New Britain herald., 1922-07-05
Survey of Conditions About Country Made From Chicago Indicates Ranks are Being Broken
B. and M., B. and A. and
 New Haven Roads All Re. ]. port Conditions As Great | ly Improved Sinse Sat. <

" improved OlnSe OaL.
 Chicago, July (By Associated Press).-Striking railway shopmen who walked out in answer to the nation wide call from the headquAr- ters of the six shop crafts unions here last Saturday were reported drifting lack to work today in groups of un. certain numbers.
 Today was considered the turning point in the strike of the 35o.000 workers. Although responding gen. ! erally to the call last Saturday rail- road officials insisted many of the de- fections were due to the desire of the men to take holiday over the Fourth of July
 Local union reports to the office of B. M. Jewell head of the shopmen, reiterated the union assertion that the strike was 100 percent. effective. Maintenance Men Quit. Maintenance of way men, despite the decision of that unions executive council here last night to postpone strike action for the present, were also said to be joining the walkout. Such reports reached President Jeweil's headquarters and were confirmed by news dispatches.
 Freight handlers. clerks and sta- tionary firemen and oilers joined the deserting ranks of shopmen at var1- ous points, although fully as many shops reported that men were return ing to work today. The railroads generally were advertising for new men to take the strikers places and { some roads were completing arrange ments to handle their repairs out side.
 Boston, July 5.-Hhile striking shopmen of the Boston and Maine, Boston and Albany and New Haven railroads prepared for their first joint mass meeting this afternoon officials of the roads reported that many of them returned to their jobs today. Conditions on all the lines. it was said. were better than at any time since the strike began.
 The Boston and Albany announced that full forces were on duty at im- portant centers.
 Officials of the Boston and Maine and New Haven said men were work> ing in departments affected by the strike.
 Robert Fencher member of the zen. eral executive board of the internA- ticnal association of mochinists was announced as a speaker at the shop- Q TH r1A zie. division president of the railway department. American Federation of Labor also was scheduled to speak.
 Better in New York.
 New York, July 5.-Officials of tho chief railroads in the New York dis trict today reported the return to work of hundreds of striking shop craft men who walked out Saturday. They asserted that the situation in most shops was much improved" and that recruiting of men to fill vacan- cies was going on rapidly.
 Besides the union men who re-en- tered the shops today to claim their various yards, prepared to work the usual shift, but were dissuaded at the yard gates by union pickets it was declared by railroad executives. Mem- bers of the strike conduct" commit- tee of the crafts admitted this to be true in a series of addresses in rail- road centers but declared they had kept out every man who was out Mon- lay and had added few more.
 Getting Definite Reports.
 For the first time since the strike was called employers and union lead- ITS expect today to be able to de- ermine how the strike call has been answered and how the shops of the II roads in the metropolitan district nave been affected. David Williams spokesman for the conduct committee 'laimed its estimate of 1s,ooo to 22,- 700 would be verified. Rail chiefs however topped several thousands rom their previous estimates of 1f,- 100.
 Penna. R. R. Statement.
 The Pennsylvania road said to have ,een hard hit on the Long Island di- -ision issued a statement declaring the situation has been met success uly, and there will be no trouble"
  Denying reports that power house men walking out at Long Island had dv- ayed all trains yesterday. road of- cials declared heavy traffic had been he sole cause of delays. On July 1, was said the road broke all records y sending 900 trains aggregating G. no cars from the Pennsylvania ter- linal in "A hours.
 The superintendent of motive pow r of the Central Railroad of New ersey reported after the start of the 'orkday that most of it's Elizabeth ort shopmen where the walkout was onsidered one Of the most serious in lis district returned to their jobs lis morning.
 Men Are Paid ON.
 New Haven, July 5.-The shopmen l local shops were paid of today ithout incident. Ii is understood nat the mechanical department of 1e road is centering its efforts here n the Cedar Hill yards by sending II work there instead of using the bring street shops.
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