Show W War r in the Railroad World It was as about three weeks ago that this paper gaye gave readers of the intermountain inter inter- mountain region the first authentic details of the gigantic movement planned by railroad for a uniform hour eight day For some reason reason or orther other ther this great labor proposal received scant attention elsewhere But finally the wires are beginning to carry the story and soon it will be one of the most niost wIdely discussed issues of the day It Four hundred uS thousand men are voting on a demand which railroad officials declare they cannot grant Th This is will make the situation comparable only to that problem o of what happens when an irresistible force meets body The first official statement on the case has haf just been issued by W. W S. S Stone Stono Irand grand chie of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers vS W v 1 S. S Carter president of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and Engine Engine- men T I. I L. L k E. E Sheppard I acting president of the Ule Order of Railway Conductors and VT V G. G Lee president t of the flie Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen These organizations ciau claim to represent approximately on lines I ot of railroad S The hope to extend their wage earning years say the leaders They claim that un under der present service conditions the men are worked out for working the men too long at atS in few fe By penalizing the railroads a years t n 5 th leaders S believe 5 ov that the health and usefulness o of the will i Cb bo improved ved The statement issued irom from says tn ss part Overtime In road service is due almost wholly to the practice of railroads overloading trains SO so that they cannot make their mileage S. S within their time limits The railroads are doing this for profit they do not deny it and if they propose to demand extra service service at the sacrifice of the health and future earning ability of the men they should of overtime applies with pay extra nav-extra extra for it The payment force fora to yards where the companies can regulate their work so that no overtime need be made x S The Tue statement denied that the men are not sincere In iii their demand for forthe the shorter work day or that they want a wage increase se rather at yh than n a time decrease It also argued that any incentive t to railroad work B so as to obtain overtime payment would be impossible poil ting out that discipline pline Is Is' administered by the railroads Whether the controversy is to lead to a strike was pronounced a question that at this time Is not a part of the discussion The organizations e 7 are arc not opposed to arbitration neither are they pledged to accept it said the statement which added The railroad organizations are practically pledged to peace but virt tl vir t does not mean peace at any price It means peace with honor and l not peace at the sacrifice of justice M The organizations do not desire to take issue issue with the public they have no disposition to take undue advantage of it in in any sense i t the infer infer- inference they accept every public responsibility They challenge even X ence that they have not always been fair to the public and they aski ask i only from the public that which the public holds fast as its absolute 1 right namely the liberty to make its own terms of service so far as it I 5 has the power i 7 It is is true that in the past arbitrations the men were disappointed V- V Vand and to some extent lost faith in that method of adjustment of differences V b but t there there is neither warrant n nor r. r auth authority rity fo for saying that arbitration ton f t 0 will or will not be accepted Circumstances will determine the position of the tIe men when the need arises and they will then decide what shall S be done S In the same l mail ail that brought to the editors editor's desk the statement 0 lie labor leaders was a circular issued by hy the executive committee of or the Asso Association Ss elation of Western Railways As it is this papers paper's policy to give its readers both sides of or every story with fairness it quotes from the employers as wella's well t ib the in this tius great controversy b between tween capital and labor The 1110 e executive committee says The wa wage nage c demands now being voted on by the tl railroad atul trainmen do not mean a real hour eight working day They provide pro- pro vide i s or i lely iv for an nn increase in wares wages that w w would uld amount to a t yc tear cal ir f In railroad train service a days day work cannot be arbitrarily fixed S The TH know this and they have no intention of changing theirS their S working day They are asking only the enormous increase in wages which would would result from changing the basis of payment so that they could earn money faster x f There is not a a. word in the proposals now being voted on by the that would require a man mart to work as mu much h as as eight hO hours for fora a ad days day's ys y's pay It is is specifically provided that provided that miles or less eight V ho hours hour r or less shall constitute a day Nor Is there any provision for a aV V reduction in th the hours of work for anyone who now works more than eight hours V What the men men are asking for is is' is isa V a reduction of 25 per cent in m the V I number of hours they must work before they will begin to draw p pay y for overtime this this' overtime to be at a rate 50 60 per cent higher than the theS the'S S 'S proposed hourly rate and 87 per cent higher than the present overt overtime overtime over over- t time rate V 4 This is made plain by article I c of the demands which reads on runs pf over miles overtime will begin when the time on duty I exceeds the miles run divided by 12 miles an n hour Under this rule K so long as a train runs at a speed of 12 12 miles or more per hour so zV that the crew crew Is earning pay at the rate of one-eighth one of the day rate c. c per hour or more they do dd riot not even ask overtime butU it runs at a xV slower rate of speed they ask overtime Such Sich a a i rule t clearly is not Intended to penalize overtime but to accelerate the earning capacity of the crews V S x l 4 Tho The controversy versy is is not nol over over a question n of ot hours lC solely 1 1 a increase in wages which the public would hai have hav f t to th pay |