The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-08-25
NO AGREEMENT ON
 SHOPMEN'S STRIKE
 IS NOW IN SIGHT
Mediators Make Little Prog. ress in Efforts to Effect Settlement Between the
 Shopmen and Roads
By Associated Press


 New York, August 24.-"We are like bats; we can't see the way out" -tb6s did the chief of one of the bjg five railroad brotherhoods de- Scribe the position in which the run ming trades found themselves tonight after their latest efforts to settle the shopmen's strike, now in its eighth week.
 Today's peace negotiations cen- tered on conferences between the brotherhood chiefs, cast as medi- ators, and the executives of more than a score of roads representing approximately 30 per cent of the rail mileage in the United States-con- ferences which were called to order after the Association of Railway Executives yesterday had stoutly de- clined to yield on the seniority Ques- ton. but some of It's members had indicated an interest in sugges- tion that separate agreements might be possible.
 More Executives Arrive
 Nineteen roads. aggregating about a quarter of the country's mileage, were represented when the first ses- sion opened. After the luncheon re- cess during which the mediators reported back to the striking shop men, several more executives slipped into the general conference. until more than 50 main lines and their subsidiaries were represented when the barley broke up at T o'clock. The Seaboard Air Line was one of the roads listed among the Asw confer- ees. Although both sides professed themselves no nearer an agreement than when they first went into con- ference, announcement was made that another session had been scheduled for tomorrow. Observers speculated with interest on the question of whether more roads would be rep resented at the next meeting.
 Although no official statements were issued regarding the results of today's barley, indications were that tfe roads represented at the confss'.s ences were standing firm with those which had detailed no delegates on the decision of their association not to yield on the demand that strikers be reinstated with seniority rights.
 "Up to shopmen"
 At the same time shop craft lead CTS indicated that they were not in any mood to accept individual settlements. The tone of these com ments was that the brotherhood men had not been authorized to suggest abandonment of the "all for one and one for all" policy annunciated by the unions at the beginning of the strike. Hints were dropped after brother hood chiefs had stated graphically that its now up to the shopmen" that the mediators would find dif- ficulty in winning them over to the approval of any individual agree ments.
 When the mediators returned to labor headquarters for the noon-day conference with shopcraft leaders, the report was current that some definite proposal was under consid- eration. Tonight. however, it was said that only tentative suggestions had been advanced and that nego- tiations were still in the discussion stage, with a poll by either side some way off.
 The brotherhood chiefs, upon leaving the conference this evening, returned to labor headquarters and were closeted until late hour with Bert M. Jewell spokesman for the strikers, and other shop craft leaders.