The evening herald., 1918-02-05
President of the Trainmen Says
There Is a Conspiracy to Make
Government Operation a Fail.
ure in Eyes of the People
LOCOMOTIVES ALLOWED
TO FREEZE UP, CHARGE
Veterans Replaced by Inexpe.
rienced Employees; Trainmen
Held Long Hours in Terminals
Responsible for Blockade.


Washington. Feb b.. Traffic cone
gc-tiou Throughout thr cuuntr was
blamed uu the roilruod management.
today at the railroad wing, hearing l'
union leaders who said inn manage
luput- d,-jic 60 di~crcdir th, Operations
OF the rilht- hour law and More lately
a. make government operation "i HE
roads a failure
" g. L"o. president ur 90, Railway
Tr.umcn. -,d be had evidence iht
veteran railroad men were replaced
by inexperienced employees Ht in..
portant putcwaNs. that engines h1u
been allowed 60 freeze up over nIghi
and that train crews had been called
,ut and kept waiting until The e'Ntcon-
hour law uycrtouk them before re'i
out or the terminal
Asked ny chairman Ian, ct tn, raj r
road wage commission Who was rec
spuEsIulc Tor THESE th,uEe Mr. L,,
said Do, believed hc could tric, 30 huch
tu about four banks 80 N,w York ttN.
which control railroad ruaueius, it h,
wished tu seek IN, real cause
The old mauuEomcut- do not waut
government operation made a suarce-
said Ice do Nuu thtuk TIE pu"hr
Vll let the railroads Io back to ,hr
OLD system 10 government wIunE'-
mont proves efficient That why /
want lu s.c tho gu'trnm'ut nuke a.
success ut operating the railroads
Mr Lees remarks wrr, Wtd, 200 th"
course uf spirited discussion pre-
gipitafcd uy tho presence at ~rNtrl
representative ut railway mnuns'-
mruts in the room s E GWrct~ou.
head of the railway conductors,
charged their presence wac u contra
N,nuuu uf the understanding with
Director General McAduo that lh'
hearing was O. bc yN part. Iummis.
-lou,r Cuvingtuu said the railroad OF
tcills were there bl invitation ut the
wake commission tp supplement mo-,
autagonizc the Information prcenu ed
bN the cmployc-
Grounds Tor suspicion,
You viii pardon my u'iua su7-
piuious' Mr. Lc. suid. 'Uut my"
by,u dealing with thu-c gentlemen g.,
half century
secretary Lane. chairman ut the
commission. reminded IA, union rrp'
rcscutti,cs thtt the railroad were
under .oyyrnm, control that the
commission Wnss cokiuE 1l. H'"im'
tlou Go make "a decision and that there
wac uu controversy mon could there
be- one .u Far as the g"N'rnmru' v''
concerned
"Wp du not pretend to take tho pu.''
tIuu ur discussing matters with "uI
iurmrr employer said iurrctsuu
We don't intend io deal with H sec.
uud SCI uf employers ANA having .urt
her, % put all the cards uu the tth.r
We don't lutrud 200 d.sHrW "ur elves.
Mr. Ice said the demand. fer n
creased vases Wcr, -Nvd SOLELY h'
cause rf Increased cost ut utlus h.
understood the administration d'Sro,
that standards ct N.ug snould u'
maintained and that the uultuH,
workers would therefore h" lu~'ific,
Iu asking fur the entire FORTY eight pen
cent mcreasr In the cost OF living Bu
b., added thcl had asked "n.N Nh'
they considered fair INCREASES riugn'
from twenty tn forty Two pcr cent
More than 1000 member uf tu'
brotherhood of railway tuiumcu 7r'
with the color- he said aud the "I
runiMtiuu ls keeping up their insur
.ucc and membership ices durpl th'I
absence
stir Jp u ilnrnct'~ Nt~t.
The commission interrupted Geo u-l
why contracts were based uu 100 mill"
or eight hours a. constituting day
work chairman Lame desired e
know II tho distance restriction cuul'
mot %, removed. n the eight hour lmi
was Imposed why run ut %" ur -"'
milcs could not hc made without rN
ira pa, u the Interest uf speeding ul
the service ut thl- time when thu puu
jlc wa,fare demanded ul' the mhrns
possible !n the moving ut tr.gh.
"Nu Wuulu etil up n hornet nos
il YOU attempted tp change "a, n.l-r
principles of our wage cuu'fH"t-.' vuu
Lee The government wants thua
done hirmonluuslN ~ such u chang
were nude. / believe that the COM
mission might hiy, tu hold hearing
throughout the country Co. dctcrW n
VIII, tine railway MEN are leaving rh
railroads tu work fur tho muuu'u
factories.
GarIrt~un'~ \rcuSatiou.
49, Iurretsun. .hrId ~ the con
durtn.- ulsu charged that riItut
muuag,ucut- wor" lr,iur Geo disrred
government operation.
l.ec'- charges were made twice dui
ing TIA" hearing First he told th