Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-10-19
To Act on Rate Reductions

e..
To Act on Rate Reductions
II understand said Commissioner
Ben w. Hooper. a member of the nub-
lie group of the labor board "that the
Interstate Commerce Commission has
number of important rate reduction
cases on hand, on which it will act
imm"diately., That will give us some
thing to work on.
:, The boards policy. as outlined by
commissioner Hooper. would propose
to the brotherhood chiefs immediate
suspension OF the strike order on their
part and their influence in preventing
other walkouts. while the executives
would be asked to concedc the With
ddrawal Of the proposed request for fur
ther wage cuts and grant an immediate
reduction in freight rates.
In the event the threatened strike !s
Eut into effect the roads are prcpared
10 DO our utmost to move necessities,
utilizing to the fullest possible extent
oil the man power available" Charles
r. Markham. president of tho Illinois
Central Railroad, declared today in an
ADDRESS before the American Mining
Congress
Mr.. Markham said the present trans
portatlon tangle was due TO the fact
that ninety nine public bodies have n
voice in fixing the rules. income and cx-
ptnScS Of the roads and that the rail-
roads nave no voice in the expenditure
"i NOR" fhnn ~ per cent of their Oper-
attng costs.
The remedy he said. lis to place
once more in the hands Cf railway man
"g"ment-undcr competent and broad
minded uporviSiOn--thp control of OBJ
nating costs. IN such way that re-
S0hSIbillty may properly be fiyed upon
the managcments for the operation of
their properties"
}. K. Howard. president of the Farm
bureau Federation. today had on file
brior" the Interstate Commerce Com
mission here petition for 10 to 20
per cent freight rate reduction on ne
'esSltieS of life, and MT the same time he
te"graphcd union leaders and railroad
executives urging them to join in con-
ference here.
Strike Conference Uncertain
Failure Of the brotherhood chiefs to
1oin strike agreement which the
eleven other railroad unions reached nc
conference here last week, has made
uncertain tho outcome of their strike
'onierenrc here, beginning today.
referendum votes have authorized the
N'H'' VI lHc HhhlnttnunCP OF way men
ana shop men, who meet here today
ANA tomorrow. TO call strike mt their
discretion. shop crafts leaders, how
ever nav" summoned their executive
conhclI and executives Of the main
nance Of way union have called gem
er4i chnirmcn of their twelve divisions.
=, MclnberS of these two and others of
me eleven organizations which have not
ISSUED strike notices number 300 900,
as compared with half million in the
LIalh service group now under instruc-
IONS for sectional walkouts beginning
October 30.
ofhrials Of the tclographers have
tchodH!cd meeting here Friday and
the clerks Sunday. No definite de-
ClSon, leaders of these eleven unions
lnolcat"d, will be- made before the end
OF the week. While prospects for set
uement Of the strike were growing
nrlghter, army officials. it is under
aood, were making preparations for
0pgratlng trains by Federal troops.
Dispatches from San Antonio said
GmcGrS Of the Eighth Corps area. in
Tue Southwest, had been instructed to
compile and forward to Washington
mstS Of all officers and enlisted men With
,nnpSS'lehce ,nS IN twenty-six lines of rail-