The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1919-09-04
BOARD
TO FIX WAGE OF
RAIL men ASKED
Commission With Power to
Fix Rates and Decide Wages
Advocated.
(By Associated PressJ


WASHINGTON, Sept. 4.-Establish.
or a board with powers to fix both
railroad wage scales and transporta-
ton rates was advocated in the Sen
ate today by Senator Underwood, OF
Alabama, Democratic member OF
the Interstate Commerce committee.
Without disclosing whether he
favored the Interstate Commerce COM
mission as the proposed tribunal or
discussing the Cummins bills plan to
prohibit strikes and lockouts. Senator
Underwood said the interests of the
public, of capital and of railroad en-
playes require such a plan. 1t is
clearly within the right of Congress,
he declared, to create an agency to
determine wages as we'll as rates.
Men will not strike" said the Ala
bama Senator, against the just deci-
sionS of the government. After a fair
determination of the controversy by an
impartial tribunal public sentiment
will force the contending parties to
accert the verdict rendered as final.
1t must be done in the interest of the
men involved, the industry of the peo-
pie and the peace of the nation"
Right Of Protection
"The tribunal he proposed" Senator
Underwood continued. must have the
authority and power to protect the
rights of the whole people against
the recurrence of strikes and lockout"
Disturbances of transportation he said,
affects the whole public and there
fore, railroad employees owe obliga-
tions in their action different from
those in private industry.
"Thera ia buf waV OIlt in nv
judgment" he continued, "and that Is
to appoint tribunal with the power
to adjust these matters, which has
the time to consider and the oppor
tunity to know the facts. Such a tri-
bunal must not only have the power
and be prepared to do what Is right
and just by the labor employed on
the railroads, but must have authority
and power to see that property is not
confiscated by it's decisions. For,
should you confiscate the property of
the transportation companies you
would break down the channels of
transportation as effectively as you
would break them down in a strike,
with the resultant injury to the peo-
pie. A tribunal of this kind must also
have the authority and opportunity to
consider the rights of the shippers and
travellers who in last analysis, will
bear any Increase burden that falls
on the carriage Of property or per-
sons over the transportation lines.
Power is Defined
"If you want a final and just solu-
tion of such a controversy. you are
practically driven to leaving the de-
cision to a governmental commission
that has full and ample opportunity
to investigate the rates of wage, the
earning power of the transportation
companies, the cost of living. the bur-
den that rests on the shipping pub
lie, and to determine; First. what Is
fair, just and and living wage for the
man; second, how far this charge can
be placed on the capital of the corpora
ton without breaking it down, des-
troying the value of its securities,
bankrupting it's property, and taking
away from the investing public fair
return for capital invested; third. how
far an increased charge for labor.
interest or supplies, can be handed
down to the public without doing in
justice to the shipper and traveller
and without becoming menace to the
development of industry.
at is essential that the board or
commission that is given the power
to adjust the wage scale of the men
must also have the power to reflect
its findings in the rates charged for
the transportation of persons and pro-
perty over the railroads.
Senator Underwood said the time
had come when contests of brute
force" between capital and labor must
cease and that the right of labor
should be recognized and protected by
law. as are those of property. Pre-
sent conditions, he said are "primi-
tive" and collective bargaining, he
asserted. cannot be pursued against
general publis interests. Use of force
in diminishing or increasing wages
must he declared. adding however,
that he does not favor laws requiring
labor by compulsion.