Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-07-21
The Railway
Wage Award
From Todhys New York Times

The award Of the Railway Wage BOARD
contains surprises only in details. These
are more interesting To those who arc
TO receive the wages than to those who
must pay them The total increase II
$500 100000, retroactive to May, and
Therefore falls upon the taxpayers under
thoir guarantee running until September
The award is binding upon the country to
pay, but it is not practicable to make an
award that men must work. The authority
Of the award depends upon the support Of
public >opinion. This is not unalfcrably
hxed, but tho presumption IL that the
award is .usf, and should be accepted by
the men, as il must be by the country.
1t is not reasonable To expect th0t the
men should accept without criticism an
award less than asked by nearly half
But is it not right to ask the men, even
the OUTLAW" strikers, To consider the
needs Of tho country, and even Of the
world, in connection with their own un-
doubted necessities?
The wnpss allowed arc the highest ever
koRn. The finances Of the railways
in time Of prosperity would be approach
ing ms ,lvency but for the assumption
Of deficits by the Treasury for all but a
bakers dozen of COMPANIES. An increase
Of n billion dollars in revenue was neces-
sary before this award, and must be
increased by Is per cent TO care for the
wages now increased. These are not
reasons why any railway man should
accept lee wages than he can earn
elscwhere. Nobody is asking one Of them
To make any sacrifice for the country
The business, like any other business,
must pay the wages necessary TO keep
the men at work in times Of peace. But
the workers must consider whether IL is to
their interest to cripple che industry with
which they are associated by n wage forced
unreasonably high. These are matters
rather of business discretion than Of pa
triotism or industrial duty. IL is idle
TO say that the opinion is all one way
when the Wage Board itself is divided
The country itself will be divided, except
in two things The country will feel tself
bound bv the award and will feel that
the men should also be bound, except
for cause shown TO the contrary. Also,
the country will feel that IL has gone
more than half way to meet the men,
and that IL they wish to seek other en-
ploymcnt they should do 40 in n manner
which will not compromise their character
as good citizens.
For the first quarter of this year the
roads moved more traffic than in any
other year For the first half of this
year they moved more than in any
other wear but two. The reward Of
the roads is that their securities indi-
cato credit below that Of industrials
for the first Presidential year Of this
century. The reason is that the rail-
ways have been Disseminated against.
Their rates have been kept down, while
they have been ordered TO increase
wages. No ody's sells cheap 10 the rail-
ways. Every mans hand has been against
them. Signs abound that this cannot
continue. The farmers know that last
years crops have not been moved, and
that This years crops cannot be moved
IN time TO take this years high prices.
The steel trade knows that materials need
ed in all industries have been piled up by
the million tons for lack Of transportation
The public utilities Of the country are
short Of coal, and the cities are fearful
about their next winters fires, for lack
of cars. Merchants know that they can
not deliver goods. The check 10 the
circulation of goods is showing the
circulation Of credit.
Now the railway men are awarded
$6OO,U o in addition To 81 900 ,000, 900
In hand. There are those who think that
the object of railways is rather to pay
wages than to carry goods, and who
favor Government ownership because,
even under our recent brief and unhappy
il overmanned the railways
and paid the men more literally than
otherwise would have been possible To
such there is a warning in the action Of
the Pennsylvania. 1t reduces its force
and bluntly says that it was given to
many employees under Government adj
and that it is time for the
men to go to work. We may hope to be
spared further object lessons of this kind.