Arizona republican., 1919-08-08
Republican A. p. Leased Wire]

wilson nOtiIleQ Dlrector Gentrdl Hines tonight that he was authorized to take up the demands of railroad shop employees for higher wages and decide them on their merits.
 The president said that the letter sent him by Senator Cummins, chair man of the committee on interstate commerce had set me free to deal as I think best with the difficult ques- tion of the wages of certain classes of the railroad employees but added;
 Men Create Chief Obstacle
 "The chief obstacle to decision has been created by the men themselves. They have gone out on a strike and ficers at the very moment when they were urging action in regard to their interests"
 The presidents decision was an- nounced tonight from the White House in the form of a letter sent by him to MT. Hines. The president said that until the employees return to work and again recognize the authority of their organization, the whole matter must be at a standstill-''
 The Presidents Letter
 The presidents letter follows: My Dear Director General:
 T am just in receipt of the letter from Senator Albert B. Cummins, chairman of the senate committee on interstate commerce, which set me free to deal as 1 think best with the diff cult question of the wages of certain classes of railway employees, and l take advantage of the occasion to write you this letter in order that 1 may both in the public interest and in the interests of the railroad employees themselves make the present situation as clear and definite as possible.
 T thought it my duty to lay the question in its present pressing form before the committee of the senate, because 1 thought I should not act upon this matter within the brief intercal of government control remaining, with out their acquiescence and approval Senator Cummins letter, which speaks the unanimous judgment of the com mittee, leaves me free and indeed i'm poses upon me the duty to act.
 Says Delay Unavoidable
 The question of the, wages of the railroad shopmen was submitted, you will remember, to the board of railroad wages and working conditions of the railroad administration last February but was not reported upon by the boad until the sixteenth of July The delay was unavoidable because the boad was continuously engaged 1T dealing with several wage matters af- fecting classes of employees who had board until the sixteenth of July. The The board having now appraised us oi this inability, at any rate, for the time being, to agree upon recommendation it is clearly our duty to proceed witt the matter in the hope of disposine of it.
 To Consider Wage Increase
 You are therefore authorized to say to the railroad shop employees that ths question of wages they have raised will be taken up and considered on it. merits by the director general in con. ference with their duly accredited representatives. I hope that you vii make it clear to the men concerned that the railroad administration can. not deal with problems of this sort ol with any problems affecting the men except through the duly chosen inter est of the regularly constituted organi zation and their authorized commit l tees.
 Matters of so various a nature ana affecting so many men can not b. dealt with except in this way. Onl, action which brings the authority O 1 the authorized representatives of tn, l organization into question or discredit. | it must interfere with if not proven action altogether. The chief obstacle | to decision has been created by thu men themselves They have gone ou on strike and repudiated the authorit! | of their officers at the very momen when they were urging action in re gard to the various interests.
 Conference Set for July 28 ~"You will remember that a confer ence between yourself and the author | ized representatives of the men wa arranged at the instance of these repre- sentatives for July 28, to discuss tn wage question and the question of ; national agreement, but before thf conference took place or could talk i place, local bodies of railway shopmel | took action looking toward a strike ol the first of August AS a result o this action, various strikes actuall, | took place before there was an oppor l tunity to act in a satisfactory or con elusive way with respect to the wages In the presence of these strikes am the repudiation of the authority of tn representatives of the organization concerned. there can be no considera tion of the matter in controversy. Untl the employees return to work and agai recognize the authority of their owl organization, the whole matter must b at a standstill.
 Accepted Existing Conditions - When federal control of the rail roads began. the railroad administra ton accepted existing agreements be tween the shopmen's organization an the railroad companies and by. agree ment machinery was created for hand ling the grievances of the shopmen organization of all the railway whether they had heretofore had tn benefits of definite agreements or no There can be no question, therefore, ( the readiness of the government to des in a spirit of fairness and by regula methods with any matters the me may bring to their attention.
 ! Concerted and very careful con sideration is being given by the entir government to the question of reducin the high cost of living. I need hardl point out how intimately and directl this matter affects every individual the nation. and if transportation is in terrupted it will be impossible to sofy it. This is a time when every employ of the railroads should help to mak the processes of transportation mor easy and economical rather than les and employees who are on strikes al deliberately delaying a settlement (
 Their wage problems and of the
 standard of living. They shoul
 promptly return to work, and I hoT ] that you will urge upon their repr,