New-York tribune., 1921-02-04

of the Association Of Railway Execu-
tives, issued statement here yester-
day which defends his action In calling
for the abrogation of wartime wage
agreements between the railroads and
brotherhooas and which sets forth that
in January thirty-six of the roads, ac-
cording to their own figures, failed to
earn operating expenses.
1t is pointed out as the results OF q
canvass made of January earnings that
twentyeight other roads estimate
they did not earn enough above operat-
ing expenses to meet taxes and fixed
charges for this period.
Under present traffic and operating
conditions" General Atterbury says,
"these were the results despite the fact
that the sixty-four companies referred
to have in the aggregate decreased
their labor cost operation by laying
OFF approximately 100000 employees
since September i, 1920. These COM
panies have total main line mileage
of more than 100000 miles and con-
stitute approximately 40 per cent of
the railroad mileage of the country.
"In addition there are other COM
panies of well established earning
power under normal conditions which
expect their earnings for January to
narrow margin.
Looks to Labor Board
"The railroads cannot believe that
the Railway Labor Board, which, by it's
wage decision of July %, 1920, has
kept these national agreements, rnles
and working conditions in existence
since September /, can or will deny
to the railroads and to the public the
relief requested.
Included in the figures of Iay-offs
and mileage are. companies which I
have not specifically mentioned which in
previous years, also have had difficulty
in approximating fair earning power.
In developing country like the United
States there always have BEEN such
railways. Their economic and traffic
conditions have not justified the pay
ment Of trunk line wages nor the ub-
servance of trunk line conditions of
work, even when these have been far
more reasonable and less costly than
at present. Nevertheless, the augm en-
tation of their difficulties only goes
to illustrate that it is economically
u,nsound and can only be fraught with
disaster to attempt to compel all the
railroads of the country, regardless of
their differing conditions, to meet pre-
clseiy the same wages and working
conditions"
Charges Misrarrasen<,f
General Atterbury says:
"Our application to terminate i'm
mediately the wartime working agree
ments is simply the attempt to secure
government sanction for the necessary
process whereby these railroads can
again fit their expenses and operating
rules to the conditions of the terri
tories whose public servants they are.
He adds:
"All the suggestions for laying this
matter before Congress or some other
public body, with the implication that
the condition is not really serious,
Will, l am sure, mislead no one.''
Hence" concludes the statement, "in
accordance with the letter and spirit
OF the transportation act, the railroads
are before the one body which ought
to grant them relief, namely, the
United States Railway Labor Board
The fight which the railroads are now
making is not only their own fight,
but the fight of the farmer, of the con-
sumer and of the working man and
EMPLOYER in every industry of the
The thirty-six roads which estimated
that they had failed to earn operating
expenses in January, and which were
cited by General Atterbury in his state
ment, include, among others, the At
lanta, Birmingham & Atlantic, Buffalo
q Susquehanna, Central of Georgia,
Detroit. Toledo & Ironton, Erie. Great
Northern, Gulf G. Ship island, Hook
ing Valley, Maine Central New York,
New Haven & Hartford, Northern Pa
cine and Philadelphia & Reading.
Among the twenty-eight others Of
tered as examples of failure to earn
taxes and fixed charges are Arizona
Eastern, Atlantic Coast Line. Baltimore
q Ohio, Boston & Maine, Chicago. In
dlanapolls. & Louisville, Chicago, Mil
waukee & st. Paul, Chicago. Rock
island & Pacific, Lehigh Valley, Mime
apoi!s & st. Louis, Missouri Pacific.
Norfork Southern, Pennsylvania Rail
road, Pere Marquette, Western Marv-
land and the Wheeling & Lake Erie