Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1920-05-17
RAIL MANAGERS
ADMIT NEEO OF
4 HIGHER WAGE
Con,cede Contention Of En-
pl,yes That Demad For
Advance is Just.
WAGES HAVEN'T KEPT
PACE WITH PRICES

WA'GES dAV EN i hEfA
PACE WITH PRICES
Mana,tsrs Make Statement Before
Labor Adjustment Board Admitting
Majority Of Employees Are Entitled
20 Higher Pay-Want Right Of Re-
vis~' and Adjustment a. Living
Costs Decrease.
BY Associated Press.
Chicago. May 17.-Wage advances
should. be granted to many railroad
workers to enable them to meet the
his,n cost Of living. the National AS
sociation OF Railway Executives de-
cleared today in their opening state
m<nt before the railroad labor board.
AGREEMENT OF the railroads them
selvcst that s-at least part OF the
men i,hould have moro money il ex-
recteti to go far toward q settlement
Of the controversy. The demands
now t,efore the board aggregate moro
than 81 .000, ,O00.0 900 q year according
to q. [. Whittier. chairman Of tho
committee OF the association.
wa appreciate fully" Mr.. Whit
tier said. "that increases received by
the employees In the last Ave years
have not been commensurate with
the cost Of living. and duo considera.
ton 10 this fact must be given by
the board in determining which en-
ploye., are fairly entitled to increases.
Pay Mors or Lose Men.
.'Wis appreciate also that there arc
other employees who are receiving
rates which cannot be considered low
in any sense but which do not COM
pare favorably with wages paid IN
sonie outside industries. and that the
discrl,pancies are such that the rail-
roads can not under present con-
ditions hold these employees unless
increases arc given.
We cannot. Of course. hope to
c0mpate With outside rates. cent per
cent pdr Aouf: nor leGld <
const1ered necessary. Considerations
must be given to the greater regul-.
arity and continuity OF railroad en-.
ploynlent TO the greater stability OF
railroad. wages and rates and other
features which have induced men
to continue IN railroad employment"
Must Plan on Future.
The great increase in the cost of
livinss Mr.. Whittier said was an
evident fact. and wage adjustment
must take this factor into account,
but he said the peak in the cost Of
livtn.. had probably been reached
and that the board must consider the
situation which would ensue when
tho cost OF living declined.
Unless some automatic principle
IS enibodied In the decision of the
board that. will operate to readiust
basic rates as living costs 60 back t.
the I|re war basis, or unless some
thing Is incorporated that will pro-
vide for a review Of the award after
some specified period any wage rates
that may now be fixed by your board
would be practically permanent
rates.
It ts not at all intended here to-
day that any wage rates awarded by
the board should be taken away
again as fast as and in the same per-
centsIge the cost Of living comes
down. This would be in effect to
decree that railroad employees should
remain in the same comparative
sitGa ton they were in before the
award We are not asking or sus-
gesting this but II, as cost of living
goes down towards the pre-war
basis. unless that proportionate de-
crease in basic wages were provided
Tor, the employees would be better OF
In srite of such reductions y
Rates Up at Same Time.
The new transportation act pro-
avidess Mr.. Whittier said, that any
subs tantial increase in wages must
result IN Increased rates to the pub
Ic ft,r railroad service. For every
$100. 200, 900 added the payroll, about
B per cent must be added to freight
rates. The carriers are now before
the t,ommerde commission asking for
an increase Is % per cent, largely to
provide for the 81. .000. .O00. 900 increase
in pay rates under government
operations
Following the reading Of the execu-
tive's statement the board adjourned
until tomorrow.
The statement Of the workers is
sued. here by B. M. Jewell, president
of the American Railway Employers
department Of the American Fedora
ton of Labor and signed by prac-
tically every brotherhood president,
was as follows.
The country is face to face with
the menace Of a breakdown in trans
portation service. Already the eff
cheney and safety Of the service have
beert seriously impaired by the ac-
ton Of thousands Of employees who
Voluntarily have quit to find higher
wages elsewhere. The car shortage
now threatening to stop the wheels
Of all industry In the country is one
OF the first effects traceable to the
failure to provide the railway work
ers with a living wage. Moreover,
railroad travel is becoming hazard
Gus by reason OF the reduction to al
most one-third in the number Of
track walkers whose duty it is to
guard the roads against causes Of
wrecks and other accidents.
Confidence in Board.
AS the chosen representatives of
the 100000 railroad workers, we
have every confidence that the de-
cision of the railroad labor board in
the wage question with which it IS
now engaged will be equitable 9nd
just and arrived at with all pos