Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1921-07-01
LABOR RULES
BURDEN COSTS
OF R. R.; SERVICE.
U. s. Railroad Labor Board
Asked Ia. Stop Payments tor
Work Not Done.
WOULD SAVE $780, 100000
Lswsr Cost Of Service Can Be Secures
Only BY Cutting Expsnss.
Attsrbury sayA
WOULD SAVE $a0o,ooo,o 900

Urging emergency action BY. the
United States Railroad Labor Board
30 end "gross waste and ineniciency"
prevailing under present working rules
and conditions. General w. W. After
bury, Vice president Of the Pennsyl'
vania railroad, In Q statement to the
board In session 1t Chicago said In
part:
Many railroads arc not now earning.
and with present operating costs and
trafic hsve no prospect Of earning.
even their bare operating expenses.
leaving them without any net return
and unable to NEST their fixed charges
The emergency presented can be met
either By an advance In freight and
passenger ratsA or By . reduction IN
operating expenses.
With declining prices and wages In
industry and agriculture, The country
demands that the solvsney q the rail.
roads must b assured b. = reduction
IN operating expenses, and not BY .
further advance % RATES.
The National Agreements. rules and
working conditions forced On the rail-
roads as war measures cause groO
waste and inefnciency.
Would Save 500. 1000, 900
I estimate that the elimination Of
this waste would reduce railway op-
Grating expenses at least $500. 900. 600
Il would be far better to save this sum
b. restoring conditions Of eficie1t and
economical operation than to reduce
wages.
We believe that a. the wages Of rail.
road employees were the last to go up
they should also be the last to come
down, but we DO insist that for an am
pie wage an honest days work shall
be given. The public has the right to
insist that this must be obtained.
The pubic has also the right to ex
pect that the railway executives, with
the cooperation OF the regulatory
bodies and the employees. will a. rap
Idly - posslble reduce the cost Of rail-.
way epsratloe % - 10 Insure eventual.
~ q reduction In rates. Ultimately q
read1ustmept Of basic wages will be
required. Meantime 1t Is to the inter
ests Of all concerned, including labor,
that the rules and working conditions
shall be made conducive to the highest
enciency In output per man,
Lesess In Income Irreparabls
When wages have been too low the
harm done has been offset by retroac.
i've increased Losses Of railway net
operating income are irreparable. You
cannot make retroactive tomorrow the
savings that should have been made
today.
The board cannot possibly write the
rules and working conditions Of every
railroad In this country and adjust
them eQuitably to varying Reograph.
ical, operating and social conditions.
Il rests entirely with the board to
determine whether this whole situa.
tion shall drift into chaos, and or
derry procedure become impossible ex.
cept at the price Of railroad bank
ruptcy. financial shock and still wider
unemployment.
The Labor Board can prsvsnt thla
catastrophe b. dselarine that the Ma.
donal a0rssmsnts, rules and working
eendltIons coming over from the wal
period are terminates at enes; that
the question Of reasonable and eco
nomical rules and working conditions
shall be remanded to negotiations be
tween each CARRIER and its. own EN-
ployees; and that a the basis for such
negotiations, the agreements, rules
and working conditions In effect or
each railroad a. Of December, 81, 1917
shall be re-established.
II the board win do this. the Labol
Committee Of the Association Of Rail
vay Executives win urge upon ev
~ railroad company-a party to De
ciSion No. 2, that mo- proposal fol
the reduction Of basic wages shall b,
made within the next succeeding nine
y days. This WIN AFFORD an oppor
tunity to gauge the economies which
can be accomplished through moi,
efficient rules and working conditions
II also win afford additional tim,
IN which to realize the benefits Of {
further decline In the cost Of living.
Relief imperative and Equitable
The course which we are recon
mending II not only imperative bu
equitable.
The War Labor Board declared tina
the war period was an interregnum, Il
b used neither BY employer nor EN-
ployee for the purpose Of betterin,
| % impairing the position Of either.
To perpetuate - the normal rule
and working conditions on the rail
roads, the extraordinary provisions o
tie war period 10 . distinct violation
q all promises. The war has nov
been over more than two years. tn
time has come when, u the railway
| ars % b sfgIeIsntly and seonomieaII
operated, In aeeerdanes with the pro
Nslons u the Transportation aef, MOI
NAL conditions % employment and .
working eenditiens mUst b restore
md Increased ssseIsney 81 isbsr b
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