The Chattanooga news. [volume] (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 1891-1939, 1920-07-31
Tho RaIIroadmen,s $500. 900 1000 Raise.

The Hallfoaomon'e vouO,VVu,vvv 49, /.
The labor boards s660,0000oo wage
award TO the railroad employees Is ac-
cepted by the majority Of the press IA, a.
a fair debision; one that the people VIII
accept and pay for without company
and one that the workers cannot refuse
without losing the sympathy OF inc
public There ou are W this View % as com.
placentiy nor as confidently. and whose
opinions run from the extreme repre-.
senate on one hand by the specialist
New York Call, which describes tne
award as "just one.half as mean ss
the pittance given to the postofiiee Work,
ers.3 and on the other by the Wan
Street Journal Qnd). which asserts that
tha "neW rates OF pay have more tnan
overcome the asserted rise In the cost or
living" The comment OF the press 10
as follows:
4 Independent.
SNow that the award Is made, the next
question 10, who Is going to pay the
piper? A bill OF $6oo.000.000 Is to b.
spread over population Of approx
mateIy los, 900, 00O This will average
s5.71 per person. or $28.55 per family OF
five. The bill will be heavy on top OF
all the other expenses OF the times.
fact which we hope the railway men
will appreciate, but 1t cannot be be-
grudged II 1t means fair compen sation
for an indispensable service. st.. Paul
Pioneer Press
AS the board points out. THE Amer
lean people desire and must have trans
portation adequate to their needs For
that service they will have to and will
be found ready to pay the bill. But the
service itself Is imperative. II the en-
ployes feel that they still have just
claims above the award granted, let such
claims be presented in the prescribed
manner. The government machinery IS
But now that, for the first time, this
new government agency has been put
into operation, for the purpose OF adj
justing, without interruption to busi-
ness, wage controversy OF immense
proportions between employers and en-
ployes, let the aim be achieved. namely.
the cooperative effort Of employers and
workers to give the public the best SER
vice of which they are ,capable.-St.
Louis Star.
This standard includes not merely
consideration Of the cost OF living, but
also comparison OF railway working
conditions with other labor. as the
transportation act directs. 1t Is pointed
out by the board that railway employees
have steady work and work that Is In
some respects more desirable than bet
ter paid work elsewhere. These facts
ought to offset the slightly lower scale
recognized as just in the award. and
ENTHUSIASTICALLY Lnty Will Ue given uuo
weight by the men.-New York Evening
News.
Employees who have worked them
selves into state of mind where they
fancy there Is no limit to the possible
wages obtainable are naturally disgrun-
tiled when their demands have not been
met.
1t seems hardly possible. though, that
either the leaders or the rank and file
of the brotherhoods should have ex-
pected to win their full demands. II
is customary in collective bargaining"
as in other bargaining to ask moro
than the asker has any hope of getting.
Michigan State Journal.
1t can hardly be denied that the
method of the labor board Is a step in
the right direction. Whatever improve
ments may be made on 1t, or whatever
changes may come to 1t, as method
OF settling labor disputes 1t Is a vast
improvement over some OF our bitter
experiences in the recent past.-Detroit
News
Railway employees have been very
patient. They have postponed their de-
| mands time and again. in the hope and
in face, OF the, promise that the cost
| of living would come down. The cost
of living has gone up while the men
| have waited. So there seems nothing
for It but some more vicious circle
medicine. Raise the wages of the men,
raise the freight rates, raise the cost