The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-10-20
AlthO They See Hope Arrange
ments Made for Running Trains
General Managers and Railroad
Executives to Meet.
ADVERTISE FOR employees
Circular Letters Urge Workers
to Think 1t Over Carefully.
"They Can Order You Out, But
Can't Bring You Back"

Washington, Oct. 20.-Decisions by
the interstate commerce commission
in a pending case involving requested
grain, hay and feed and on lumber
were understood to be imminent to-
day after a conference on the railroad
situation in which President Harding
Chairman McChord Of the commission,
and Acting Attorney General Goff par
ticipated.
To Move Essential Commodities.
Plans for the movement of essen
tial commodities in the case of a gen.
eral railroad strike have been COM
pleted by the commerce department,
Secretary Hoover announced today.
The case involving rates on grain,
hay and feed was brought before the
commission by mid-western states and
agricultural organizations who asked
general decreases in commodities rates
thruout the western territory. The
complainants requested not only the
eliminations of the 25 per cent increase
granted by the commission in 1920,
but consideration of the removal OF
war time increases on other COM
mOdities.
The pending case involves lumber
concerns
and forest products thruout the pro-
ducing and consuming territory east
of Arkansas. The record in the case
was completed last week. In both
the general cases urgent requests for
speedy action was made by the com
plainant. and it was said the decision
of the commission in the grain case
was under preparation this week. The
full commission participated in the
grain hearings and discussions instead
of a section of its membership as is
usual
New York, Oct. 2O.-Proceeding as
if they expected failure of the railroad
labor board in its effort to prevent the
threatened railroad strike by con-
ference in Chicago today with big five
brotherhood chiefs, members of the
eastern presidents conference met
here today to lay plans for meeting
the strike on eastern and New Eng
land railroads.
Executives See Some Hope.
Altho they professed to see some
hope of peace thru the labor boards
efforts, the railroad heads declared
that with strike orders already issued,
they could not afford to delay their
plans to see what the Chicago confer
Meetings of the general managers
association and the association of rail-
way executives also were scheduled.
Advertise for Men.
Advertisements calling for men to
take the places of possible strikers
have been prepared by all the rail-
roads centering here and these, it was
reported, would be given to newspa-
pers during the day.
Of hn dc ha
out circular letters to their employees,
urging the men to think carefully be-
fore they join the proposed strike and
not "be misled in this matter"
To Give Up Seniority.
One of these letters, after reciting
advantages of employment on that
line, inquired:
Are you going to give up all this,
your record and your seniority at the
behest of men who are going to be
unable to find you another job to take
the place of the one you now have?
Remember they can order you out
but can they order you back?"
The letter concluded with an argu-
ment that the strike was not against
the railroads, but against the govern
ment as represented by the rilroad
labor board.
Dispatchers Remain at Work.
o. H. Braese, vice president of the
American Train Dispatchers' associa-
ton, announced last night that the
dispatchers would take no part in the
proposed strike. The statement fol-
lowed a conference with dispatchers of
the eastern district at which, Mr..
Braese said, the sentiment against
wall5out was unanimous.
That is no sign that we are con-
demning the attitude displayed by the
other brotherhoods, however" he
added.