The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1916-07-29
|. c. c. too }>>y
TO HANDLE Pi<,[
Railroads Would Have Commits
sion Consider Demands So
As to Delay Action.
HAS NO POWER TO
FIX WAGE SCHEDULES
Rail Officials Are Asking Hasty
and ll-Considered Federal
Legislation.

CLEVELAND, Ohia, July 27.-
The following statement was issued
today by the Transportation Broth
erhoods.
The proposition of the railroads to
refer the demands Of the railway
brotherhoods for an eight-hour day
to the interstate commerce commits
sion is nothing but proposition to
gain time for the railroads and to
waste time for the men.
The interstate commerce commits
sion is not now equipped to UNDER
take this task. In order to undertake
it the interstate commerce commits
sion act would have to be radically
amended by congress. Such an
amendment would require at least a
month for passage, and upon it's
passage several months would be re-
quired before the commission could
actually begin the work, thus i'm
posed upon it.
Whatever may be the ability
Of empowering the interstate COM
merce commission to handle wage
disputes, this is not the time to do it.
The commission is -burdened
before congress-, urgently advocated
by the railroads themselves, calling
for an increase in the membership Of
the commission in order to enable it
to handle cases already on it's docket.
A resolution is now pending in the
house, after having been passed by
the senate, calling for. an investiga-
ton by joint committee of congress
into the need for railroad legislation,
particularly into the need for legisla-
ton affecting the interstate COM
merce commission. This resolution
was introduced at the request Of the
railroads and for the express purpose
of heading off any railroad legisla-
ton till a. comprehensive survey of
the entire situation should have been
made. REPRESENTATIVES of the ra1l-
roads have urged this resolution for
these reasons.
Yet now the railroads, forgetting
these arguments, and frightened at
the prospect of being forced to yield
to the brotherhoods, are demanding
hasty and ill-considered legislation,
the first effect of which would be to
give them an advantage in their dis
pute with their employees.
The commission only has authority
over rates, etc., on interstate traffic
and has no control over matters that
are wholly within state.
If authority is conferred on the in
terstate commerce commission by
congress, to fix or exercise any con-
troll over wages, it would only apply
to employees whose runs are from one
state to another
Inasmuch as the bulk Of trainmen,
| work wholly within a state, it would
result in the worst mudd1e possible.
A few employees having their wages
fixed by the U. S. and the rest of
them standing just where they are
now.
The claim made by the railroads
that as the interstate commerce
commission has authority over freight
rates, it should also have authority
| over rates of pay, is a clever and
| seemingly plausible argument, put
forward to secure public sympathy.
The interstate commerce commits
sion has always taken cognizance OF
wages or labor costs in passing upon
freight rates. One Of the leading ar
guments of the railroads in making
application for authority to advance
their freight rates has been that out.
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