Perth Amboy evening news., 1920-07-13

dustry AMI will undoubtedly cause a SER
ious food shortage in a very short time,
1t Is the duty of this as well as all pub
lie bodies to take some action thst viii
bring about an adjustment OF this SER
ious situation.
During the Fall Of 1918, the men refer
red to as outlaws were granted an IN
crease in pay amounting to six cents per
day and that at a time when the cost of
world conditions were such that the rail-
road men accepted this slight increas..
hoping that conditions would settle and
that they in due fine would get proper
During the summer. Of 1919. when the
Brotherhood chiefs took up with Director
that would compare favorably with in
creases granted to all other crafts. Mr..
Hines referred. them to President Wilson.
The President requested the. men 10 hold
off for about three months and give him
a chance to reduce the cost of living. Al
the expiration of the three months living
costs had been increased very materially
instead Of being reduced.
The matter Of an increase of wages was
again brought to the attention of the Di-
rector general of railroads, who on Feb
ruary first informed the men that the
railroads were to be restored to private
ownership or March first and ON that
ground he refused the Incl ease. When the
the men presented to the General MAJ
ayers Their just requests, which were met
Win a Jidt refusal. 9y TINS time tur
men who could see their living expenses
mounting higher and no prospect OF a
wage that would meet such increases and
feeling as though their own chiefs had
been betraying them, in distraction lost
their better judgment and went on strike
In order to force some sort of an increase
that would meet the mounting living costs.
After the men quit work. President VIII
son appointed a wage adjustment board
and the rneE offered to go back to their
jobs in order to avoid a food shortage IN
the Qfffag shat foQad with o serious
situation ard also that the wheels of in
dustry might again begin to turn. This
oo1er was met by the Railroad Managers
with an ultimatum that the men could
only return as new employees and that
none would be given their old rights and
that the men could only get runs that the
to, which would mean that a man who
may have been employed for a period of
twenty-five or thirty years previously TO
the stoppage OF work. and who had a day
job. might be assigned to a night job
that might. bring him to some point away
from the town In which he now resides.
In five years we have seen the price Of
sugar, potatoes, eggs, butter, flour and
many other articles increased three hun
dred per cent. while rents, clothing, shoes
and other necessary commodities increased
nifty per cent. AS we ride along in our
passenger trains we see the trainmen IN
that branch of the service who are called
on by the Company 10 wear good uni
forms. at the mems cost Ono matter what
the cost may bel as we'll as to Keep gem
orally we'll groomed. They are a clean
and nearly one hundred per cent. Ameri-
can born, who are paid at the rate II
"A l.? cents per hour. Those same men
run into terminals, and are met by car
cleaners WHIT are paid from sixty to eighty
cents per hour. Not only are the car
cleaners paid a higher rate of pay. but all
classes Of labor are much higher paid
than these same clean-cut American born
boys. The boys in the train service do
not begrudge the laborer their higher pay,
but they do think that they should at
least get as much per hour as the laborer.
especially when many of those same lab
orers are foreigners. and who have no In
The present situation is very serious and
some steps must be taken to prevent what
may lead to disastrous results. The Gen
country should be given to understand
that they by their arbitrary actions VIII
not be allowed to stop the wheels OF m
about a condition of starvation and per-
haps anarchy. and that since the Govern
ment is guaranteeing the railroad STOCK
holders hve and one-hatf per cent. on tnsiI
investment, that we the public will insist
on having some say as to the way the
public money shall be spent -
OF how this contribution made to the
railroads by the public through their
representatives. at Wasnington Is 5eins
to beat the men who are struggling for
better conditions in order TO properly
support their families. which means edu-
cation that undoubtedly will make these
children militant Americans OF the fu-
ture. the railroads are row paying the
men who are working IN the places of the
vacatioksts two dollars per day more than
were paid the "Vacationists" as well as
buying thsr overalls and boarding them
al the same standard that a person who
may live in a Fifth Avenue New York
/ Hotel, or at an approximate expense %
the Government o fabout twenty C$20)
/ dollars per day per man. The Presidents
/ and, Board Of Directors OF the various
/ railroads. are looked on as he Captains
81 Industry Of this country and arc now
promoting schools Of Americanization
(which is q god novel. bus what kind Of