The sun., 1919-07-31
LABOR ASKS CUT
In LIVING COSTS;
ENGINEERS LEAD
Heads of Brotherhood Ap-
peal to President and
Cabinet.
WILSON is IMPRESSED
Locomotive Drivers Say
They Prefer Lower Prices
to Increase of Pay.
CONGRESS TAKES NOTE
Representative Igoe Proposes
Inquiry Into Food Prices
and High Rents.

was put Dcninu tne nknt 10 reOuCe tne
high cost of living to-day through the
Introduction Of resolutions in Con-
gress, an appeal to the White House
and an announcement by the Office OF
the Attorney General that several in
vestigations are being made into the
subject.
Representative Igoe (Mo.), Demo-
crat, introduced a resolution In the
House ordering the Federal Trade
Commission to investigate the prices
Of shoes. clothing, sugar and coffee. He
also requested that the high rent ques-
ton be investigated by the Ways and
Means Committee. At the same time
Representative Elliott (Ind). Repub-
lican. proposed that the expectation OF
sugar be prohibited for a period of
two years.
Warren @. Stone, president Of the
Brotherhood OF Locomotive Engineers.
and several other efFacials of the
brotherhood, called at the White
House and requested that the Govern
ment take some action to force down
the present high price Of the neces-
saries Of life.
ASSsA; OF Engineers.
The alternative OF governmental action
to force down the cost Of living or of
IA a,,A hx,< - - ha
country for another increase In wages
was presented to President Wilson by
Mr.. stone. Detailing conclusions reached
by the advisory board at its recent meet
ing In Cleveland. Mr.. Stone. in pre-
pared statement read to the President
asserted that while the railroad engineers
found themselves "obliged to again re-
quest an increase to meet the mounting
cost OF living" they were OF the opinion
that ''the true remedy for the situation,
and one that viii result in lifting the
burden under which the whole people are
struggling. is for the Government to take
some adequate measures to reduce the
cost OF the necessAries of life to a fgure
that the present wages and income of
the people will meet"
The Brotherhood board outlined no
plan Of action for the Government to
take beyond saying 1t was believed that
this situation Is brought about mainly
by constituencies profiteering by the
great interests who have secured con-
troll OF all the necessaries OF life"
President Much Impressed.
President Wilson, It was said at the
White House after the conference, which
lasted half an hour. was much impressed
with the statement presented and prom
ised to give serious consideration and
study to the question of what the Gov
ernment might be able to do. Previous
to the conference with the President
the Brotherhood officials conferred with
Director-General Hines. who expressed
sympathy with their request that gov
ernmental action be taken to lower liv-
ing costs.
The President was told by the
Brotherhood board that a widespread
spirit OF unrest exists among all classes,
especially among wage earners whose
wages no longer will provide adequate
food. shelter and raiment for themselves
and families"
After requesting that some action be
taken by the Government the statement
read by Mr. Stone and which also was
addressed to members OF the Cabinet
said:
Should this not be considered feasible
we will be forced to urge that those whom
we represent be granted an increase In
wages TO meet the deterioration Of the
purchasing price OF the dollar, be that
what II may. which can be easily deter
mined by competent authority.
ssrhio arft.,s NAV ha pnIoua ana t
may be properly termed a pioneer move
ment in the history OF labor organiza-
tions in seeking an audience with the
Chief Executive OF our country and, In
a manner, suggesting TO him the con-
vening Of the members OF his Cabinet,
or that portion that may be quickly
assembled. However. the result sought
seems to US to justify the means, and
should our efforts In this direction COM
pleteiy fail. then We will be forced to
request for those whom we represent
the granting of ar increase In wages
to enable them to live according to the
American standard.
Welfare of People in Mind.
I'VE invite your attention to the fact
that approximately II per cent. OF the
locomotive engineers are American born
citizens. ana II may be safely stated
that the remaining per cent. are natural
lied citizens. and they have. OF course,
a great interest in not only their own
welfare. but in the welfare Of all the
people. and they arc not unmindrli OF
your past efforts in behalf OF the peo-
pie. and they believe that they should
exert every effort not only for them
selves but for the country In general as
well as the Administration. Yet we
fnd ourselves to-day earning less money
than we did prior to the war. This
can be demonstrated by simply taking, as
an illustration, a daily wage OF IS prior
to the war. which at that time was worth
500 cenrs. and to-day 1t is worth. judg-
ing from competent authority. only S2.l5.
$50, while II may be stated that we
have had substantial increase In COM
pensation. when considering the dollar
only as a medium OF exchange our in