nable effort shall be made by the
parties directly at interest to effect a satisfactory adjustment of
the difficulty; failing to do which, either party shall have the
right to ask its reference to a Committee of Arbitration which
shall consist of the President of the National Founders'
Association and the President of the Iron Molders' Union or their
representatives, and two other representatives from each
organization appointed by the respective Presidents.

"The finding of this Committee of Arbitration by majority vote
shall be considered final in so far as the future action of the
respective organizations is concerned.

"Pending settlement by the Committee, there shall be no cessation
of work at the instance of either party to the dispute. The
Committee of Arbitration shall meet within two weeks after
reference of dispute to them."

The agreement was a triumph for the principle of pure conciliation as
distinct from arbitration by a third party. Both sides preferred to run
the risk of a possible deadlock in the conciliation machinery to
throwing decisions into the hands of an umpire, who would be an
uncertain quantity both as regards special bias and understanding of the
industry.

The initial meeting of the arbitration committee was held in Cleveland,
in May 1899, to consider the demand by the unions at Worcester,
Massachusetts, and Providence, Rhode Island, for a minimum wage which
the employers had refused. In each city one member of the National
Founders' Association was involved and the men in these firms went to
work pending the arbitration decision, while the others stayed out on
strike.

The meeting ended inauspiciously. The founders and molders seemed not
to be able to settle their difficulties. Each side stood fast on its own
principles and the arbitration committees regularly became deadlocked.
The question of a minimum wage was the most important issue. From 1899
to 1902 several joint conventions were held to discuss the wage
question. In 1899 a settlement was made, which, however, proved of short
duration. In November 1902, the two organizations met, differed, and
arranged for a sub-committee to meet in March 1903. The sub-committee
met but could reach no agreement.

The two organizations clashed also on the question of apprentices. The
founders contended that, because there were not enough molders to fill
the present demand, th