New-York tribune., 1922-07-16
President Makes Progress
With Maintenance Men
Head of Union Agrees to Call
Meeting Of Officers to Take
Up Executives Peace Plans

WASHINGTON, July Is (By The AS
sociated Press ).-President Harding
personally intervened to-day in the
railroad strike situation, but the suc1
cess of his efforts to remedy condis
tions now admitted generally by gov
ernment officials to be serious will re-
main undetermined until early next
week, when the officers of the United
Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way
Employees and Shop Laborers meet in
Detroit.
The President for two hours dis
cussed the Situation with E. F. Cradle,
chief OF the maintenance of way en-
ployees' organization, who came to
Washington from Chicago for the con-
ference, and with Fred L. Feick, legis-
lative representative Of the same or
ganization.
The result of this conference, as an
nouaced in a White House statement,
was that the President received for
the first time direct information as to
the workers side of the controversy
and was afforded for the first time op-
portunity to present direct to q recog-
nlzed representative of the employees
the position Of the government.
Grand Officers to Meet
Another result, announced after the
conference by Mr.. Cradle, consists Of
call for a meeting the first of next
week in Detroit of the grand officers
of the maintenance of way brother
hood to decide on a policy, presunn-
ably on whether that organization shall
continue. to withhold the authorized
strike order or whether it shall allow
its members to join the striking shop
craft workers.
While the conference between the
President and Messrs. Cradle and Feick
was in progress Senator Cummins, Re.
publican, of Iowa, announced that hear
ings soon would be started by the SEN
ate Interstate Commerce Committee, OF
which he is chairman, with a view to
initiating revision Of the transporta-
tion act so as to remedy faults which
have been shown to exist through de-
velopment Of the present troubled rail-
road labor situation.
Senator Cummins indicated that ths
first effort would be to amend the
statute SO as to guarantee fair iiv-
ing wage to railroad workers and
second endeavor would be to provide
penalties for violation either by rail-
roads or by. workers of the orders OF
the Railroad Labor Board. This latter,
however, will not be attempted during
the present strike. It was considered
significant that Chairman Cusnmsns,s
determination should follow closely on
the conference which he held last eve.
ming with the President.
Prepare to Move Nails
AS indicating the growing serious,
ness of the strike situation Postmastsf
General Work announced the inaugussi-
tion Of motortruck transportation Of
mails, the new method having been IN.
stituted between Bedford and Switz
City, Ind, between which two points
all mail trains have been annulled on
account of the strike.
The White House statement given
out after the conference between Pres
ident Harding and Messrs. Grabie and
Feick said:
sc. F. Cradle, president of the
United Brotherhood Of Maintenance Of
Way Employees and Railway Shop La
borers, and Fred l.. Feick, legislative
| representative of the Same organiza-
tion, spent two hours this morning In
conference with the President on the
strike situation. They brought to the
President the first personal and Off
cial protest that the railway managers
| were ignoring the decisions Of the
Railroad Labor Board, and presented