The Filer record. (Filer, Idaho) 1919-1930, 1920-03-04
RAILROADS AGAIN IN
HANDS Of OWNERS
PRESIDENT SIGNS MEASURE ON
EVE OF RETURN OF ROADS
TO PRIVATE CONTROL.
Brotherhoods are Advised That Way
is Now Open for Immediate Action
on Wage Matter in Accord
ance With Terms of Bill.

Washington. President Wilson
signed the railroad bill Saturday night
February %. on the eve of the return
of the roads to their owners and to
private control.
In a proclamation. issued at the
time the bill was signed, Mr. Wilson
vested in Walker ID. Hines, director
general of railroads. virtually all pow
ers conferred upon the executive by
the bill. Mr. Hines will also continue
TO exercise the duties of director gen.
eral which continue beyond the return
| of the roads to private control at mid
night last Sunday.
The White House also made public
the text of the presidents reply to a
recent request of representatives of the
railroad brotherhoods that he appoint
"A commission composed equally of EN-
ployees and employers delegates TO
consider wage demands made by the
brotherho0ds. 1t deals wholly with the
wage demand settlement proposals, and
does not refer directly to the memoir
ial later presented by the brotherhood
heads asking that he veto the railroad
bill.
In his letter Mr.. Wilson said the
passage of the railroad bill ''made it
evident that / could not act on your
suggestion until IL should have been |
determined whether the bill would be-
come law or not"
1T was manifest" the letter con-
tinued, that II the bill should become
a law the negotiations and considera-
ton of the wage matter ought to pro-
coed In harmony Herewith.
The bill having now become law,
the way Is open for immediate action
on the wage matter in accordance with
the terms Of the bill. Section 30l Of
the bill evidently contemplates that
the carriers and employees should as
suggested by you, select a bipartisan
board for the purpose Of attempting
by conference to agree upon solution
Of this wage problem.
"In accordance with the assurance
gave last August and repeated in
substance in my letter of the 18th In
'tant. l shall AT once request the car
iers and the employees to join in this :
Iction. | believe such a step will go
ar toward clarifying and maturing the
ubject for final disposition. In fact,
he sort of board thus contemplated by
ection 3O1 appears to be an appropri- \
to substitute for the committee of ex- U
erts, which | have heretofore sug- n
ested,. and, indeed. such board will h
e authorized to go further than such O
committee could have gone. ii
Monday morning, March ! a the gov S.
rnment handed over to their owners "
10000 miles of main line railroad Il
nd terminals and equipment valued
/ approximately $20,000,00O.000 over ir
hlch its direct authority has been ex- Q,
'nded since December 2S 1917. Ct
The properties will go back leaving nj
he government with a deficit of Sl75,- Il
1000 for It's twenty-six months of OPP bl
alton. But while the deficit appears p
rye, federal operation has cost the bl
iblic considerably less under the CON st
lions. through rates and taxes. than III
Guild have been the case under pri-
tie control" Director General Hines sc
clared In a statement of government oh
Oh