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Show STRIKE Of 50,000 ALMOST CERTAIN Conference of the General Managers, Trainmen and Conductors Begins in Chicago; Chi-cago; Express Confidence CHICAGO, March 26. General managers man-agers of the Western railroads and representatives rep-resentatives of the Brotherhood of Railway Trainmen' and the Order of Railroad Conductors began today what promises to be the final conference confer-ence regarding the demands for an increase in-crease of pay and a working day of nine hours. Fifty thousand men are interested. inter-ested. . ' For several weeks the men belonging to the two organizations have been voting vot-ing on the question of striking if their demands are not granted. Although the vote was not announced today, prior to the commencement of the conference, it is understood to be overwhelmingly in favor of a strike if such a step becomes be-comes necessary. The general managers have informed the men tbat they are prepared to offer of-fer a 10 per cent increase, but cannot grant a nine-hour day. Before the conference con-ference began today both sides expressed ex-pressed a rosy view of what would happen hap-pen as it appeared to the outsider. The men insisted that there would be no strike, because the general managers would concede their demands. The general gen-eral managers said there would be no strike because the men would abate their demands and accept the offer of the railroads. Both sides expressed determination de-termination not to give way in any particular. par-ticular. It is expected that the conference will last for several days and a definite outcome out-come is not looked for until the end of the week. . |