66 
NORTH SHORE BREEZE and Reminder_ June 30, 1916. 
Inquiry or 
Ci Strike f 
Faced by demands from the conductors, engineers, firemen and braken:_n 
that would impose on the country an additional burden in transportation costs of 
$100,000,000 a year, the railroads propose that this wage problem be settled by 
reference to an impartial Federal tribunal. 
With these employes, whose efficient service is acknowledged, the railroads 
have no differences that could not be considered fairly and decided justly by such 
a public body. 
Railroads Urge Public Inquiry and Arbitration 
The formal proposal of the railroads to the employes for the settlement of 
the controversy is as follows: 
**Our conferences have demonstrated that we cannot harmonize our differences of opinion and that eventually the 
matters in controversy must be passed upon by other and disinterested agencies. Therefore, we propose that your 
proposals and the proposition of the railways be disposed of by one or the other of the following methods: 
1. Preterably by submission to the Interstate Commerce Commission, the only tribunal which, by reason of its 
accumulated information bearing on railway conditions and its control of the revenue of the railways, is in a posie 
tion to consider and protect the rights and equities of all the interests affected, and to provide additional revenue 
necessary to meet the added cost u‘ operation in case your proposals are found by the Commission to be just and 
reasonable; or, in the event the li. :rstate Commerce Commission cannot, under existing laws, act in the premises, 
that we jointly request Congress to take such action as may be necessary to enable the Commission to consider and 
promptly dispose of the questions involved; or 
@. By arbitration in accordance with the provisions of the Federal law’’ (The Newlands Act). 
Leaders Refuse Offer and Take Strike Vote 
Leaders of the train service brotherhoods, at the joint conference held in Nuw 
York, June 1-15, refused the offer of the railroads to submit the issue to arbitration 
or Federal review, and the employes are now voting on the question whether 
authoricy shall be given these leaders to declare a nation-wide strike. 
The Interstate Commerce Commission is proposed by the railroads as the 
public body to which this issue ought to be referred for these reasons: 
No other body with such an intimate know:edge ployes as wages; and the money to pay increased wages 
of railroad conditions has such an unquestioned posi- can come from no other source than the rates paid 
tion in the public confidence by the public. 
The rates the railroads may charge the public for The Interstate Commerce Commission, with its con- 
transportation are now largely fixed ‘by this Govern: trol over rates, is in a position to make a complete 
ment board. investigation and render such decision as would pro- 
Out of every dollar received by the railroads trom tect the interests of the railroad employes, the owners 
the public nearly one-haJf is paid directly to the em- of the railroads, and the public. 
A Question For the Public to Decide 
The railroads feel that they have no right to grant a wage preferment of 
$10,000,000 a year to these employes, now highly paid and constituting only 
one-ufth of all the employes, without a clear mandate from a public tribunal that 
shall determine the merits of the case after a review of all the facts. 
The single issue before the country 1s whether this controversy 1s to be-settled by an 
impartial Government inquiry or by industrial warfare. 
National Conference Committee of the Railways 
ELISHA LEE, Chairman 
P.R. ALBRIGHT, Gen’! Manager G. H. EMERSON, Gen’! Manages. N. D. MAHER, Vice-Presidenp, 
Atlantic Coast Line Railroad. Great Northern Railway. Norfolk & Western Railway 
L. W. BALDWIN, Gen'l Manager. C. H. EWING, Gen’! Manager, JAMES RUSSELL, Gen’! Manager 
Central of Georgia Railway. Philadelphia & Reading Railway Denver & Rio Grande Railroid 
C. L. BARDO, Gen’) Manager, BE. W. GRICE, Gen’! Supt. Transp. A. M. SCHOYER, Resident Vice- Pres. 
New York, New Haven & Hartford Rauroad Chesapeake & Ohio Railway Pennsylvania Lines West. 
E.H. COAPMAN, Vice-President A. S. GREIG, Asst. to Receivers, W. L. SEDDON, Vice-Pres., 
Southern Railway. St. Louis & San Francisco Railroad. Seaboard Air Line Kailway 
8. E. COTTER, Gen’l Manager C. W. KOUNS, Gen’! Manager, A.J. STONE; Vice-President 
Wabash Railway Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway. Erie Railroad 
P. E. CROWLEY, Asst. Vice- Presidene, A. W. McMASTER, Gen'l Manager G. S. WAID, Vice-Pres & Gent Mee 
New York Central Railway Wheeling & Lake Erie Railroad Sunset Central Lines 
