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Show BROTHERHOOD LEADERS MEET Conferences Held to Determine Deter-mine Course of Action in Case Railroads Refuse to Grant Demands. DENIAL IS EXPECTED President Wilson Expected to Take Hand in Controversy If Deadlock Occurs. New York, Aug. 4. Conferences of the leaders of the four great brotherhoods brother-hoods railroad employes numbering 400,000 the majority of whom are believed be-lieved to have voted to strike on 223 railway systems, were held here today. These meetings were to enable the leaders to decide upon their course of action if the representatives of the railroads again refuse to grant their demand Tor an eight hour day and other oth-er changes. Railroad employes leaders declined to discuss the appeal to President Wilson to prevent national railroad strikes. It lies in their power by virtue vir-tue of the vote now being counted, to call a strike If tho railroads do not accede to their demands. It is expected at a conference of the railroad managers will again refuse the men's demands at a meeting next Tuesday and the managers will advocate ad-vocate arbitration by the Interstate Commerce Commission or the Federal Board of Mediation; or that the strike be settled under the Newlands' act of 1914 by a commission of six men, two to be appointe dfrom either side and two to be neutral. It is not regarded as likely that the labor leaders will consent to this. In caso of a deadlock the railway managers look to President Wilson to take a hand in the controversy by calling representatives of both, sides to Washington and notifying them they must compose their differences In some manner in the public Interest, In-terest, Conference With President. Washington, Aug. 4. Judge William Lf. Chambers, commissioner of the United States "board and conciliation conferred -,-with. President Wilson today to-day over tho threatened strike of 400,000 railroad employes. They discussed dis-cussed every phrase of the situation, but Judge Chambers told the president he believed there was nothing formal that the federal government could do unless the railroad manages and the representatives of the employes meet next week after counting of the strike vote has been completed. Judge Chambers thinks that the situation Is not hopeless and that there Is still a chance for the employers employ-ers and employes to reach an agreement. agree-ment. The board of mediation and conciliation expects to he called in should a break appear Inevitable. Non-Brotherhood Men Appeal. Nashville, Tenn., Aug. 4. A movement move-ment looking to an appeal to congress for decisive action to prevent a strike on the railroads of the country has been Inaugurated by employes on the Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis railway. A petition signed by six thousand representatives of the non-brotherhood non-brotherhood men has been signed in the states of Alabama, Kentucky, Georgia and Tennessee. It sets forth that 20 per cent of the employes, representing the brotherhoods should not be allowed to throw the 80 percent per-cent out of work and calls upon congress con-gress to see that trouble is averted. Newlands Resolution Tabled. Washington, Aug. 4. The senate commerce committee today voted to table Senator Newlands resolution to direct tho Interstate Commerce commission com-mission to investigate and report to congress on wages and hours of service serv-ice of each class of railroad employes, em-ployes, because action was deemed Inadvisable pending mediation and arbitration ar-bitration of disputes between tho railroads rail-roads and their employes. The committee took up the resolution resolu-tion on a written request from the ' chamber of commerce of the United StnteH which asked for hearings "It was determined," said Chairman Chair-man Newlands after the committee acted, "to have no hearings on the subject but to lay the resol.ution on the table. The committee deemed it Inadvisable while proceedings were pendiuaiuiderthjiieaiatioii arbitra-1 tlon act to take up the subject of the pay and hours of service of railway rail-way employes. It was deemed Inadvisable Inad-visable to add to the present duties of iho interstate commerce commission commis-sion which, as is well known, is overloaded over-loaded with work." oo |