The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1920-02-12
new Rail BILL
AGREED UPON
House and Senate ConfereeS
Iron Out Differences and Frame
a Compromise Measure.
CUT OUT STRIKE CLAUSE.
Measure Calls for Competitive Private
Operation With Guaranteed Earn
ings of 5H Per Cent-8ilI
Provides Final Court

MISUNDERSTANDING for the re-
turn of the railroads to private owner
ship and operation on March /, when
the period of federal operation will
end, has been agreed upon Tho con
ferees of the senate and house who
have been meeting daily for month
in an effort to compose "e differences
between the Esch bill, passed by the
house, and the Cummns hrI passed
by the senate, concluded their work,
and will report the Conference Com
mittee's bill to the two houses of Con
8ress at once.
The measure Will be given the right
OF way in both houses the conferees
declared.
Briefly, the Conference Committees
bill provides for competitive private
operation Of the roads, under control
of the Interstate COmmerc" COmmls-
sion, with guaranteed earning on
actual property values of 512 per cent
and with present rates standing for
definite period, after which the COM
mission is given power to revise them.
Voluntary instead of compulsory con
soIidation of the roads in competitive
systems is provided for.
A revolving fund of $500, 100000 is
appropriated to aid the roads during
the period of transition. The conferecs
also provided for the refunding of the
roads Indebtedness to the federal gov
,ernment during n period OF 10 Years
The drastic anti-strike provisions OF
the Cummins bill were eliminated. and
in their place 81 clause was adopted
creating regional wage and labor ad-
justment boards, with central board
to be named by the President and ap-
proved by the senate having the final
decision No penalty is provided for
failure to abide by the decisions of the
labor boards.
The senate was forced to yield on
many important points in the CummIns
bill and to consent to numerous mod-
ficatiOns of its original program. Sen
ator Cummins, however, did not yield
on the much disputed Section 6. which
provides for fixed guaranteed Oper-
ating income TO the railroads during
the transition period following federal
operation.
Section g remains virtually as adopt
ed by the senate Provision is made
for readjustment of freight and pas
senger rates by groups on such a basis
as will guarantee to the roads in each
Tate-making group an annual guaran-
Heed net operating income of 5b per
cent on the value of the actual prop
erty used or held for the transpOrta-
tiOn service. The period during which
the existing compensation paid the car
riers by the federal government as
rental shall continue was changed from
one year to six months.
The first rate revision necessary to
maintain the 515 per cent return is to
take place either one year after the
expiration Of the guaranteed compen-
satiOn now being paid or two years
after the passage of the bill. The CON
ferees have yet to agree on this point
While the anti-strike provision was
erased, the cOnferees did not eliminate
all labor clauses, as had been forecast
in some quarters The bill sets I'D
series Of regional adjustment bonrds
and central tribunal to which all an
peals will 90. Whenever the regional
boards are deadlOcked the disputes will
90 to the appeal board automatically
and when there is an agreement the
decisions as to wage increases Will
have to be approved by the central
tribunal. The regional boards will he
composed Of representatives Of the en-
plOyers and the classified workers
The appeal board will be an official
federal commission selected bv the
President and approved by the senate
It probably will be composed Of FIVE
members. This detail has not been
worked out
The boards will have power TO lnyes-
tlgate and to render decie'o-g on NJ
troversies relating to wages and work
ing conditions