Great Falls tribune., 1921-03-30


sary." and the Baltimore Sun Ind.
Dem.) thinks it logical rs well, be
cause Of the decreased cost Of living
and the added fact that raising rates
is the only alternative, and this wonls!
me&n ''furth r falling off in trafnc
which would defeat itx own object
of raising more revenue. This meals
the wage adjustment "must be made
in the opinion Of the Charlotte (N.
C.) News DEM, and the sooner it
is done s'the more quickly will busl.
ness and industry become stabilized
again"
Samuel Gompers, says the Tops ka
Capital (Rep.), would do well IT he
advised negotiation and reduced wages
with corresp ondinsly reduced cost OF
living and transportation" for. as the
Wall Street Journal (Ind.l blandly re
marks: "Short cut to prosperity is
wage cut, but the diseased part fhnches
from the knife" The New York Times
lind. Dem.) takes a somewhat differ
ent view of the question:
1.-The complaint is not that wages
are excessive in themselves" it says.
.'but that they are not earned by the
work done. The wages 60 to pay fol
more men than are necessary or for
more hours than are necessary. The
high cost Of railway living is due to
duress."
However. it would not be fair to
place the whole burden of the present
railroad financial problem on the hack
of labor the Philadelphia Bulletin
lind. Rep) declares. On the other
hand, it points out, 1T would be an
equal fallacy to insist that because
a standard of wages was fixed by Q
federal board in 1919. it should be con.
tinued to be paid without regard to
conditions in 1921, or hereafter" The
Buffalo Express (lnd Rep) goes =
step further. 1t says:
"In relation to hazards of employ
ment and the cost of living it is not
likely that much: can be done in the
way of cutting the wages of men in
train service. While those men have
received increases, they have not been,
in the main, disproportionate to tho
cost of living. Inasmucb as the cost
Of living has receded but little it hard
lly seems fair to expect to take sub
stantial slice from their pay
It isn't high wages, anyhow. accord
ing to the Elmira Star Gazette (1nd.)
that is "the fundamental cause Of the
railroads present poverty, but loss of
traffic. Further there is no reason
to believe that with the return Of nor
NAL traffic the roads could not afford
to pay those wages and make the
profit calculated for them under the
TRANSFORMATION Act The bad man
agement" argument, presented by some
of the labor leaders is supported by
Labor (Washington) with the follow
ing figures:
1.-THE total increase in operating ex-
penses under private control, as shown
Inv the Interstate Commerce Commis-
sion. was 81, ,391 ,OOO, 900. After allow
ing the most extreme estimate OF the
wase-increase, we still have $911 600
to account for. What did the managers
do with that vast sum under private
ownership"
Without committing themselves as
to whether or not the wage-cut is
lust. some writer's feel that the ques-
tion is for the Labor Board and not
the Railroads or the Unions to settle.
Says the Muskegon (Mich.) Chronicle
| Ind.):
THE railroads claim that the pro-
posed adjustments are necessary to
save them from bankruptcy and they
are entitled to a chance to prove IT.
If the wages agreed upon at the peak
Iof the era of high prices are out OF
proportion to the present scale OF
things. they are entitled to relief. But
they are entitled to it only upon
making trustworthy demonstration be-
fore an unbiased tribunal"
| Continuing the same argument the
Lansing fMich.) State Journal Ind
declares that 'if wages are to be re-
duced they should be reduced as scien'
tifically and as uniformly as they vert
raised and reduced with the Sanction
of governmental authority
| As to the question of rates the
New York World (Dem.l is insisten'
that something be heard on that
matter '.as definite and immediate ane
radical as the facts concerning pro
posed wage reductions. And we shall
have to hear this it concludes. be
fore the public, which is paying th'
rates. can be brought into sympathy
with the action of the roads Indeed
rate reductions ARE, perhaps, more
than wage reductions, an obvious
remedy for what ails the railroads,
lin the opinion of the Tulsa Tribune
ItDem.) ANY industry" it adds
that holds out for peak prices for It's