Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1915-04-09
LABOR LEADERS
GIVE TESTIMONY
ON UNION SYSTEM
Declare President Of Illinois
Central MiSStated Situation
at Hearing by Commission
on Industrial Relations,
.., aoan,po .ou.a.. s,se,.l ,t.ssO w,.sl


contradiction or modification of evil
dence given before the United states
commission on industrial relations
yesterday by Charles II. Markham,
president of the Illinois Central, was
given today by A. o. Wharton, presi-
dent of the railway employees depart
ment of the American Federation OF
Labor: James j. Mayer, former presl-
dent of the Machinists' local at elm
ton. H., and j. l.. McCreery. OF Pa
ducah, Ky,
Much of the testimony dealt with
Mr. Merchants expressed fear of the
plan Of the men TO form declarations
Of craftsmen by railroads, instead OF
having the crafts belong to strictly
craft unions.
Under the Old plan the railroads
were able to play one union against
another and the expense of seeking
redress of grievances was too great.
Ito be borne by the weaker unions
said Mr.. Wharton Ills fear that The
railroad members of certain crafts
| would be dominated by members not
| employed BY the railroads was un-
/ founded The system federation plan
provides that the grievances OF the
! railroad men shall be considered only
! by those men, and not by members
/ of the craft not employed by the rail-
roads involved For instance. q strike
! Of machinists at an Industrial plant
would not affect members OF the
body belonging to the system fed
Grafton"
Canadian Law Objectionable.
Commissioner II. II. Ashton asked
the witness opinion NJ the Canadian
arbitration law.
zone feature of that law is bad
for the men," said Mr.. Wharton. IL
Icompels arbitration. but three months
delay is allowed before the law be-
comes operative. In the case or q
coal mine strike the law operated 10
give the mine owner three months IN
(which they built stocka des. imported
strike breakers and made other prep
arations while the men were help
less. In the case have in mind the
lunlon was wrecked by the laws de-
lay"
That ]. ]. MAYER was one of three
men arrested for the alleged vio-
lation of an injunction against picket
ing the Illinois Central shops at elm
ton. was noted in the testimony of Mr.
Markham. Mr.. Markham said that
the men were dismissed by Judge
Humphrey at Springfield with a
warming"
Hugh Humphreys attitude was
quite the reverse said Mayer tes'
tifying today "Thc testimony of the
; railroads strike breakers was such
that Judge Humphreys suspicious
were aroused and he remarked tha'
there seemed to be perjury some
where. He was so impressed with TINS
J that a fourth man arrested with US
! Harry Andrews, who did not try Il
: ret bonds so our case could be pre-
pared and who in consequence wa
sentenced to thirty days in jail wa
ordered released forthwith by tn
| judge"
Contradlcts Markham.
+ Mr.. McCreery, former shopman a
l Paducah. where he worked for tn
Illinois Central and present vice pres
ident of the railway employees de
partment. contrad!cted Mr.. MARKHAM
with reference to details precedlnl
the strike of shopmen in 1911, ant
\ gave his version of the introduction
of a form of the piece work system
at Padueah
"We worked by the hour" said hc
. but presently we found that inspec
| tors were checking the work done D
. each man. For the most part the
, had to take the mems word for II
I The men couldn't find out what tn
/, piece work rate was, but at tn
monthly pay day most of them wsr
told that their piece work pay woul
give them twenty or thirty dollar
> more than they earned by the hour
i, They were asked on which basis the
: preferred to be compensated. Thos
y who declined the bonus presently dis
covered that their piece work rate n
4 longer exceeded the hourly rate, bt
they were warned that their standar
OF productivity was falling below re
quirements. We objected to the plec
work system because 1t crowds OF
> men old in the service and make
| old men out of young men,