The Sentinel=record., 1918-02-06
SEEK TO DISCREDlT
 GOVERNMENT OPERATION
Brotherhood Leaders Offered to Prow Scores of Instances of Delayed Crews, Changes of Personnel and Misuse of Rolling Stock to Bring About Result.

Washington, Feb. 5.--lnefficient operation of the railroads resulting in traffic congestion with it's attend ant evils was charged by union labor leaders at hearing today before bte railroad wage commission to a desire on the part of the arrangements of the systems to dscredit both the eight hour law and government con trol
 These charges were made by w. G. Lee, head of the Trainmen; A. B. Garretson, head of the conductors, and other wsnesses.
 They told the commission that the facts alleged in their charges ex- plained the alleged collapse of the transportation system of the country including the roads of such splendid records as the Pennsylvania. The brotherhood leaders used such expressions ais rotten railroading," to convey their opinion of the way the business has been carried on since the government took charge. They offered to prove scores of instances of de- layed crews, changes in personnel and misuse of rolling stock.
 The ordinary course of such hear ing was ruffled from the outset. Lee and Garretson appearing to present the claims of their brotherhoods for wage increases found several railroad representatives present and protested declaring they did not propose to deal with two sets of empowers. The com mission explained that the railroad men were there my special invitation to supplement, not to antagonize the information presented by the em- ployes.
 This question hardly had been smoothed over before discussion of the working of the eight hour law and the effect of government super vision of the roads precipitated charges by Lee that the arrangements are doing tE%sr utmost to discredlt both. He said obcrtime had been doubled and tripled to make the ef- feet of the Adamson law more ex- pensive and to make 1t appear that the workers were obtaining large wage increases. He declared that every thing was being used to handicap transportation to create dissatisfac- tion.
 "I would go back to about four banks in New York if 1 wanted to find out the real cause for this," he said.
 Asked how he thought the alleged results had been accomplished he said he thought "the word had been passed down the line" that overtime was to be increased greatly. He did not think there had been conspiracy from the presidents down to the dis patchers" to delay trains under gov eminent supervision, but insisted suf- ficient persons were interested to that
 end to obtain what they desired. Requests for increased wages were made by Lee, Garretson and D. w Helt, grand chief of the Brotherhood of Railway Signal Men, on behalf ol their organizations; by E. H. Morton
 representing the Order of Railway Station Agents, and the Brotherhood
 of Railway Towermen and Signal Men | and by P. J. Coyle. representing the
 Brotherhood of Railway Station em- | ployes. All told of increased living costs. The unions besides the train-
 men adn conductors which obtained
 an eight hour day under the Adam
 son law. requested basis eight houl 1 day and time and half for overtime