Chicago, Sept. 1.
With the collapse today of negotiations over the proposed fifteen per cent. wage cut, a nationwide railway strike involving 900000 workers loomed as eighteen out of the 21 Railway Brotherhoods, under the leadership of Mr. William Harrison, President of the Labour Executives' Association, announced that they would immediately hold a strike vote.
This is the third time that strike threats were made. On both of the past occasions, the wage cut was postponed and negotiations were opened for a compromise which is yet to be reached. The wage cuts originally were intended to have become effective July 1.
mediator, who was called in to delp Dr. William M. Leiseryon, Tim settle the dispute between workers and employers, announced that the "mediation has ended."
The Railway Mediation Act re—quires the railway workers to notify President Roosevelt of their strike voting. The President then establishes a fact-finding commission, "freezing" the situation for thirty '-days, after which the Brotherhoods are free to strike.
Meanwhile, the Brotherhood of Railway Trainmen, which is negatiating separately, announced that it would also hold a strike vote—
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.