Show u J J u J u I. I J tm u u J u l IB l J I AID ROAD WORKERS CJ TO PRESS WAGE DEMANDS C CONFERENCE f fN Of CHIEFS I CAllO CALLEO 5 Increases In r es Will ed r kO I to Priva Private e Control Contro Strike Cl Clause use Troubles Y ASHINGTON WASHINGTON Dec 26 W vy Railroad will will press their demands demands' for increased wages before the roads are returnee returned re re- turned to their private owners It was announced ed today that the chiefs of ot the four our railroad brother brother- brotherhoods brotherhoods hoods h have ve been called caned to Washington to meet tomorrow or 01 Sunday with the heads of the railroads unions affiliated affiliated with the American Federation of Labor At this conference it is ex expectEd that some action will be e taken to force wage Increases before the roads are returned March 1 PATIENCE NEAR END Announcement was made at the American Federation of Labor LaLor headquarters headquarters headquarters head head- quarters that he brotherhood chiefs had been invited by telegraph to Join with the heads of the railroad unions and that it was expected that the conferEnce conference conference con con- ference would open tomorrow Our patience is nearly exhausted said W. W Yo H. H Johnston Johnston head head of the thein terna working on the Cummins and Each Esch bills for the return of th the railroads stated that their biggest difficulty difficulty difficulty dif dif- will be found Cound in the labor provisions provisions provisions pro pro- visions of ot the bill The rhe antistrike proVisions provisions provisions pro- pro Visions of the Cummins bill making strikes unlawful is not agreeable to the house and the senate conferees are agreed to stand firmly for the Cummins CummIns Cummins Cum Cum- mins hill bill provisions COMPROMISE OFFERED Senator Lenroot of ot Wisconsin bas has J offered a compromise measure which I Imay may aid In solving the problem Under Under Under Un Un- der the terms of Senator Lenroot's proposal any railroad e who failed to abide by the decisions of tKo wage adjustment board would be subjEcted subjected subjected sub sub- to a n blacklist and would b be forbidden forbidden forbidden for for- bidden employment on any railroad for fora a period of four months Proposals have been made for changes It in the personnel of the wage wae adjustment board provided by the Cummins bill If It proposed to change chang the composition of this board to in insure insure In- In sure sUle that neither empo employers ers and em em- have the balance of ot power but that the the majority majority of persons on the I board should be chosen as representatives tives of the public MACHINISTS VOTE STRIKE Ninety eight per cent of ot the union railway railway machinists machinists voted in November November No No- 0 vember ember to strike with other trades Inthe in inthe inthe the event congress enacted the Cummins Cummins Cummins Cum Cum- mins railroad bill with its antistrike provision In l shaking making this announcement today William II H. Johnston president of the International Association of ot Machinists Machinists Machin Machin- said the vote was vas taken before the senate interstate commerce commission commission com com- mission reported out the s measure and the result was not officially officially published because the association association association tion did not want to appear in the attitude of or attempting to threaten congress i iThe The machinists' machinists membership is around half halt a million but not more than of this number are employed employed employed em- em em em- on railroads GENERAL STRIKE DOU DOUBTED TED President explained that the strike vote ote stipulated that union railway machinists would woud quit work If the Cummins bill was passed b by both bran branches hes of congress not by one When the roads were taken over by Continued on page pase 2 I I CONFERENCE I I Continued from page 1 l. the government go the were I free Mr Ir Johnston said and we propose propose propose pro pro- pose that if they are turned back to private ownership the shall I Ibe be equally free There is no necessity for tor such drastic legislation a as provided I for tor In the Cummins bill There never has been a general railroad strike and there never will vill be in my opinion CARRY FIGHT TO WILSON So far as labor officials are advised they will not be given another hearing by senate or house committees but butI they will keep up the fight tight against the these se section it was said and appeal appeal appeal ap ap- ap- ap peal finally to President Wilson to veto the bill If It should be enacted with that clause Intact President Johnston said that no other trades that would be affected b by bythe the antistrike section of the bill ha had taken taken-a a vote so far as he had been ad advised |