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Show ADAMSON LAW NOT SFFECTIVE STRIKE BREAKER Danger of a Nation Wide Strike Still Exists Representatives of Railroads and 400,000 Employees Fail to Reach Agreement That the Adamson law has failed in its mission as a strike averter, is apparent from the following dispatches dispat-ches from New York, via the Associated Asso-ciated Press: New York, Nov. 16. Danger of a nation wide railroad strike, which was believed to have been averted by the passage of the Adamson 8-hour 8-hour law, has not entirely disappeared, disappear-ed, it developed here today when representatives rep-resentatives of the railroads and the four brotherhoods, comprising 400,-000 400,-000 employees, failed to reach an agreement as to the proper application appli-cation of the new law. Thestum-bling Thestum-bling block, both sides admitted, was the existing mileage system of compensation. com-pensation. The announcement of the latest deadlock between the railroads and their employees came at the conclusion conclu-sion of an all-day conference between the national conference committee of the railways and the brotherhood chiefs, which had been arranged in September. "We met," said Elisha Lee, chairman chair-man of the railroad managers and the conference, "for the purpose of exchanging ideas on the application and operation of the Adamson law. We failed to reach an agreement and we are not certain that another meeting meet-ing will take place." Strike Order in Effect. William G. Lee, president of the Brotherhood of Railway Trainmen, spokesman for the employees in the absence of A. B. Garretson, of the Order of Railway Conductors, declared declar-ed in a statement that in the event of an evasion by the railroads of the Adamson law, eummary action will be taken by the brotherhoods. He said that the strike order, which-was directly responsible for the law, still was in effect and the brotherhoods brother-hoods would not' hesitate to enforce is if the occasion warrented it. "The brotherhoods asked for this conference," said Mr. Lee. "At the morning session, we discussed the application ap-plication of the law and found that there was no basis upon which we could possibly agree. Another setback, set-back, besides the eliminating of the 'mileage system, was the determination determin-ation of the railroads to continue their suits to determine the constitutionality consti-tutionality of the law." Crux of Problem The mileage system of compensation, compensa-tion, the basis of which is the number num-ber of miles traversed by a train crew and not the actual hours of work is the crux of the problem that, a railroad authority said, may result in the development of a situation situ-ation similar to the one which 'brought into being the Adamson law. "Frankly," said Chairman Lee of the conference committee, in discussing discuss-ing this phase of the situation, "the trouble lies in the fact that neither the railroads nor the men know definitely defi-nitely how the law should be applied. "We have our own ideas as to how the law should be applied if at all, as suits to test its validity are now pending, while the brotherhoods have their own ideas." Outcome Doubtful Chairman Lee added that ho was not able to predict the probable outcome out-come of the difficulty. He sairl, however, how-ever, that negotiations might be resumed re-sumed by calling another conference. This possibility was strengthened by the announcement of the brotherhood brother-hood chiefs, that they, with the exception ex-ception of President Lee, of the trainmen's train-men's organization, proposed to remain re-main here for several days. President Presi-dent Lee left for his home in Cleveland Cleve-land tonight. He said it was his intention in-tention to join his conferees in Washington Wash-ington Monday, where they will go to attend the opening session of the Newlands investigating committee Besides William G. Lee. the brotherhood broth-erhood chief, at the conference were: j Warren S. Stone of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers; W. S. Carter. Car-ter. Ili oi hei hood of Locomotive Firemen Fire-men and Knginemen; E. L. Sheppard. acting president of the Order of Railway Rail-way Conductors in the absence of Mr. Garretson who is on an exttjnded va-cal va-cal ion. |