New Britain herald., 1917-03-20
NATIONS WELFARE
 HUNG IN BALANCE
Adamson Law Decision Silver 1. Lining to Industrial Clouds

Washington, March 20.-Decision by the supreme court, upholding the
 constituttonality of the Adamson eight hour railroad law, brings to q
 conclusion one of the greatest legal l battles. engaged in by organized la
 bor. of modern times and ends a sit-
 uation that threatened to disrupt the commerce and manufacturing enter prize of the nation.
 National enforcement and opera ton of the Adamson law, enacted by congress last September when a nationwide railroad strike threatened paralysis of transportation, was sus- pended awaiting the supreme courts National effect, it was agreed, rested upon disposal of the single test case of the Missouri, Oklahoma & Gulf rail- road. chosen by the railroads and de- partment of justice to determine, for the whole country, the issues.
 Involved were vital public and private interests. present and future. including those of American railroads aggregating 25o,00o miles and prop erty interests of $5.0OO,O00,0O0, to- gether with those of 100000 railroad employees fifth of the total. Also involved was future limit of public regulation and private operation of common carriers, with boundaries of regulatory Legislation by congress.
 "A decision upholding as constitu- iional all features of the Adamson act entailed:
 Permanent establishment of workday of eight hours as a measure or standard of calculating wages and service of train operatives.
 Temporary but immediate increases of about 25 per cent. in wages. during not less than seven nor more than eleven months beginning January last. of about 400, ,OO0 trainmen. most lv of the "Big Four brotherhoods of engineers, firemen. conductors and brakemen and those principally fn freight service. Comparatively few passenger trainmen were given im- mediate benefit by the law.
 Cost to the railroads of such tenn porarv increases of from $4o.00o.000 to s5o,0OO, ,000, as estimated by the railroads, or about $2o. coo. goo as es- timated by the brotherhoods. Future additional cost of permanent 8-hour day scale was estimated by the rail- roads at $l00,0e0,00O annually, with prospective additional wage demands from 1,5O0.OO0 other employees not benefited by the Adamson law.
 Vast extension of congressional au- thority in federal regulation of common carriers, with power to au- thorize wage fixing by the interstate commerce commission.
 Future negotiations between rail- roads and trainmen of new wage sales based upon the, S-hour-day stan- dard.
 Dismissal of about 500 railroad in junction suits, in virtually every federal district court. to enjoin the laws enforcement.
 A decision holding the whole law unconstitutional. involved Curtailment of congress power. possibly forever, In regulating inter- state commerce, with limitations upon public regulation. as distinguished from private operation of common carriers.
 Prevention of. passage by congress of the bill authorizing the I. c. C. to fix railroad employees wages like rates are regulated.
 Issuance of intunctions in every federal court. in the railroads 500 odd suits, permanently enjoining enforce ment of the law by the federal au- thoraties.