Norwich bulletin., 1918-02-06
ClargeR. R. Officials
 AreDelayirlg Traffic
MADE BY LEADERS OF BROTHER : HOODS TO WAGE COMMISSION
ITO KILL S-HOUR DAY
They Offered 10 Produce Scores of lnstanees Of Delayed Crews, Changes in Personnel and Misuse of Rolling Stock.

Washington, Feb. 5.-Inefcient op- eration of the railroads, resulting in traffic congestion, with it's grave at tendant evils, was charged by union labor leaders at a hearing today be- fore the railroad wage commission to desire on the part of the manage ments of the systems to discredit the eight hour law and to make failure of government control
 Why Transportation Collapsed.
 This situation, the commission was told by ". G. Lee. head of the train
 men; A. E. Garretson, head of the con- ductors and other witnesses, explained why the transportation system of the country, including such roads of splen- did record as the Pennsylvania, sud-
 denly collapsed The brotherhood leaders used such vigorous expressions as rotten railroadfng'' to convey their opinion of the way the business has
 been carried on since the government took charge and they offered to pro- duce scores of instances of delayed crews, changes in personnel and mis- use of rolling stock to prove their statements.
 Hearing Was Ruffied. The ordinarily quiet course of such l a hearing was rufIled from the very outset. Lee and Garretson, appearing to present the claims f their brother hoods for wage increases, found Sew eral railroad representatives present and entered an immediate protest, de- clarfng they did not propose to deal with two sets of employers. The com l mission explained that the railroad men were there by special invitation, to supplement. not to antagonize, the Information presented by the em- ployes
 Overtime Has Been Doubled. This question hardly had been smoothed over before discussion of the | working of the eight hour law and the
 effect of government supervision of the roads precipitated charges by Lee 1 that the mana gements were doing their utmost to discredit both. He said overtime had been doubled and tripled to make the effect of the Adamson law more exsensive and to represent that
 the workers were obtaining large wage i increases. Furthermore, he declared that every effort was being used to
 handicap transportation to create dis satisfaction with the governments part q in the business.
 1 Word Passed Down the Line.
 T would go back to about four banks in New York if # T waited to find out Il the real cause for this, he said. Asked H how he thought the alleged results had
 been accomplished he said he thought
 ,'the word had been passed down the {. lines that overtime was to be in
 creased greatly. He did not think
 the presidents down to the dispatch iers, to delay trains under government tsupervision. but insisted sufficient per sons were interested to that end to 4 obtain what they desired. He referred to train dispatchers as train delay II CTS
 Secretary Lane chairman of the ; commission, asked numerous questions { Iconcerning the union leaders allega- !, tions and wanted to know if he meant that the railroads actually had run mp
 their operating costs in order to dis
 credit the Adamson law Mir Lee re ) piled that was the case. adding that it was perfectly naturals
 T do not think it was natural; ! am not so cynical about human na-
 ture, the secretary replied. Garretson Defends Employes. II MT, Garretson supplemented his col : leagues statements. The operating Il ! the type of clearing congestion which
 was in effect before the government i, took over the roads, he said. sThey 1, also are aware of the kind of trans l portation now being given, but want 3 Ito say there is one class of employees
 mot engaged in giving a demonstration
 lof what a failure government opera t,i ton is.
 - Wages aused as Cloak
 D. W. Helt, grand chief of the 1 Brotherhood of Railway Signalmen
 asserted that the work of the wage
 commission was being fused as a
 cloak, by some of the roads to discon 1 tilue negotiations with employees which were begun. before the commits z sion was appointed. He said the sig : nalmen on the New York. New Haven { and Hartford were on the verge oi
 Iquitting their jobs because of inability f kto obtain satisfaction on demands made in December.
 n Requests for increased Wages. 2 Requests for increased wages were made by Lee, Garretson and Helt or behalf of their organizations: by E ,, H. Morton, representing the Order oi ;, Railway Station Agents and th< ! Brotherhood of Railway Towermen ant ]. Signalmen, and by P. J. Coyie, repre-, ,, senting the Brotherhood of Railroaf Station Employees. All of them told O
 increased living costs The unions i. beside the trainmen and conductors Y which obtained an eight hour day un ! der the Adamson law, requested 2 basic eight hour day and time and ; , half for overtime.
 r TARTAR FORCES ARE