The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1922-07-29
WILL REQUIRE WEEK
FOR SETTLEMENT
Negotiations With Strikers
to Be Carried on By Sec
tiOns, Taking More Time
SENIORITY RIGHTS
STILL INDEFINITE
Exact Formula for Handling lit May BE
Decided by Railroad Executives Tues
day - Roads Quite Successful In
Getting Strikebreakers.
By DAVID LAWRENCE.

BY DAVID LAWRENCE.
Especial Despatch to The ReformerD
Copyright 1922.
: WASHINGTON, July 29.-The basis
for settlement of the. railroad strike
now has been arranged.
Fully week win be required for the
actual operation of the plan which re-
ouires on the one hand ratification by a
meeting of the 14S railroad executives
in New York next Tuesday and further
conference on the other side between
President Harding and the railroad
workmen.
Negotiations will be carried on by
regions This will take more time than
if the procedure had been agreed upon
through a national adjustment board
but the representatives of the strikers
have not insisted upon that process and
are willing to take advantage of the ma
ehinerY set up by the transportation act
for regional adjustments.
This attitude on the part of spokeS-
| men of the strikers reflects substantial
! progress as it means that one issue which
| Threatened to produce deadlock Is
swept aside.
i As IOf the seniority rights tue tAdC'
\ formula for handling the problem de
ponds largely upon the reception which
4 will be given at next Tuesdays meeting
4 to a series of suggestions conveyed by
/ President Harding in person to Il. De
| Witt Cuyler, chairman of the associa-
ton of railway executives.
Situation Decidedly Hopeful
Broadly, the situation is decidedly
! hopeful, in fact, barring any unforeseen
delays the strike on the railroads can be
! considered as virtually settled now. IT.
/ ending might have come last night but
/ for the decision that it might be wiser
to call all the AS railroad executives
! together SO that their action might con
4 stitute an assurance to the railroad
workmen of uniformity of treatment.
While the association of railway exec
| utives is purely an advisory body. new
4 ertheless its resolutions have III the pas
/ been accepted by the minority of Their
number Thus President Harding. who
| knows that the large majority of railroad
Il executives will be reasonable about the
/ questions at issue is strategically over
coming possible barriers that might b
/ raised by an otherwise irreconcilabl,
minority of extremists.
Il President Harding did not attempt il
his conference with Mr.. Cuyler dicta
torial attitude. He presented with char
N acteristic amiability what seemed to hin
the obstacles to a settlement and thu
grave danger which might confront thu
country if the railroad strike were pro
longed. UnqueStlOnably Mr.. Harding
sees much merit in the contention of th
railroads that the restoration of senior
ity rights would be a breach of faitl
with the workmen who did not strik,
but being faced with 4 practical situa
ton Mr. Harding is anxious to waiv
for the time being at least, a settlement
l1E Ay,k hat IL. ,srrI
get back to normal and resume coal ear
rying.
Can Get Strikebreakers.
The roads themselves are more or les
satisfied with the progress they hav
been making in hiring strikebreaker
anu are not as deeply concerned over
| possible upheaval as is President Hard
ing But the railroad executives on tn
Il other hand feel a responsibility to tn
| President of the United States which
will make them hesitate to put their owl
predictions to test. They know tina
the Presidents insistence on a settle
/ ment cannot be resisted and that the!
must make every reasonable concession
L in the interest of peace. Administra
i ton officials plainly sympathiZe with TIL
| stand railroad executives have takeI
| with respect to seniority rights hut real
II ize that to carry the fight on it to ex
II tremes will not get transportation enough
to carry coal. Many of the men VIII,
i took the places of the strikers are ex
/ perienced workers Large numbers o
1 them were laid off | 4 the railroads
few months ago when curtailment o
personnel was being generally ordere,
throughout the railroad world lit il
difficult to tell just how many are forme
employees many. fearing the wrath o
their union brethren, have convinced
their superiors they worked for railroads
before az they seem to know their jobs
President Says Stop.
The railroads have, therefore, been il
a better position to fight the strike thar
ever before and the executives are con
fdent that a prolonged fight would
surely mean ultimate success. The gov
eminent is not going to permit pro
longed fight. President Harding insist
that it must come to an end and within
a few days. The vexatious seniorit.