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Show DEMANDS PLACED BEFORE ROADS General Managers of One Hundred Eighty Railway Systems Must Decide by April 29. UNIONS FEEL JUSTIFIED Nearly 400,000 Engineers, Firemen and Trainmen Unite in Plea for Eight-hour Eight-hour Day. New York, March 30. Eastern railroad rail-road managers replied today to the demands of their employes for an eight-hour day and higher rates for overtime work by submitting propositions proposi-tions of their own for discussion-. The demands- of the employes are not refused re-fused neither is a demand made by the railroad managers for an acceptance accept-ance of their own proposals. These are submitted for consideration in the negotiations that are expected to follow. fol-low. "What the railroads ask for Is an open door," their reply states. The reply was sent today to the officials of-ficials of the four brotherhoods Immediately Im-mediately after receipt of the employes em-ployes demands. New York, March 30. The de-mauds de-mauds of nearly 400,000 locomotive engineers, firemen and trainmen were presented to the general managers of the several railroad companies Involved In-volved at their headquarters in different dif-ferent parts of the country today. The employes who belong to the so-called Big Four unions ask for an eight hour day without reduction In pay and time and a half for over time. The railroads rail-roads have until April 29 to reply. It Is understood" that the railroads have already made a tentative answer an-swer which amounts to a conditional refusal that leaves the way for further fur-ther negotiations. The demands of the men went to the Wheeling and Lake Erie railroad yesterday and the eight-hour day proposal was refused. re-fused. The position of the unions is explained ex-plained In a statement by the executive execu-tive committee of the adjustment boards which has charge of the submission sub-mission of the demands today, I l: r- i l..-ltAr4 uuiuiiti rcci wu&kincu. The statement says: "In making the demand for the eight-hour day the unions feel themselves them-selves Justified believing that trains can he managed so that the 100 miles required of a railroad man per day can bo put Inside of eight hours. As th9 train service Is now, single crew engines In tho switching service on which only one crew works In the twenty-four hours are often compelled to work from ten to sixteen hours a day. It Is Injustice such as this that the railroad unions want ended. "We will submit our demands all over the United States. Then we will attend to our regular routine work until the end of thirty days given giv-en the railroads to consider our demands de-mands when we will return to receive tho reply of the railroad companies. We will ask the general managers to discuss the question through their general managers' committee. Our aim is to open negotiations on our demands de-mands and we have no Intention of talking strike to the railroad or submitting sub-mitting an ultimatum." Arrange For Meeting. Arrangements already have been made here for a meeting' of the representatives repre-sentatives of the unions and railroad managers of the Erie, the New Jersey Jer-sey Central and the New York Central Cen-tral today. Chicago, March 30. The demands presented today by representatives of the so-called Big Four trainmen's union un-ion iuvolve one hundred and eighty rnilway systems with 248,000 miles of right-of-way exclusive of terminals and yards. In tho western territory there are 100 railroads with 138,000 mileage, In the eastern territory, sixty railroads with 63,000 mileage, and in the southeastern territory twenty railroads rail-roads with 47,000 mileage. -oo |