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Show PACKING DISPUTANTS WILL CONFER TODAY Labor Controversy Principals Princi-pals to Confer at Request of Mediation Board. "WASHINGTON, Jan. 24. Principals in the packing house labor dispute will meet tomorrow in their first joint conference since the president's mediation commission commis-sion undertook to compose differences arising from the alleged failure of the packers to observe a recent arbitration agreement. Secretary Wilson extended the invitations invita-tions for the conference, after the employees' em-ployees' representatives had presented a letter for transmission to the packers, requesting re-questing an immediate joint discussion of "matters of grave import to. the nation." na-tion." James G. Condon, counsel for the packers, said tonight that the letter was not delivered to his clients and that the packers were going to the conference at the request of the secretary of labor. In accepting the invitation, J. Ogden Armour and his associates declared it was their understanding that the meeting meet-ing was not to be a conference with union representatives or in any sense recognition of any union. The meeting was to have been held today but other business detained the commission and it was put over until tomorrow. Mr. Armour, Ar-mour, E. A. Cudahy, Edward F. Swift and Thomas E. Wilson, for their respective respec-tive companies, signed the letter of acceptance, ac-ceptance, which follows: "Last evening Mr. Felix Frankfurter, the secretary of the president's mediation commission, of which you are chairman, communicated to us your request that we meet with you and the commission this afternoon and he also informed us that to such meeting you would invite certain other individuals. "Mr. Frankfurter, in advising us of your wishes, stated that such meeting was not intended to be, nor would it be, a meeting with union representatives, or a recognition of any union or unions on our part and that, if we complied with your request, you, would make such fact plain to all present at the meeting. "It has always been our custom and policy to discuss labor conditions with our employees and to deal with them' upon matters of mutual or public concern. con-cern. A number of the individuals, however, how-ever, who are to be present, never have been engaged in the packing industry, and so far as we know, none of them now is in the employ of any of our companies. "As you arid the members of the commission com-mission know, we have scrupulously, in good faith, in every way lived up to the spirit, as well as the letter, of the agreement agree-ment made by us with your commission. "If, in the oircumsta nces, you are desirous de-sirous of having the meeting we cheerfully cheer-fully comply with your request. In conclusion, con-clusion, we call your attention to the fact that we have been and are, without interruption, serving the government and the people of this country and of our a Hies with a prompt ness and efficiency that is without an equal." Jjesides the five signers of the letter, the delegation of employers will include G. F. Swift, Jr., and their counsel, Levy Mayer, Mr. Condon and Carl Meyer. The workers will be represented by John I-itzpatrick, president of the Chicago Chi-cago Federation of Itbor, the presidents of several international unions of the various stock yards trades, and Frank F. Walsh, counsel. What will be the method of procedure when the two sides are brought together is known only to Secretary Wilson and his colleagues nf the commission. Both sides have affirmed their willingness willing-ness to abide by the arbitration agreement agree-ment originally signed and which the union men cla im was disregarded by the employers. Mr. Walsh declared the packers pack-ers refused to submit to an impartial umpire um-pire the questions of wages, hours arid preference in employment for union men, involved in the first agreement. Mr. Condon Con-don Fa id the unions were trying to inject in-ject a new issue of tho closed shop. Meanwhile the workers in scores of plants throughout the country have continued con-tinued at t heir posts. Their strike, vote is said to he still effective if a satisfac-torv satisfac-torv agreement is not reached. Secretary Wilson tonight assured the packers that their presence would not be construed a.s a recognition of the labor union. |