The labor world., 1921-01-15

bAAAA5 IL eAo OAAVCO SGoICS oOOC1
Corporation, an organization affiliated
with J. p. Morgan & Co. /<~[>
Recent revelations before the Lock-
wood committee in New York to the.
effect that the United States and Beth
lehem steel corporations refused to.
saabrieated steel to construetfon
companies in New York city employ.
ing members Of labor unions.
y, Additional Evidence.
The recent refusal Of anthracite
coal companies, controlled by Morgan
& Co., to grant complete union recog-
milton to mine workers.
"The present deplorable situation In
Mingo and Mcdowell counties, West
Virginia, and In the Birmingham dis
trict IN Alabama, where there has been
a, complete breakdown of civil gov
ernment, due to the refusal Of the coal
and steel companies, dominated by the
U. s. Steel corporation, to grant ID
the coal miners the right of collective
bargaining"
Public Must Pay.
Mr.. Lauck points out in the petition
that the railroads, while proceeding
under government guarantee Of fair
earnings, are assigning their repair
work on locom olives and freight cars
to private companies which they are
diligently fostering as heavy money
makers. Since the public ultimately
pays the bill for the transportation in
dustry, he points out this practice
means that the public is being looted
50 that profitable returns may be real
lied for certain equipment companies
which are controlled by the same a.
nancial interests which control the
railroads. -
. The cost Of locomotive repair work
when done in these outside shops, tbs
petition recites, costs tl1e railroads on
an average Of four times as much as
1t costs in their own shops. Repair
work on locomotives, which under or
dinary circumstances could be done in
railroad shops at cost Of from four
to five Thousand dollars, amounts to
approximately twenty thousand when
done by these private concerns. Since
locomotive repair work Of the entire
transportation system Of the country
amounts annually to between $780,.
100000 and $600,000,0o0, the effect
would be to burden the general public
with an excess and unwarranted
charge Of at least half a billion dol
lars a year. 49, i -.
1&< Freight Cars Also. .:ess.,t
The same condition, 1t ia alleged,
exists with respect to freight car re-
pair work. More than fifty thousand
freight cars of various types already
have been assigned for repair. The
excess paid by the railroads for the
repair Of these cars by private COM
panies amounts at least to $500 q car:
II the Glass l carriers alone would
have their repairs done by outside
companies on this basis Of extortionate
charges. then the companies bill for
repair Of freight cars alone would be
increased quarter Of Z billion q year.
Although concedlng that the Inter
state Commerce Commission has no
Jurisdiction in q labor case, the peti-
ton sets forth that an investigation
IL imperative to prevent railroad COM
.panies from taking funds paid by the
public for effective transportation ma
chinery and using them illegitimately
and indefensibly ''for tho purpose Of
disrupting organisations OF railway
employees which received government
al sanction and commendation during
the war = q e 81.
Asking for an immediate investiga-
;tion and hearing s the maj achinistss de-
sclare they are ready to submit further.
facts of these abuses and ssuggest rem.
CQptinped On pa1a