The New York herald., 1922-08-25
MEET AGAIN TO-DAY
No Result Expected, How
ever, as Most of Roads Con-
slider Strike Broken.
LOOMS BLAMES LEADERS
Lehigh President Says They
Are Safely Responsible for
the Trouble.


A committee of five railroad presi-
dents conferred yesterday with the
brotherhood chiefs in an effort to erd
the shop crafts strike on certain in
dividual roads constituting about 80
per cent. of the railroads OF the United
States. The majority OF the roads are
through talking peace. after Wednes-
days failure. They consider the strike
broken.
The minority group and the brother
hoods will meet again to-day. They
discussed various plans at the Yale
Club from 10 A. M. TO p. NJ. yester-
day. but got nowhere
Were like bats. We can't see our
way out one Of the brotherhood
leaders said last night
No official statement will be made
until the conference ends. II the men
agree to go back TO work they mist
forfeit their seniority rights. which Is
something they have declared they will
never dc. II they refuse the strike
probably win go on untn attrition
ends il.
Fnling strikers Joba.
Each day the Eastern roads report
the officials ask Is TO be let alone and
their mechanical department presently
will be back TO normal. they say.
The strikers say they will redouble
their efforts to win. but unless they can
get some OF the other railroad unions
to Join them there seems to be little
they can do. The engineers. firemen,
conductors and trainmen have refused to
join. The maintenance OF way men are
considering II, but most OF them are laid
off in October anyway when the ground
freezes.
President Harding tried twice to end
the strike and failed and now has asked
Congress for strike legislation. Rail-
road equipment is In bad shape, but the
roads have spent SC much money night
ing the strike and have lost SO much
in freight haulage because Of faulty
equipment that they are determined to
keep on ffghting.
The Interstate Commerce Commission
will issue report to-day showing how
many locomotives need repair. II is
understood that the commission esti-
mates about so per cent, but its
figures are based on the condition of
various safety appliances. some Of which
are not essential to operation
Loomis Blames headers.
f. z. Loomis. president OF the Lehigh
Vapey Railroad. who returned from
Europe Wednesday, issued a statement
yesterday In part as follows:
with the shopmen apparently willing
n return to work a; the wages fixed
by the labor boari--whlch leaves them
stfil better paid worklnen than men in
tie employ OF other industries-their
leaders solely responsible for the trouble.
assert the railroads have closed the
doors TO a settlement and seek 10 put
on them the onus Of continuing the
strike simply because they will not dis
place loyal men with those who quit at
the command OF the union leaders.
"If the men who struck are allowed
T. dominate the situation by taking the
l.
morale OF our supervisory officers who
have borne the brunt OF the hgh; and
= no by their efforts have kept the rail-
roads running, will be shattered"
Seniority Is the issue on which every
: ttempt a, peace has found cred Al
though no official reports of yesterdays
meeting were released. Il was said un-
officially that seniority would wreck the
present conference as Il has the others.
The railroad committee IS headed ny
Daniel willard. president OF the Baiti-
more and Ohio. The other members are
4 III Smith. president OF the New York
central Hale Holden, president Chicago,
burlington and Quincy I Charles =. Dom
nelly. president Northern Pacific and
n 70. Maher. presid Of the Norfolk
ard Western.
The "Blg Four" committee Of mediar
tors consists Of w. 5. Stone, engineers
r, 4. Sheppard. conductors Z. w. Rob
ertson. aremen w. -. Doak, trainmen,
and r. c. Cashcn. switchmen.
The Minority Roads.
The roads seeking separate peace are
the Chicago and Northwestern. Chicago,
milwaukee, and 81. Paul; Chicago. Bur
ltrRton and quincy Northern Pacitic.
Ncw York Central. Eric, New York, Chi
caro and ST. Louis; Chesapeake and
ohio Norfolk and Western, Buffalo.
Rochester and Pittsburgh Baltimore
and ohio, Norfolk Southern, Wheeling
and Lake Erie. Lehigh and New Eng
land. Rock Island. Minneapolis and *.
Louis. Louisville and Arkansas and Ala
bama and Nicksburg.
Allied with them. II was said, are
about twenty-five subsidiary roads, also
seeking 10 make terms with their shop
men. The total mileage is $4,000, about
one-third OF the total for the United
states