The New York herald., 1922-07-09
STRIKE NEWS DIFFERS
Shopmen Veil a Threat to
Call Out the Men in
Power Houses.
COAL SHORTAGE is FELT
Long Island Road Establishes
: Lodging House for Use of
New Employees.

Announcement was made by the
metropolitan district strike committee
yesterday that the coal supply of New
England from the Panther Creek coal
fields of Pennsylvania had been seri-
ously interrupted by the shopmen's
strike through the waikout of 75o
shopmen at the Penn Argyle plant of
the Lehigh and New England Rail
road. Coal men, however. discounted
the Importance of the announcement.
explaining that there had been prac-
tically no anthracite production in the
Panther Creek fields since April I, and
that, except pea coal. all the coal re-
serves had been moved by May 1.
The same conflicting statements by
both sides Of the controversy con-
tinued to be made. The central strike
committee, in its headquarters at the
Continental. hinted broadly at a pos
sible walkout to-day or tomorrow Of
the men in the power houses Of the
roads touching New York city. This,
however was only a repetition OF
previous predictions.
Twenty passenger trains on tho Erie
Railroad, most Of them used in handling
suburban traffic In and out of New York.
will be withdrawn from the service to-
morrow. The company yesterday posted
notices at its terminal In Jersey City and
in New York ferry houses that the
twenty trains. whose numbers were
given. will be annualled until further no
tice. ION account Of the coal shortage"
While nothing appeared in the notice
with regard to the strike Of the railroad
shopmen. it is thought that this strike
and that of the coal miners in the Penn
sylvania soft coal fields have operated
together to cause the Erie to take pre-
cautionary measures.
On the other hand. 200 strikers In the
went back to their jobs in the morning
| after having been on strike q week, and
the road officials issued their first forma
statement on the situation denying an.
nouncement from Utica that freight
trains had been Cancelled and schedule.
| cut down.
strikers Reports Denied.
| The railroads statement said In part
| Not single freight train or passen.
ger train has been cancelled. nor one
ran l,r oil odVr1a ~. An
York Central system, but to the contrary
the heavy holiday passenger trafflc
which was unprecedented in our history
was handled promptly and with the ad,
| dition Of nearly forty trains to the regu
lar schedules.
| The publication that freight traini
were Cancelled stated that this was an
nounced in Utica. but the officials of tht
New York Central ar Utica, including
the division superintendent and other Of
ficers made no such statement, and wer,
not given any opportunity to tell the tru'
facts, though the publication Of this mis-
! information was calculated to injure TIL,
railroad land it's loyal working forces
and mlslead the public and appeared
to be wholly unjustified.
| "As for freight service. q very ileav!
| tonnage is being moved without an,
unusual delay. both East and West
throughout the extent Of the New Yorl
Central system. There Is no shortag
of engines in good condition, and ampl
provision has been made for the main
tenance of locomotives sufficient 70
| every need.
The passenger service has been nbso
lutely uninterrupted and will continue /
fill the heavy demands of an unusuall,
general summer travel.
Reports to-day are that former reau
lar employees are returning to apply 70
their old positions all along the line, wit
| most satisfactory return at several o
the larger shops. The car repair shops
| which were least affected by the walk
out, at numerous points are running wit
forces 100 per cent. strong. and som
have been compelled to refer applicant
for employment to other shops.
TN the engine terminals and locomo
tive repair shops the forces are smalle
than In the car shops. but they are bein
augmented daily and the crews perma
nently organized The car inspector,
who have to do with train operation q
terminals, are recruited up sufficient
assure uninterrupted train movement"
strikers Issue warming.
Efforts to tighten up the situation fror
the strikers standpoint were evider
about their headquarters. A statemen
was given out warning the public G
possible accidents through broken dow
equipment and predicting that the ei
feet of the strike would begin to be fe
this week. The repairs being made b
inexperienced" strike breakers were dc
scribed by the strikers as unreliable"
J. l.. McEntee. international repre-
sentative Of the machinists. was adde
to the strike committee as an organize
and to act as liaison officer with organi
zations in New Jersey and Connection
An extensive program of meetings 70
this week has peen arranged throughou
the district. The official statement issue
q strike headquarters follows:
THE end of tho first week of tn
strike finds the railroads entering Ne,
York on the verge OF gradual break
down Of their rolling stock. Practicall
no repair work has been done during tn
week to cars or engines in any OF tn
local shops.
"The effects Of the strike will begi
to be felt next week. Delays at term
nails and on the road through shortas
of car inspectors and engine and ca
breakdowns will increase. The nun
Der OF cars on passenger trains will b
curtailed and an increasing number {
trains will be annulled Cars and er
gines which would have been laid u
for repairs In normal times are sti
being run. What few repairs have bee
made by inexperienced strikebreaker er
Al f~I<