The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1922-09-09
MAKING PARTIAL
RAIL SETTLEMENT
Negotiations By Portion of
Roads viii Be Closed
Very Soon
MOST OF SOUTHERN
ROADS ARE READY
New York Central Only Northern Road
in Deal-DanieI Wizards Terms Basis
of Settlement All Transportation
VIII BE Improved


in DeaI-Daniel Wizards Terms Basis
of Settlement All Transportation
VIII BE Improved.
Especial Despatch to The Reformer.
Copyright 1922
WASHINGTON, Sept. 9.-Eighty
| thousand miles of railroad out of a total
Of approximately 100000 miles are in
vclved in the partial settlement of the
shipments strike, negotiation of which
win be completed in the next three days.
Details of the peace overtures have
reached government officials informally
Some of these essential points in the
latest peace move are these:
ID Most of the southern roads with
two or three exceptions, notably the
Norfolk < Western, but including the
Chesapeake & Ohio and the Southern
| railway, are represented in the group of
executives which is ready to make set
Element with the strikers
90 OF the northern roads the New
York Central is considering the pro-
posal though denials are being made
that a decision has been reached.
(3) The basis of settlement is al
most exactly that which was suggested
by Daniel Willard, president of the
Baltimore & Ohio. and other executives
after the brotherhood chiefs failed to
mediate in New York. 1t will be re-
called that separate peace efforts were
made at that time, but We're rejected by
b. NJ. Jewell, leader of the shopmen.
Seniority Settlement.
% All the roads who agree to the
plan will take back the strikers before
Oct. l under the first and second clauses
of President Harding's first proposal
namely, that the railroad labor boards
decision on wages be accepted and law
suits on both sides be withdrawn As
for seniority. an effort will be made by
the roads to give the strikers their jobs
back wherever vacancies still exist and
If there are no vacancies in those par
ticular jobs. then positions of equal pay
win be given the strikers. The seniority
question will be left to a board of adj
justment in each case of three men on
each side and if there is a deadlock the
railroad labor board will be asked to
assume jurisdiction and decide the dis
puted points.
The prime movers in these informal
negotiations are Daniel Willard of the
Baltimore & Ohio and b. NJ. Jewell,
who have arranged the whole business
so that the meetings in Chicago in the
next three days viii really determine
how many roads are ready to accept the
scheme.
I
The situation is somewhat analogous
to that which brought an end to the
| soft coal strike when John l.. Lewis,
| succeeded in persuading enough coal
| operators to sign the peace agreement
| at Cleveland. In that case, however
/ the coal operators were more or less
| compelled by competitive conditions to
! fan into line after a powerful group of
| coal operators had signed the agreement
/ The railroads who do not wish to ac-
cept the Jewell-Willard plan. however.
are in a different position. Roads like
the Pennsylvania, for instance. feel that
| they can get along without taking the
strikers back and that they can hold
out for q much more definite surrender
on the part of their former employees so
! that the lesson will be firmly implanted
on the the minds of all those who shall
dare to strike on the mighty PennSyl-
vania again.
In other words. the railroads who feel
| the pinch are settling the strike. This
means that on the whole transportation
| will be materially improved and the
| coal-caFrying roads are expected to fall
in line one after the other in ratifying
the agreements made in Chicago. Off
/ cial Washington believes the Chicago ne
! gotiatOns mean the beginning of the end
| of the strike and the word passed around
| here from both labor and railroad
sources would seem to Indicate as much,
| though the ''irreconcilables' or die
hard" element in the railroad group are
| not showing any signs of change OF
| position. What they will do after the
| Chicago peace treaty IS signed is an
| other question but it is probable that
1 the 10000 miles will be gradually in
creased so that very few systems will re-
! main ont of the strike settlement.