Arizona republican., 1918-01-10
HIGHER WAGES WILL
 BE DEMANDED BY
 RAILWAY MEN SOON
Republican A. p. Leased Wlre1

lhCpupllCdtl A. r. Leased wire
 WASHINGTON, Jan. 9.-Higher wages will be asked of the railroad administration soOr. by nearly all classes of organized railroad labor. It was learned today that many pending wage disputes will be trans ferred to the government from rail way executive boards, and in other cases new demaI.ds will be formu- lated for presentation to Director General McAdoO, who probably will deal with them through investi- gating boards.
 Strikes are not contemplated by any organization, it is said, and wage question will lot be put up to the director general as demands. Railroad labor leaders are repre- sented as not seeking to take ad- vantage of government operation to press for more pay, but rather as pointing out the necessity of wage increases to keep employees from be- ing attracted to other industries.
 Up to the present, the only general demands for wage increases consid- cred by Director General McAdoo are those presented by the four rail- way brotherhoOds and the switch mems union. whose president, $. E. Heberling, conferred with Mir Me Adoo today. The brotherhood's case will be investigated by a board ot four to be named by the director general tomorrow, and he also may ask this body to inquire into the switchmen's demand, which now is being considered by d committee of railway executives representing all roads.
 The director general announced to- night that he expected to name railroad directors for certain sec- tions of the country to assist him in administering government opera tion, but said he had not determined how many would be appointed nor what territory each director would supervise. MT. McAdoo said specific ally that he did not plan to name state directors.
 The senate and house interstate commerce committees today con- tinued hearings on the railroad bill. Before the house committee Inter- state Commerce Commissioner At.. derson reiterated that it seemed inn practicable to change the bill to provide for termination of govern ment control at a specific time af- i ter the war. He advocated leaving the question of return to the roads l to private control to future de- | termination by congress-
 Representative Moore of PeLnsyl- vania, asked the committee to amend the bill to provide specifically for 1 government control of canal trans portation facilities. Members of the United States Employees Compenss, l tion Commission advocated that rail- i road men should be regarded as gov er1ment employees.
 Testifying before the senate com mittee, George NJ Shriver, vice-p -presi- dent of the Baltimore and Ohio, suG- gested that compensation should be ! based on property investments as o1 December 51, 1917, rather than June 1 90, 1917, as proposed in the bill Tho average return on investment of the 3S principal eastern systems for the three year average suggested by tn, president was 5.54 per cent, he said
 He argued that the eastern rail.
 roads had added $11OOOOOO0 to theil
 property investment in the last hal
 of 1917. Consequently if provision.
 of the bill are carried out, he said
 the eastern roads return on propert1 investment really would be 5.33 Del cent.
 Officials in close touch with tn,
 railroad situation in it's new aspect.
 said today that many rate revision.
 would become necessary now tha
 government operation has removed
 competition on which rates hereto
 fore had been largely based. Tn,
 interstate commerce commission i
 expected to undertake within a few
 weeks a special study of railroad adjustment for presentation. to thu
 director general.