Norwich bulletin., 1916-09-04
ISSUES ONE OF
 WAGES, NOT HOURS.
President Elliott Makes Statement Re-
 garding the Strike Situation.

President Elliott of the New York New Haven and Hartford Railroad company came from Washington and said:
 "The issue is not one of hours but of wages. The men do not say they will work hours and no more. Some now work less than e-gnt hours and some more than eight hours.
 ''They demand that what they now receive for ten hours of less be paid for work of eight hours or less and for overtime 50 per cent more per hour On this basis 6.967 men in the engine, train and yard service of the New Haven steam roads would have received in 1915 $10, 1SO.S55 instead of $8,221, ,106 or an increase of S1959- 549, or nearly twenty four per cent, with no change in the number of hours worked or service performed.
 The president of the United States suggested that the eight hour wage day be adopted and that overtime be at the hourly rate for the eight hours an increase of twenty-five per cent. in overtime. On this basis the increas SC would have been S1,179,932, or nearly fifteen per cent. Whatever the in crease may be it decreases the ability Of the company to a6G to the trans portation facilities of New England.
 T have from the time this uues- tion began to be discussed seriously
 
 without giving the public, the real party in interest, time to understand 1t, an opportunity to express it's opinion before the congress-or an inn partial tribunal created by the presi- dent or by congress.
 Tt would seem to be easy for rail- road owners and managers to increase wages if every time they did so the freight and passenger rates could be increased and the burden transferred to the public who pay the bills-but the public ought to have a voice in the adoption of such r policy.
 There is also the question of the duced. There is not enough being furnished for the present and future needs of the country. and in my judg- ment the plan suggesseG. will reduce the ability Of the railroads to furnish that transportation needed by the American people, and the public are necessarily and vitally interested
 'T have therefore felt that I owed a duty to the people of New England as well as to the owners of the prop erty and to all of the employes-to use such influence as I supposed to have the subject settled only by arbitration and after the public understood it and had registered it's will
 T recognize that organized labor is one of the great forces of modern in dustrial life. But just as organized capital has had to subordinate it's conduct to the will of the people so must organized labor recognize the rights- of 1oo.Ooo.Ooo people in this country.
 "The present issue seems to have gone for beyond the questions in dis pute between a part of the railway employees and the railroads.
 ''The issues are:
 "1 Shall 0rUonizo5 YaSoo,- any check or restraint by law have the right to force it's decisions upon the public regardless of the welfare of the public?
 2. Shall organized labor settle dis putes, in which 1t is interested by force or use the peaceful methods of courts and arbitration tribunals in use in all other disputes in this coun- try?
 These two great questions should be settled, not by the leaders of the labor organizations. not by the presidents of the railroads, but calmly and without excitement by the whole people through congress or through some instrument ta1ity created by congress-
 "As president of the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad com- pany. I have tried to look at this mat best interests of the property, of all the employees, of the owners and of the public to be served not only today but for years tocome. and I have there fore stood for arbitration.
 "As a citizen of New England, T have tried oact as my conscience dic- tated and after suggestion and con- sultation with all classes of people, employees, shippers. owners of the securities. and members of congress.
 "A strike is a terrible thing to con template and I hope 1t will not oc- cur and that congress representing all the people, will in it's wisdom find some solution just to ail."