Norwich bulletin., 1922-08-17
President May Delay
 His Rail Message
To Await Outcome of Con- ference Today of Union Chiefs and Road Execu- tives.

Washington, Aug. 16.-(By the A. P.) Agreement between railroad executives and railroad labor organization leaders to hold another conference tomorrow in New York to seek a settlement of the shopmen's strike it was said today, had resulted questioning the desira bi ity Of l making his expected report to congress and the country on the strike situation within the next few hours. Plans made for the reception of his communication tomorrow at a joint session of the house and senate consequently were un-
 derstood to be on the verge of a revision tonight, as the president was represented
 as being desirous of withholding his
 statement of the case if the union chiefs
 and the railroad presidents could hold out any prospect of mutually satis- | factory settlement.
 Heads of the seven railroad labor or
 ganizations on strike met today with the officials of unions not involved in the
 controversy and after some delay reach 1 ed decision to take almost the entire l group to New York for the discussions I with the executives. Though officers of the five organizations of train service | employees, the engineers, conductors, fire
 men, brakemen and swtchmen, will be the only ones actually to meet with the committee of railway executives, their chairman, Warren S. Stone, declared they desired close at hand all the strike leaders and the spokesmen for all the
 other railroad unions.
 MT. Stone and the brotherhood officials
 who, will meet with the rail executives
 declared they were not taking any pre-
 pared proposition to the meeting with
 na
 ''I wouldn't be fool enough to put it in
 the newspapers if I had one, anyway" "
 Mir. Stone remarked.
 L. E. Sheppard, president of the Order
 of Conductors, said the demand of the
 strikers for full seniority status in case
 of their return to work could not be
 modified and the views of the strike , leaders appeared to coincide entirely
 with this position. The seniority ques- tion has been the crucial issue in the strike situation ever since the organiza } tions now out of service agreed to order
 their men back pending re-hearings be fore the railroad labor board of wage
 cuts which went into effect Puly l. President Harrison of the Southern !! ! railway who announced early this weel after attempting unsuccessfully to dea separately with the striking unions or the basis of granting them the seniorit, - demand, that the Southern railwa, :, would proceed to employ outside men ! issued statement today declaring tha o people all over. the s9afh now deTnan : tthat this strike be fought out" PubH q opinion could restore normal. transporta = tion, he said, but if it supports, the de : termination of the striking shopmen t 5, disregard the tribunal set. up by con d grtss to them justice, and agrees tha 8 they may. write their own pay chec:z, n then there may be resumption of wor
 on that basis, but freight rates mus
 again be increased"
 President Harding who was -understoo L to be preparing his message to congress
 theld discussions concerning it during tn , day with Senator Lodge. the republica d leader in the senate. It. was considere | certain, advisers said, that he, would nc request legislation to deal with the ra
 | strike. although it was regarded < le probably he would assure. congress ths :. such request would be made if tt S situation necessitated. It was said to be his intention to ey :, plain the whole industrial situation ,r the. light of steps taken by the admins v- tration with reference to the strikes an ,f it. was considered probable that he wou ! c express a determination to give feder. fl aid and protection to efforts to keep il a- railroads running This ,detern1ina atiu r. 1t was suggested, inclined him to dels on his announcements for a few hours e. least, lest. they affect the continued q to forts of on-striking unions to media 1a for the strikers