Madera Mercury, Volume XXXVI, Number 118, 13 August 1922 — REMOVE GUARDS TO SHIP FRUIT SAY RAILMEN [ARTICLE]

REMOVE GUARDS TO SHIP FRUIT SAY RAILMEN

(By The Associated Press) SUMMARY Attorney General OaufWty order* federal district attorney In Southern California to determine whether the abandonment el trains at Needles and Prescott, Aria. Is a result of conspiracy by these ope ratinf them to interfere with Interstate commerce and the handling of mails. Two daily Western Pacific daily passenger trains annulled on account of strike conditions in Oakland and Stockton, while traffic on road through Ororille was tied up on account of refusal of trainmen to make runs. The Southern Pacific announced tonight that embargo on perishable and livestock declared., last aigbt was lifted when striking firemen at Ogden returned to work today Santa Fe trains remained stalled at Barstow, Noodles, and other desert points. The company is making efforts to relievo stranded passengers suffering from excessive heat. Two officors at Reseville received slight wounds from gunshot when they attempted to locate bomb throwers working there. Bomb throwing continued early teday at San Bernardino and Roseville. Grape growers In Lodi district forced to lay off box makers employed for the enirisg fruit harvest because material is tied up la hundreds of cars between mills and Lodi. Growers of B 4 San Joaquin val* leyy towns called to meet Monday aigbt in Fresno to make plane to move fruit in event of further tieup. Santa Fe trainmen who quit at Calwa division last night returned to work today. FRESNO, Aug. 12.—“ Remove the guards and we will move the fruit.” This was the program outlined by 200 members of the “Big Four" brotherhood at a meeting held here this afternoon at which many growers, shippers and civic leaders were present by invitation. A committee representing the brotherhood and the public was appointed to draft resolutions to be presented for ratification at a session to be held Monday afternoon. Two of the resolutions will go to President Harding, brotherhood officials. railroad officials and the railroad labor board. One urges the president to stand by his first peace proposal in asking the men to return to work under the same conditions on which they left the shops regarding the seniority rights. I The second resolution asks that all armed guards be removed from premises of railroads where brotherhoods members are employed. One resolution will place the unions on record as being In favor of moving crops as far as possible and in calling railroad officials to enter into such an agreement as will permit the men to do their part without jeopardising their lives and economic situation. Most of the animosity is centered about the armed guards responsible for outrages locally and elsewhere on brotherhood members employed in the yards. E. Y. Foley, shipper, issued a' statement today in which he said it was too late to save the peach and most of the grape crop for shipment. Stating that he had paid the railroad company |46 a ton for shipping the fruit sold for $42 a ton, Foley declared he did not see how the railroad company squid not afford to pay men 'living wages.”

HARDING PROPOSAL MAY BE REJECTED WASHINGTON, Aug. 12.—Heads of the seven railroad organizations now on strike were declared by one of their chief officials today after a final conference, to have decided to reject completely the last strike settlement proposal put forward by President Harding. The striking unions in a written response sent to the White House were said by this official to have told the president they could not call off the strike unless a guarantee was given that all of their men would be reinstated in service with seniority rights unimpairedThe president had proposed that the seniority status of the returning strikers be left to adjudication by the railroad labor board. Heads of striking railroad unions shortly after 1 o'clock this afternoon announced that they had agreed on a response to President Harding’s latest strike settlement proposal. The response was understood to be a rejection o fthe proposition to leave seniority of strikers to the decision of the railway labor board, but no statement was made. ROSEVILLE GUARDS ARE BOMBED ROSEVILLE. Cal., Aug. 12. Five bombs thrown into the Southern Pacific railroad yards here early this morning shook the yeards, tore huge holes in the ground and broke window panes when they exploded in front of round house No. 1 and at the Pacific Fruit Express eompany ice house. Deputy United States Marshal J. Sullivan and State Police Officer M. Costa were slightly wounded by lead from a shotgun when they ran outside the railroad property in an effort to apprehend the bomb thrower, and were fired upon from across the street. The first bomb was thrown between 1:40 a. m. and 1:47 a. m. in front of the entrance to round house No. 1 where shopworkers sleep at night. The explosion tore a hole in the ground and showered guards with earth. A few minutes later three explosions were heard inside the fence at the fruit express icing plant. The bomb was thrown over the fence at the entrance to round house No. 1, but although all the men were aroused by the first explosion and swarmed out of the buildings, no one was injured in the last explosion. The last shock blew out 23 windows in the shops and dug u large hole in the ground. EMBARGO ANTICIPATED BY MODESTO PACKERS MODESTO, Aug. 12.—Packers of the Modesto district tonight announced that they expected a complete embargo on all fruit shipments to eastern points, effective tomorrow morning. With the dispatching of 49 carloads of perishable fruit today over the three lines, Western Pacific, Southern Pacific i and Santa Fe, 28 carloads going to San Francisco, and 21 to eastern points, the latter road refused to accept further shipments. Of the 15 packing plants in the Modesto district, all but two are receiving fruit from the growers. RAILROAD TIEUP MAY NOT BE A STRIKE BAKERSFIELD, Aug. 12.—Following a meeting here today by members of the "Big Four” brotherhood employed by the Santa Fe, officials of the unions issued a statement saying conditions resulting in the tieup of trains movements does not conatttvla a ftßrftab either authorized or unauthorized. It was said the walkout Thursday night was action taken individually by members of the brotherhood who refused to continue on jobs under which they considered “unsafe conditions.” Southern Pacific "Big Pour” brotherhood men met late this afternoon but would not state the result of their meeting. It was said the Southern Pacific employes were checking up on the condition of the railroad equipment and the armed guard situation. WASHINGTON, D. C. f Aug. It.

—The proposal that the seniority issue, conceded to be the sole obstacle to the settlement of railroad shoperaft strike, be submitted to arbitration by an impartional tribunal was discussed tonight by a conference of brotherhood and railroad executive representatives as the basis for ending the transportation tieup. Although no definite action agreement was reached, both sides were said to have exhibited a "friendly attitude' 'toward the suggestion. The railroad executives have an appointment to meet President Harding at 10 o'clock tomorrow morning when it was said Harding will be told of the situation resulting from the late hour negotiations, in order that he might precede from there with his mediation policy.