Paragould soliphone., 1921-10-26


 which the chiefs reiterate their hone that solution acceptable to the employees may yet be found.
 It was indicated that the state ment may be regarded as an ont- line of the stand the labor leaders will take when they appear with the executives of the railroads before the Labor Board It follows:
 With regard to the position of the employees of the railroad systems at this time, we can only say that their representatives are patiently
 waiting for any developments that
 would appear to offer q solution of the situation that confronts us. We are not now, nor have Wc ever been, dcsirous of being a party to precipitating Q strike, hut when lit is quite apparent that the rail- roads propose not only to reduce wages, but to take from those em- ployes practically all the conditions of service that have been maintained for many years, and the Railroad Labor Board is unable, or fails to give us any assurance that the in terests of the employees will be pro ltected from such onslaughts by the interests that control the transporta- ltion lines of our country, nothing is left for the employees but to stand on their constitutional rights to retire from the service of these carriers.
 We are advised through the newspapers that the Interstate Com merce Commission has authorized < considerable reduction in freight Irates.
 withstandins the fact that wages Of railroad employees have been reduced l2 per cent since July i. there was no talk about a reduc- ti0n of freight rates until this crisis arose Now the railroads are attempting to gain the sympathy oi the public in this crisis by thls late reduction of rates.
 .The public never would have re- ceivcd this reduction with the con sent of the railroads had the rail roads not been confronted with this emergency."
 Besides MT Stone, others attend ing yesterdays conference were w. C. Lee. president of the Brotherhood Iof Railroad Trainmen; l.. F. Shep- pard. president Of the Order of Railway Conductors, and W. $. Car ter. president of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Bremen and Engineinen. TT. C. Cashen, president of the Switchmen's Union Of North America. the other member of the Big Five, ' is expected to arrive here today and to attend future conferences of the chiefs.
 The establishment of open shop conditions on the Fremont and Gllt railroad and the strike at noon S2t~ urdav Of trainmon on the Inter- national and Great Northern rail road, were under discussion at yes terday's conference, but none of the chiefs would comment or tne situa ton of those roads. President Lee, however, said he had received re- ports from his general chalrmen on the l. X G. x. that practically 100 pey cent Of the trainmen quit work.
 One of the subordinate leaders, however, said that If it is correctly reported that the men on the Ire mout and Gulf railroad have ac- cepted open shop conditions il is due to tue fact that they are few in number and have little hope Of their resistance being successful. They intimated that the Fremont and Gulf situation will be brought to the atteut ton Of the Railroad La- Dor Board when it meets in Chi cago Wednesday.
 Ii was learned that the chiefs have received teleerams from many of the general chairmen Of the five organizations, reporting that they had been cited by the Railroad Labor Board 10 appear before that body in Chicago Wednesday with the approximately 600 general chair men, inc five chief executives of the broth herhoods with their vice presidents and other grand officers together with the 200 railroad exec utiyes. it was said that approximate ly 1000 officials of the unions and of the railroads have been cited to appear.
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