New Iberia enterprise and independent observer. (New Iberia, La.) 1902-1944, 1919-09-20
the cost of transportation

inv estment and the labor cost. or
wages. The public now has con
troll over the first item. 1t has No
effectual control over the second
item; and it is highly disquieting
to find that labor's plan for the
| settlement of the railroad problem
rot only does not include any pub
lie control of the labor cost but
expressly repudiates it.
Asked at one of the hearings in
Washington whether railroad
labor would surrender its right to
strike at will and submit to bind
ng arbitration Of wages in case
the brotherhoods were given that
large share in the management OF
| the roads which the Plumb plan
proposes. Mr.. Garretson answered
with an emphatic no.
When Mr.. Garretson was speak
ing, railroad shopmen had gone
on strickland tied up or serious
ly crippled railroad transporta-
tation in various sections of the
country-in defiance Of their own
organizations and their own duly
| chosen representatives. Say that
we put the management Of the
roads pretty largely in the broth
erhoods' hands, as their plan pro-
poses. We then have the positive
assurance that the big organiza-
tions will strike and paralyze the
service if they choose; and we
have the strongest probability
that smaller labor groups will
strike and cripple or paralyze the
service whether the big organiza-
tions want them to or not. No ef-
fectual public control over labor
cost is expressed or implied in the
plan, nor is there any assurance
of that most vital thing, a con-
tiiuous operation Of the railroads.
Railroad labor received wage
increases last year that added
something like a billion dollars
annually to the cost Of transporta-
ton. The Railroad Administers
ton now has wage demands which
IL calculates would further in
crease the cost of transportation
by about eight hundred million
dollars year. Say that capital,
in a given decade, was able arbi-
trarily to increase the cost Of
transportation by fifteen millions
q year-or by any other figure.
We want that condition corrected.
Say there is another power that is
able arbitrarily to increase the
cost of transportation by eight
hundred millions q year. We
want that condition corrected too.
Practically it is an arbitrary
power, because organized railroad
labor can inf1ict such terrific dam
age upon the country that except
as q desperate, last-ditch measure
the country cannot resist. Prac.
.tically there is a loaded gun in its
hand. When organized Tabor
comes to Washington with a plan
for new management and con-
troll Of the railroads in the sup
posed interests Of the whole pub
lie it must be prepared to submit
its own wage demands to public
authority and bind itself to abide
by the decision. 1T insists prop
erly, as far as that goes that cap
ital's gun be spiked But man
with two six-shooters in his belt
is not in q good position to de-
mand disarmament. Labor says
that its plan will produce a rail
road MANAGEMENT and control
that everybody else can trust.
But it does not propose to trust
that management itself. It pro-
poses to remain in 4 position to
coerce the management by threat
Of q destructive strike.
True, you cannot make men
work against their will. IF a
body of workmen choose to quit
they will quit. Neither can any