The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-02-11
BOARD REFUSES TO GRANT MOTION
 OF A., B. & 4. EMPLOYES TO THROW
 OUT HEARING ON WAGE REDUCTION
Bugg Declares to Place Road on Scrap Heap Would De-
 stroy Values of Hundreds of Millions in Georgia and Ala 1 bama.
By Associated Press


 Chicago, FeDruary 1O.-Tne railroad labor board tonight refused to grant a motion by employees of the Atlanta, Bir- niingham and Atlantic railway that the hearing on the request of that road to reduce wages be thrown out on the ground that it did not legally come un- der the Jurisdiction ot the board.
 The employees contended that the road did not contest the reasonableness of the present wages, but had maintained only that it could not pay such wages, that it now was losing $100000 a month and that to continue as at present would place the road on the scrap heap.
 They cited paragraph in today's de- cision on the national agreements. which said that all questions involving ex- pense of operation, on the amount of money necessary to operate, was not in the Jurisdiction of the board and should be taken before the interstate commerce commission
 The board. however decided to allow both sides to present testimony of any character, but warned them that the transportation act placed certain limita- tions on the board.
 Judge R. M. Barton, chairman of the board refused to answer question put by E. P. Curtis, for the employees, as to whether ''tonight's decision does not contradict todays ruling
 MT CurtlS- 4TeIuSeu to present ldDOT testimony. saying he wished to ask other railway union men whether the unions would undertake the burden of investi- gating the financial condition of every railroad since the boards action might make that necessary"
 Col. B. l.. Bugg, president of the Att lanta, Birmingham and Atlantic, testi- fled that ito place the road on the scrap heap by forcing it to pay .im- xr,ac a n excess of several hundred millions of dollars in Georgia and Alabama" He said many towns, industries, farms, mills, mines and factories had only the Atlanta. Birmingham and Atlantic as an outlet for their products and that they would go to the scrap heap with the road if the wage reductions were not allowed.
 MT. Bugg said the rest of his testimony would depend on what the labor side offered, and MT. Bugg still was not ready to testify. The hearing was ad- journed until next Monday.
 EMPLOYES CLAIM VICTORY
 Chicago, February 10.-Decision of the United States railroad labor board today that the national agreements shall re- main in force until completion of the present hearing was characterized by railroad employees as victory.
 The ruling came as surprise both to railroad and labor representatives, and upset plans of union officials for a bonn bardment of the railroads request for immediate abrogation of the agreements.
 Fortified with legal battery headed by Frank F. Walsh. the labor represen- tatives appeared today to answer the request of w. w. Atterbury speaking for the railroads, for quick absolution of the national agreements. The board de- cision against granting the request left little for the labor men to do except file a statement prepared by B. M Jewell, president of the railroad employees de- partment of the American Federation of Labor.
 This statement and an implication by Mir Walsh, charged the railroads with being a party to an attempt at wiping out collective bargaining, and crushing all labor organizations. When they had finished they were unprepared to proceed with the regular rebuttal of the rail- road evidence obiectng to the national rules, and the hearing went over until Monday.