Evening star., 1920-02-19
RAILROAD UNIONS
TO PROTEST WAGE
PROVISIONS Of BILL
A. F. of L. Officials Also
Framing Letters to Mr..
Wilson and Mr.. Hines.

of the completed railroad bill will be
made in letters to President Wilson
and Director General Hines which
representatives of the railroad union
organizations and officials OF the
American Federation of Labor were
framing today at conferences
Presidents and executives OF the
great railway systems OF the Unlted
States conferred with Director Cen
eral Hines today on the wage demands
of the railway brotherhoods.
The conference was closed ana IL
is understood the director general
took up with the executives the mat
ters discussed by him with the union
leaders in a series of conferences
during the past two weeks. Exscu-
tiyes in conference with the director
general today were ]. M. Herbert, st.
Louis and Southwestern; Samuel Rea,
president, the Pennsylvania railroad
system; A. s. Smith, the New YORK YORK
and Northwestern: Alfred P. Thorn.
general counsel. Chicago and North
western; E. E. Loomis. president, the
Lehigh Valley railroad; w. w. At
terbury, vice president. the Pennsyi-
se ,eh;o w. raaeks snd ssess F.
way: w. H. Finley. president, the
Chicago and Northwestern; Daniel
willard, president, the Baltimore and
Ohio railroad; E N. Brown. the st.
Louis and San Francisco railroad; j.
Kruttschnitt, Southern Pacific; b.
Underwood, Erie railroad. and Bird
M. Robinson, the American Short Line
Railway Association.
Prohibit Wage Reduction.
Sections Of the revised measure
which it was considered would attract
most attention from the railroad ex-
ecutives were those prohibiting any
reduction in the wages of railroad
workers prior to September !. and
creating permanent arbitration
board of nine members, representing
the public, the workers and the cor
porations.
The conference with the railroad
executives was called by Mr.. Hines to
ascertain the attitude which the rail-
road corporations would assume to-
ward the proposal advanced by Presi-
dent Wilson in his reply to the de-
mands of railroad employees that
federal commission be appointed TO
consider the wage problem.
with Mr.. Hines, railroad union officials
in Washington continued their study OF
the revised legislation. These ofhcials
generally expressed satisfaction with the
provision prohibiting any reduction IN
wages before September l, which,
through an erroneous Interpretation,
nlaced on it before the redrafted meas
ure was presented to the House. was
construed as establishing wage scales
until September /. at the level IN enect
when the properties are returned to pri-
vate control, March l.
The conferees' draft Of the bill was
studied by the labor leaders at an in
formal conference last night. but those
attending the meeting refused to say
whether any definite attitude was de-
cided.
Safeguards Workerr, Corporations.
Besides the guarantee to railroad
workers against reduction in wages
before September 1 next. the railroad
corporations are safeguarded In the
conference report. that. while the
roads are to be returned to private
control and operation on March /.
there will be no reduction in rates
and fares at the hands OF state com
missions before September 1. The
rate of fare reduction not approved
by the Interstate Commerce Commits
sion, the federal regulatory body.
The redrafted reorganization meas
ure. while not prohibiting advances
either in wages or in rates, in the
opinion Of the members of the con-
ference committee subscribing to the
majority report thus will tend TO
stabilize conditions in the railroad
industry in SO far as the conferees
deemed advisable.
Before presentation Of the conferees'
report and the redrafted measure to
the House, where it first was received.
| the section of the bill relative to
wages was interpreted as establish
ing the pay Of railroad employees at
tthe level effective when the proper
| ties are returned.
Before House Saturday.
The House fixed Saturday for con-
sideration of the conference report
agreeing to meet an hour earlier than
customary so a final vote might be
reached before adjournment.
Representative Barkley, democrat
Kentucky, a minority conferee, was
given permission to file a disagreeing
report. He served notice that an ef-
fort would be made to send the bill
hack to conference under instructions
to eliminate some of the provisions
Supporters of the report. however,
were confident that the report would
Chairman Cummins Of the Senate
commerce committee announced that
the report would be taken up in the
senate as soon as 1t was sent over
| from the House.