The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-08-09
By HOLLAND

New York. August S.-(Special.)-
 It. mayo be that :he reluctance 3t tne Pennsylvania Railroad company to accept and act upon the order Issued |. by the federal railroad labor board will direct attention to some of the
 intimstions which were contained in the testimony given to the Senate committee on interstate commerce early in the hearings before that com
 mittee. It seemed to be the view of
 Mir. Warfield, who is president of the
 organization, whose members are the owners of some sI1. 900, 100000 of rail-
 road securities, that there might be friction or unsatisfactory adjustment
 of labor conditions due to the action
 of this federal board. MT. Warfield
 thought there should be perfect CO., ordination between this and the other
 governmental board. He furthermore lintimated that it would be the better part to adopt if the railroads were
 permitted to make agreements with their employees before referring ques-
 tions of this kind to the federal board.
 It was observed that Senator Cum
 mins and one or two other senator's
 who are members of the committee,
 questioned MT. Warfield upon this
 part of his testimony apparently with tHC 0NSil z IO 6Ct a SOOd SeohN ing of what should be the true rela- ton of the federal labor board to the railroads respecting the question of wages and kindred matters.
 The Pennsylvania Railroad company after long study perfected plan for CO., operation between the employees and the company. The plan resembled lin some of it's features the one which was adopted by the Standard Oil
 com any of New Jersey and year
 or two earlier by the National Cash
 Register company of Dayton, Ohio. l The employees were to make free
 choice of those who were to represent them in meetings between these rep
 resentatives and the representatives
 of the company. But it was realized that it was imperative that the rep
 resentatives of the wage earners be untrammeled in any way in making their choice. This involved the use l of secret ballot. It was with the secret ballot that the recent elections of representatives of the men em- ployed by the Pennsylvania were con- ducted. Every man who voted felt safe because his ballot was secret.
 A plan of this kind has worked ad-
 mirably with the Standard Oil com pany of New Jersey and with the National Cash Register company. The
 federal railroad beard has no author | ny over these two corporations.
 A Drastic order
 But it has authority over the rail-
 roads, and it made use of that author ity in ordering a new election by
 the Pennsylvania employees, and also ordering that the name of the voter be written upon his ballot. This of SecraCVS It
 might lead to harmful consequences. It would expose the voter to the criticism of union leaders, and 1t would bring before the eyes of the Pennsylvania management the names of the voting employees and might If
 the management was so disposed, lead to discrimination.
 Why the federal labor board has commanded new election with an open ballot upon the Pennsylvania
 lines Is a mystery. 1t may lead to the
 abandonment of the Pennsylvan1a plan. It certainly points to reluctance
 on the part of other railroad com
 panies. some of which are now con sidering the adoption of the Pennsyi- vania plan, to put plan of that kind into effect.
 The issue thus raised is sure to Dc brought to the attention of the Sem ate committee on interstate commerce. It furnishes a concrete illustration
 of one of the points brought out in testimony already given before tnal
 committee which seemed to hint that the federal railroad labor board may so act as to interfere with saus- factory readjustinent of the relations
 between the railroad companies Of the United States and their employees. IL
 might even result in the enforceo establishment of the closed shop. An Increasing World Trade
 In one of the articles by c. w. Bar ron recently published, he reported that somewhat in excess of 10.o00,- 900 tons of shipping are now laid up throughout the world, and that Great Britain suffers more than any other 1 nation from this stagnation. This
 statement was published within day ar two after an authentic report Of l the worlds international trade Tn the year 1920. measured by dollars was printed that trade in the aggre- gate, according to this report amount cd to 310o,ooo. 100000. But In the oiosinr wear of the war the value of that trade was $53,o00, 100000, and oniv s40. .OO0. 100000 in the year when the war began.
 rhe wonder is why with this un-
 suspected increase in the worlds in ternational trade, so many million | tons of ships are idle. All the great barbors of the world are reported to contain many vessels which are anchored in idleness. As almost all ] the worlds international trade Is Ioyerseas entailing the use of vessels, lit seem alsmost paradoxical that in
 the year 1920. hundred billions of trade was the aggegate whereas in 11sls there was only 63,o0o, ooo.ooo and
 yet 1o,00o,000 tons of ships are idle.
 Is it due to an increase in the num-
 her of ships that have been built? Mir. Barron says that England with z3,- | o00. 900 tons of shipping, which ts about 70 per cent of the worlds ton mage, 10 the chief sufferer. No new rdsrs for shiDs have been received