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Show QUESTION OF SENIORITY IS BLOCKING WAY Immediate Prospects for Peace on Railways Seems Small TEST OF STRENGTH i Roads Insist They Will Protect Pro-tect Men Who Are Now at Work CHICAGO, July 20. B. M. Jewell. president of the six federated shop-crafts, shop-crafts, predicted today that the railroads rail-roads will capitulate and settle the strike withih two weeks. The strike is becoming more effective effec-tive daily he said, and the roads will yield as soon as we bring them to their knees. The railroad executive's statements on the seniority question were characterized charac-terized by Mr. Jewell as camouflage designed to cover up the real Issue a national adjustment board The executive board of the striking unions will meet this afternoon to consider con-sider an nnswer to the statement u sued by the railroad officials Wednesday Wednes-day night. The railroads know they cannot justify jus-tify their fight against the national adjustment board before the public. Mr. Jewell said. "The board would take working rules disputes off the hands of the railroad labor board, ex-cept ex-cept in ' Kaes Of appeals, and leave tho board free to devote practically ail its time to wage cjuestlons." WITHOUT SUCCESS. Tho transportation act provides for tho establishment of "adjustment boards" and attempts have been made several timos by board members to heVS regional adjustment bodies established, estab-lished, but without success. When the national agreement was up for revision last year the national adjustment board was broached by ihe unions, but nothing ever inline of H. Mr. Jewell said today that the unions un-ions opposed regional boards because two or threw different bodies In different dif-ferent sections would be trying to interpret in-terpret the same national rules on various var-ious parts of tho same system anc nothing but confusion would result. WAR AND NOT PEACE. "Regional boards." he said, "would mean war and not peace on the railroads." rail-roads." i'. iiding his meeting with the executive execu-tive board this afternoon. Mr. Jewell declined to comment on the statement of the railroad executives. Immediate prospects for peace in the railway strike gone, strikers and railroads today settled to a test of strength The statement of Chairman Hooper of the railroad labor board that the board no longer was engaged in peaco negotiations left the situation open to direct negotiations between strike leaders and railway chiefs, or attempts from other Quarters. UNIONS FIRM. Union officials remained firm In their demand that full seniority rlerhta be restored to the SOO.OOO shopmen now on strike, that being the rock on which peace effects were broken. Rail heads were equally firm in then insistence insist-ence that seniority rights of men now at work be recognized. There was no indication from either side of a weakening weak-ening of the determination to carrj the point at issue. Fuel shortage was being be-ing felt by tho railroads, supplies on several roads being nearly exhausted according to officials. Curtailment of t, i n operations, due to shortage of coal aud equipment, his gradually increased in-creased until 2 4 7 trains have been cancelled or arc about to be cancelled, cancell-ed, say reports from railroad centers In the west. The Southwestern lines havi apparently been hardest hit. strike leaders declare that the strike Is being felt by the Iron and steel industries, in-dustries, thai coal mines in parts of West Virginia an- without coal car. and that a portion ot the fruit crop nf the Pacific coasl Is endangered by lack of freight equipment. CLERKS TO STRIKE. Representatives of the Brotherhood .f p uiv.as I'll r!s d'-claicd that 95 per cent of the 8,000 clerk employed by the Chesapeake ,v i.hlo railway would Join th ranks of the strikers today. (Continued on Page Two.) QUESTION OF SENIORITY IS BLOCKING WAY I ' (Continued from Page One) At Kansas City a general chairman of the maintenance of wav men'fl union. un-ion. In a teleprMm to President E. F Qrable, said that members of that union un-ion In the tOUthwept would strike of their own accord unless a speedy settlement set-tlement is reached. SITUATION ETJPXiAJNED. Chairman Hooper's state metlT Wednesday Wed-nesday suld that a conference was ln-ld last Suiur.luy 1,,-iw. vn n M Jewell. Jew-ell. hntn ot the shopmen. A O. Whar- j ton. labor member of the board, and Mr. Hooper and heads of the seven finking organizations when Mr. Jewell Indicated he would be willing to submit sub-mit to his committee an agreed program pro-gram If tho carriers concurred In It. The program. If, Hooper's statement state-ment said, was as follows "First, that the carriers which had I arbitrarily changed the wuk and I working conditions of the employed represented by said even orguni&a-j turns, by means of the contract sys- 1 tern, In violation of tho railroad labor board's decisions, should withdraw from this practice. This applied to only a few road, as tho others had heretofore announced their willingness to cancel such contracts. The principle prin-ciple of those that have not yet made, sj' h an u nnouncement are the Erie and West" rn Maryland. adji'stm irvr f50 IU 'Second, that the authority granted by the transportation act to the i i r-riers r-riers and their oftvployea to set up n adjustment hoard or boarde be exercised exer-cised by the establishment of a national na-tional adjustment board, with the entire en-tire Jurisdiction authorized by said act, namely, the hearing of nil disputes ex-eept ex-eept those affecting wages. "Third, that the employee Involved In the strike proce. d In conformity with the transportation act in the disputed dis-puted rules anil mi-.s seeking from the railway labor board a re-hearlng 01 Ui- recent wage decision and promptly submitting tho seven disputed disput-ed rules to the adjustment board, with ' the statutory right of appeal to tho labor board "fourth, the carriers to withdraw or dismiss all lawsuits growing out of the strike. Klith. all men now on strike, those laid Off, fiirloughed or on leave of absence, to be returned to work and their former positions, with seniority and oth r rights unimpaired. As a method for .securing a conference con-ference fully representing the carriers and the employes concerned. It was contempluf ed that tho railroad labor boaid hould call a hearing for that purpose " LAID BKFORK EXECUTIVES, Mr Hooper, discussing the negotiation, negotia-tion, said he had submitted the proposition pro-position to several railway executives with the agreement that if a t nta-tlve nta-tlve agreement could be reached It was to be submitted to other executives, Mr. Hooper ij he understood the program hud been laid before a lige number of executives. ' My investigation of the attitude of th'- '.arrlers hat, i onvlnced me," his statement said, "that no serious obstacle ob-stacle Is to be found in any of tho Hems above enum rated, except the fifth " Only sixteen of 201 class one roads had entered into the contiuc twig out of shop work and most of them have now discontinued It, his statement continued, and added that ' the great majority of the carriers would bo pleased to boo the lew remaining roads withdraw from it." The statement of the western president's pres-ident's committee regarding the strlko situation follows in full: 'Thero are now no conferences In progress looking toward a settlement of tho shopcrafts strike Chairman Hoopor of the labor board has held Informal conferences with totno railway rail-way executlvea. but these have had no results and are now at an end. QUESTION OF IMTORTANCE. ' ' Since the strike was called, tho so-called so-called question of "seniority rights' has arisen and has now become one of Important "The public should he fully and clearlv advised of what Is Involved in this question of seniority rights.' Seniority Sen-iority is based on length of continuous continu-ous service and determines who fiat the right to work. In every railway shop there is a list of nu-n whose names appear In the order of their length ot service, those oldest in point of forvice being at the ton of the llt those newest in the service, at tho bottom. On most railways there are nol Dough places now for all the men employed and all who struck. If. therefore, the strikers should all be allowed to go back to work with their former seniority rights, many of the m-n now at work would have to be laid off Furthermore, in porlods when shops are not being run to their ' 'I'' the position on the seniority list determines what men shall be kept ;md what men laid off. The position on the seniority list carries with It other oth-er rights and privileges, but the foregoing fore-going are tho most important rights now involved. WOI7JUD DESTROi KffGENTIVE. "Not only Justic.-. but the public Interest In-terest demand that in any settlement Of the strike. thf seniority rights or men who. are now working Bhall be receignized. If those who have struck I against the decisions of the labor board and tried lo Interrupt transportation trans-portation are favored In any settlement settle-ment that may be made, the incentive incen-tive of men to stay nt work In case of future strikes will bo destroyed and the difficulty of maintaining transportation trans-portation sorvico Increased 'The men who have staved at work or accepted employment during the strike have been given assurances of protection not only by the railroads but by the governmet itself." |