The Nezperce herald. (Nezperce, Idaho) 1900-1957, 1916-08-17
RAILROAD CRISIS is
UP TO CONGRESS
Strike Seems Certain Unless Fed
eraI Commission Acts.
IT REPRESENTS THE PUBLIC.

Brotherhood Leaders Reject PropesaIu'
One Of Which Provides Fer Inter
state commsres Communication as ar
bitratOr Also Oppose Arbitration
Provided BY Law They Helped 90
Enact.
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. the wage con-
troversy between the railways and
their engineers. conductors, firemen
and brakemen IS TO be settled peace
ably or by a strike now seems to de-
pend largely on what action congress
viii take on the proposal to refer the
question to the Interstate commerce
commission
The national conference committee
OF the railways at the recent confer
ence In New York with the train serv-
ice brotherhOods proposed settlement
either BY submission to the interstate
commerce commission or By arbitra-
ton under the provisions OF the New
lands law.
The brotherhood leaders promptly
rejected both proposals. not only OBJ
jecting 10 the interstate commerce
commission as an arbitrator, but ex-
pressing their determined opposition to
the plan OF arbitration provided by the
Law which they had helped to get en-
acted
To meet the objection that the inter-
state commerce commission now has
no Jurisdiction over railway wages the
committee representing the railways
proposed that we jointly request con-
gress TO take such action as may be
necessary to enable the commission to
consider and promptly dispose OF the
questions involved"
Upon the failure OF the companies
and the labor organizations to reach an
agreement the question was put up 70
congress In another form, In a resolu-
ton which was introduced by Senator
Newlands on June - providing for an
Investigation BY the commission Of the
whole subject Of railway wages and
their relation TO railway earnings.
This resolution was proposed By the
chamber OF commerce OF the United
States after having been approved By
vote of nearly 1000 commercial organ
izations throughout the country. The
Newlands resolution differs from the
proposal Of the railways The latter
refers only to the questions presented /
by the demands OF the IS per cent Of |
railway employees engaged In train /
service and asks the commission to set
tie the controversy by decision The
Newlands resolution IS much broader
and. without contemplating a final set
Element by the commission, directs it Il
70 investigate and report on '@the mini
mum. maximum and average wage
paid. with hours Of service. TO each
class Of railroad employees in the Unit
ed States not merely the big four
brotherhoods Of train employees The
commission would also be directed to
report on the hours and wages in 9th
er Industries, the relation Of wages
TO railroad revenues, the question Of
whether railroad revenues based on
existing rates for transportation will
admit Of equally favorable terms to all
classes Of railway employees and ANY
other matter In this connection that
the commission may deem relevant"
The brotherhoods object sfrenuously
70 any idea of federal tribunal fixing
wages and declare that an inTestiga-
ion by the commission would only Z
serve to delay matters The only pro- !
'osal they have made is that their de- Z
hands be granted in fun. with the
alternative OF a nation wide strike.
They insist that the railroads win be
more inclined to yield to their de-
hands when confronted with a strike
ote. j;
In their reply to the brotherhoods the n
always advanced as their reasons for
roposing to refer the question to the r
lterstate commerce commission that i
Is ''the only tribunal which by rea- i,
IN Of its accumulated information
caring on railway conditions and its y
1ntr0I Of the revenue Of the railways s
in a position to consider and pro- n.
ct the rights and equities Of all the
lterests affected and to provide add $
onal revenues necessary to meet the
dded cost Of operation In case your m
roposals are found BY the commits =,
on to be Just and reasonable"
Whereas a board Of arbitration con- J"
1tuted under the Newlands act could u
ass only on the questions presented m
} Il fn an arbitration agreement sign ia
BY both parties and would in no ki
ay represent the interests Of the pub
e in the controversy, the interstate %
'mmerce commission would not be so ~
.strieted and could consider the rela-
on Of the wages Of the train and en-
ne men to those OF the other en- ~
oyees. as well as the necessary ef- A
ct Of an increase in wages on the an
ties to be paid By the public.
tn
without the support Of public opin- M
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