The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1921-08-05

year before.
That is one thing that the rail
road mixers who are wrecking
other roads have laid up against
Ford. Another mean thing he did
| which is considered an outrage and
personal affront by the aforesaid
mixers, was to announce in June
that on and after July l, 1921, the
ployee on the ID. T. and /. would
be six dollars for eight hours. The
road is now paying that wage and
still making profits.
The fact that Ford announced the
raise in wages at the same time
the Railroad Labor Board announced
that wages of all railroad workers
were to be cut 1870, which cut was
made at the request of the man
ayers of other than Ford's road
and based upon their assertions
that they could not pay a wage
of 1922 to unskilled labor and make
profit, is what hurts.
On July 1, when Ford raised the
lowest wages paid on the d. T. and
/. to 5000 for day of eight hours,
the other roads lowered wages to
the point fixed by the Railroad
Labor Board from 1922 per day to
1924 per day.
On July 1st and several times
since the railroad managers an
nounced the fact that there could
be no lowering of freight rates
because of the cut in wages, owing
to the "fact" that the cut was not
deep enough to allow for a reduc-
ton in rates.
Now comes the d. T. & |. and
asks that the freight charges by
it on its main line and on all it's
branches be cut 20 per cent, begin
ming August goth. When the gem
eral freight agent filed the request
to be allowed to reduce rates 20
per cent with the public utilities
commission at Columbus, Ohio, the
only comment he made in answer
to questions was: "Mr. Ford thought
reduction should be made"
Can you imagine what the rail-
road wreckers who control the rest
of the roads are thinking about
Henry? They have been claiming
that they are operating at a loss
and demanding that the govern
ment give them $5O0,0O0,0OO or
they'd have to go into bankruptcy:
That wages were so high and labor
SO inefficient there was no hope
for reduction in rates unless
wages were cut to the bone. Yet
here comes Ford, takes road that
was losing money while owned and
managed by railroad brains" makes
it pay a profit, raises wages to
nearly three times what other roads
pay and cuts freight rates 20 per
cent.
Don't get the idea that the Ford
road is a toy road that runs few
miles through the back woods. It's
a real road and in better shape
than ever before, and the fact that
Ford has made the road a success
from failure, raised wages and
reduced prices charged for service
is not because he is a superman,
but is solely because he either
doesn't know how to soak the pub
lie and labor or because he doesn't
care for that kind of a game.
The railroad managers have been
claiming for over three years now
that they are the only ones posses
sing the brains and ability neces-
sary in running the railroads of
the country: that they must have
the right to charge high rates and
lower wages if the transportation
system of the land was to be main
tanned, only to go ever deeper in
debt and nearer bankruptcy.
How can they account. after all
the propaganda they've spread, for
all that Ford has done? They will
not admit they didn't know what
they were talking about or that
they lied and do still lie, but what
do you think about it as you
continue to pay excessive freight
charges; see the purchasing power
of railroad workers cut down and
crops rotting on the ground be-
cause it costs too much to ship
them? Think it over.