Evening star., 1941-12-01
Hope Fades for Pact
To Avert Rail Strike,
But Talks Go On
Head Of Roosevelt Bourd
Discouraged os 23-Hour
Conferences Fail
r, the A Ssoclated Press.


p, the Associated Press.
President Roosevelts special Fact
Finding Board continued sessions
today in efforts to mediate the
threatened strike of 350,000 railway
operating employees after a mara
thon Sunday session OF nearly %
hours brought no results.
The board members made no COM
ment as they went back together
after three hour recess. AS they
broke up their day and night meet
ing earlier Chairman Wayne l..
Morse said he was not so hopeful
as was"
During the night Mr.. Morse had
indicated he believed progress was
being made toward avertlng the
strike but when the board recessed
SIS am, he declared:
The situation hasn't looked so
Good tor the last three hours as
II did earlier in the evening.
There appears no chance OF
getting any report to the PreSl-
dent until late this afternoon or
tonight" Mr.. Morse added. IF l
think there is still hope OF reach
ing a settlement in another night
am authorized to keep the parties
In session"
Pattern for Truce Found.
Chairman Morse said a general
pattern for a possible settlement
had grown out of the conferences,
bur that the Fact-Finding Board
itself had not as vet offered rec
concentrations for settling the dis
pute.
We are still hoping the parties
will devise the terms themselves"
he declared
II was understood that the five
railroad operating brotherhoods had
reached tentative agreement on
terms for settlement of the issues,
but that the representatives OF the
IA operating brotherhoodS hao
failed to subscribe to this agree
ment
Boards Report Due Today.
The Fact-Fmding Board had been
ordered to report 10 the President
TO-DAY on tne results Vi It's choi u
tn settle the dispute.
The brotherhoods demanded orig
finally a 80 per cent increase Tor
operating employees whose pay
ranged from S506 a day up. and
increases of 80 TO "a cents an hour
for incorporating employees, who
received 35 to 85 cents an hour
The railroads estimated the annual
cost of such increases at 5000 900 900
end turned down the demands.
The Fact-Finding Board recon-
mended on November increases
Of T. per cent for the operating
group and 9 cents an hour for most
of the others. The railroads were
acreea BILE, but the brotherhoods
baked. The five operating brother
hoods issued the December 7 strike
call. The IA incorporating brother
hoods did not call strike. but
advised their members to be ready
for valkout order.
Cases Argued Again.
President Roosevelt thereupon di-
rected the board to reopen the case.
Friday and Saturday the board
heard The brotherhoods and man
agement argue their cases anew.
Yesterday representatives. Of the
carriers and their employes-about
100 persons in all-started their
conferences in the Raleigh Hotel
WAYNE Morse, chairman of the
board. urged the conferees. IN the
settlement without a paralyzing
and, in the chairman's opinion, an
uniustif1able railroad strike
The conferees divided into four
eroupS-the opera ting brotherhoodS
the non-operat ting brotherhoods
management representatives and
the board itself Chairman Morse
was busy all day and all night shut
ting from one hotel suite to an
other. carrying suggestions and pro-
poSals. or seeking to smooth out
difficulties.
Other Strike Fronts Pictured.
Elsewhere the labor front pre-
sented this picture:
c. I. o. workers at Bell Aircraft
Corps plants in Buffalo. N. Y, Votec
Yesterday to strike at 8 a m. Wed
nesday in support Of demands 1ol
wage increases. a union shop ano
the dues checkoff system.
The company. maker OF the AR
scobra ,P-39I pursuit plane. has
more than sl50,O00.000 of orders
from the United States and Great
Britain.
The union. which claims so pei
cent of the II 900 workers at the tWf
plants are members, asked a blanke1
wage raise OF 20 cents an hour ano
an increase in minimum pay from
80 to Is cents an hour in ADDITION
to the checkoff and union shop. II
said the company offered a genera
ln-cent wage increase and oo-cen'
starting minimum r9iSed IN 10 cent'
after so DAYS, but refused the union
shop and chcckof.
Thomas F. Finn. Federal con-
ciliator, said he would call both sizes
tocether for renewed conferences
this afternoon.
Metal Workers Set DeadiIne.
Another strike threat in Buffalo
dcvclorod Yesterday when c. |. Q
cn,plovre It the Ar'orlcan MGS'
ncsium Corn. plant set December
as the tcadlire fer action by thf
companv on union demand Tor
l5-cent hourly increase IN presen
scales Of 73 to 81 cents. The plan
hires 900 and is working on defens'
orders.
G / O.'S A'Nminum Workers 0
America po"Tcd TO discuss tooa.
with officials ct the Aluminium GO
OF America a wage controversy IN
volvine $4,000 employees. The unloi
asks elimination Of wage dlHeren
tials between Northern and South
e~n rlonts End ? nav ir"reaSe 10
richt shift vor,-crs in Now Ken
sincton. Pa.
The c. I. q. United Automohll
Workers ratified yesterday an agree
ment 10 end a two-week strike
the Atlas Drop Forge Co, Lansine
Mich which has orders for tam