Free trader-journal and Ottawa fair dealer. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1920-1927, 1920-09-11
EMPT|ES JAM RAIL
S|DRtGS, GIVING LIE
TO SHORTAGE CLAIM
INVESTIGATORS REVEAL THOU.
SANDS OF CARS STAND IDLE,
WHILE COUNTRY CRIES FOR
MEANS TO MOVE CROPS-SYS.
TEN FORCES FARMERS INTO
UNION.

There is a new union being forme
in the United States that bids fair
be the largest labor union of them al
We refer to the farmers. They haV
now over 100000 members and ar
growing fast. In the state OF lllnoi
the membership is now close to tn
100, 600 mark and in La Sale count
il Is over 3000-in fact La Sale coun
ty is one of the banner counties OF th'
United States The dues are SIS ;
year.
The organization expects 10 ehec
many reforms One of the nam ones
Is to do away with the board OF trade
The latter has in the past lowered the
price of grain at harvesting time and
later raised it, thus robbNg the farm
er and making many millionaire grain
spectators The farmers are now
working on a plan to handle their own
grain.
Becoming suspicious some time agC
of the railroad situation in which they
could not get cars they started an in
vestigation all over the state OF Hi
nois and found empty cars on side
tracks running into the thousand
mark These cars were not only on
the side tracks but remained there in
definitely
With their organization they made
detailed reports from every part Of the
state an dthen started an inyestiga-
ton find out the reason. The rail
roads original excuse was lack of
cars, of equipment caused by the war.
They did not believe this after find
ing so many cars idle In the Prairie
Farmer we find the following report
which is not only of interest TO the
farmers but to Ottawa manufacturers
and Ottawa business men who have
been crippled and Inconvenience by
the railroad delays:
In a featured Introductory to its
article the Prairie Farmer says:
Survey Creates Sensation.
THE freight car survey conducted
by the Illinois Agricultural Associ2.
ton created a sensation in railroad
circles. The railroads had been cry
ing for more money to buy new equip
ment Now that the |. A, A. has
shown them that they are not using
the equipment they have, they are
laying the blame somewhere else, The
labor men, on other hand, say they
know just where the trouble lies, and
that it can be remedied in IS hours.
Here are some interviews on the
freight car situation that will interest
you
Then follows the article itself It is
reproduced herewith as timely and in
terestng
Why Don't Freight Cars Move?
Union and Railway Men Pass the
Buck as |. A. A. Hunts for the
Source of the Trouble.
faint So said the railroad Off
Gals.
"Tis So" said the labor unions,
when they saw the report of the |.
A. A. on the freight car shortage.
The report has drawn fire from many
quarters and with the fire has come
Information of trouble behind the cur
tain maintained over the whole freight
situation. Rather than be blamed for
existing trouble by the farmers every
one Is ready TO wash his hands and
according to his own statement. tell
the whole story"
The first indications that all might
not be we'll within the ranks of the
railroad interests came with an invoS-
tigation OF the switchmens trouble
that includes the sudden strike APP
ril l. The organization that paralyzed
the railroad systems last spring is
known as the United Association OF
Railroad Employees and was organ.
lied January 3. There must have been
some cause for the organization be
cause they were strong enough by
April | to call out practically all of
the switchmcn in the Chicago dis
trict as well as to paralyze train serv-
Ice everywhere. II. l.. Reading, presi-
dent of the organization, says the
cause for the new union was the mo
nopoly in the old brotherhood of Rail
road Tranmen where the officials
elected the officials for the next year
and levied monthly dues Of S. to $40.
The new union has a 81 initiation fee
and Sc cents month dues.
7 he Switchmen's Grievances.
John Grunau, who Is chairman of
the board Of directors, has been in
the switching business for IS years
and has been in charge of the largest
yards in the country. incidentally he
was progressive member of the leg
islature in 1913 The issue which
still holds the switchmen on strike
was the ultima.um OF the railroads
that the sWtchmen must return 10
work nv AOril 10 ar lose thair scninr.