Evening star., 1934-03-21
PRESIDENT SHAPES
AUTO PEACE PLAN
Meets Manufacturers Today
and Sees Labor Lead
erS Tomorrow.

CContinued From First Page)
of transportation, Joseph B. East
man"
In a letter to w F. Thiehoff chair
man of the Conference Committee OF
Railroad Managers Mr.. Whitney con-
cluded:
1T is evident nothing can be gained
at this time by further discussions
between our respective committees"
Rail Men Drop Plan.
The agreement by railroad man.
ayers to continue the present 10 per
cent basic wage reduction, following
a request by the President that they
do so in the public interest" repre-
sented a withdrawal from Their in
tentiOn TO reduce wages 10 per cent.
Rail labor, Just before Mr.. RooSe-
veltS action yesterday. demanded a
90 per cent increase above the pres
ent level, or 10 per cent above the
wage prevailing when the present cut
was instituted year or so ago.
The acceptance by the railroad
managers of Mr.. RooSevelt'S proposal
was contained in a letter from THE
hoff. Thiehof expressed, on behalf
of the operators a Willingness to
conform to the program set forth in
your letter and to exert our best ef-
forts to reach an agreement in re-
Spect thereto.
Thiehoff. in a letter to Whitney.
said, after mentioning withdrawal OF
the IS per cent proposal, that this
agreement for an extension of time
would avoid the necessity for further
negotiations and meetings through
out of the year 1884 and yet give
to you and us an opportunity for
orderly procedure thereafter. if that
should become necessary under con-
ditionS then existing ~
In regard to the point raised by the
President. that the pay of some rail
employes is said to be below min
imums in the n R A codes. Thiehof
told Whitney the managers were ready
to treat on this issue also.
Fears Textile Strike.
Before the Senate Labor Commit
tee, meantime. Francis j. German,
NlCS pIcSlutII VI J4lC OllAbCo SHlAAN
Workers OF America, said that unless
the Wagner bill, outlawing company
unions, was enacted. officers of the
union would have to sanction a strike
by Southern textile employees. He
said they were clamoring for one as a
method of protesting against eXplolta-
ton by employers.
German testified the N R. A. code
had brought the minimum wage in
the South from So to SO week, but
that the wages of skilled workers
had been cut to the minimum rather
generally.
"Seventy-fve per cent of the en-
ployers in the South accepted the
labor section in the recovery act with
their fingers crossed" he said.
Some have said, Join the union
If you will but you won't work here "
The Wagner bill, German added,
will give the opportunity to protect
the wages of workers in the higher
brackets Now we are up against a
stone wall on that problem"
Sees Union Right Involved.
Green denied union recognition was
the issue in the auto dispute and
maintained the sole point was
whether the employers would grant
the right Of the unions under the law
to exist in their plants.
Il got EN- close together, but
couldn't get EN- all the way" said
Gen. johnson after his return early
today from New York conferences
with the executives
AS the automobile executives and
johnson transferred the scene of their
conferences to Washington, there were
signs in plenty that an agreement
might be hard to gain.
Collins, after announcing in Detroit
that so union delegates had voted
unanimously for postponement, said:
If no satisfactory agreement is
reached at the Washington confer
ence, they can go ahead with their
strike"
Bitter Views Expressed.
Statements on both sides Of the
turers, just before returning to Wash
ington, said;
The manufacturers assert they
have complied with the law in let
ter and spirit and that Mr.. Green
is using his official position in N. R. A.
and on the National Labor Board to
foment the strike in hope the men
will believe the Government is be-
hind the American Federation of La
Dor in its efforts to organize them"
Collins said in Detroit, after the
strike truce was declared:
Il am hopeful that the President
will accomplish what the recovery act
and its administrators evidently have
failed to do
President Roosevelt's telegram yes
terday asking postponement of the
automobile workers strike, said:
In the public interest l am con-
strained to request you to withhold
strike action called for this afternoon
until I can have a conference in
Washington in an effort to reconcile
existing differences 1 suggest Thurs
day. Will you advise me immedi-
ately?"
Latest advices to official sources
here have indicated that the fedora
ton has gained such strength in the
Flint, Mich, Fisher body plants that
a strike-if not forestalled-probably
would close them completely and so
compel the shutdown of General
Motors small car plants in Detroit,
whether a substantial number of men
there walked out or not.
HOLDS A. F. L. AMERICAN.