, through which it volunteered to meet with union and rail represen- tatives as mediator.
 A series of meetings to last all
 tContinued on page two)