Evening star., 1921-03-25
Editorial Digest
Wage Cuts and Empty Tills.

| The big wage cut planned oy the
railroads. the Pennsylvania in par
tticular. which started the present
hearing before the Labor Board on
the question of national agreements
between the unions and the operators
has reawakened widespread discus
sion in the newspapers TIE majority
of writer's excluding the radical ana
! labor press, seem to feel that pay
rolls must be reduced if the roads
and the country are to get pack 10
| pre-war prosperity. A lew voices
are raised in demand of dehnite an
Inounccment concerning g. corresponds
ing cut in rates.
When the Pennsylvania made lts
announcement it did heroic thing
the New York Herald Gndependenp
declares. contributing its share man
fully. honestly and patrlotically 10
make this country busy, prosperous
and sound" and the Brooklyn Eagle
tindependent democratic) feels Ger,
tain that it would not have dared
such an issue had it not been CON
fident that the facts would reinforce
its contention.
dependent) takes for granted that
the hearing must establish whether
the proposed cut in wages is NOR.
drastic than the fall in prices pu.
believes that: The necessity OF a !
decrease in wages may be deplored.
and not mposs:bly by the railroads
themselves 1t is absurd to suppose
las s is frequently a-gued. that the ran
roads are happy to seize upon IN, ;.s
present emergency to get even wi.n .' /
of living gives prima facie 5ustlnca.
lion for economies to be eHecteo
through a readjustment of wages, ,
The Baltimore American Nerupii
can) also takes occasion to point out
that this is no case of the capitalist
against the 'workingman,' but a case
of their united attack on an eco
nomic fact that stands as a menace
to both of them" The Mancnestsr
Union independent republican, 1eels
that the prospect is not ash nc
but, so far as an outsider can see. ene
step is necessary" and the Baltimore
Sun independent democraticl tnlnks
it logical" as well, because OF the ae
creased cost of living and the aaoeo
fact that raising rates is the only al
ternative. and this would mean iur
ther falling off in traffic" which
would defeat it's own object OF rals-
ing more revenue TINS means 'He
wage adjustment must pe H1aue' ~
the opinion of the Charlotte IN. ~
News (democratic), and the sooner II
is done the more quickly Will pusi
ness and industry become s'@oii'1eo
again"
Samuel Gompers, says the IopeKa
Capital (republican), would 90 wen
"if he advised negotiation ana re-
duced wages, with correspondlhely
reduced cost of living ana trahSpor
tation," for, as the Wall Street Jour
nal independently BADLY reTnarnH ,S,
but the diseased part hlncnes iroii
the knife <,aa,+
The New York Times Gndependent
dcmocratic) takes somewhat dlHer-
ent view of the question: Inc coit
riaint is not that wages are excessive
in themselves, but that they are not !:
earned by the work done. The hlgh !,
cost of railway living Is due 10
durcss." /
However, "it would not be fair to !
place the whole burden OF tne prr ths
cnt railroad financial problem on tne
back of labor" the Philadelphia Bull
letin independent republican, de-
clarcs.
The Buffalo Express Gndependent
republican, says: IN RELATION 20
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, dis
Droportionate to the cost OF living.
1t isn't high wages, anyhow. accord |
ing to the Emira Star-Gazette dn-
dependent). that is the fundamental !
cause of the railroads present pow |
crty, but loss of traffic." The bad !
management argument presented by |
some of the labor leaders is support |
cd by Labor (Washington).
Says the Muskegon (Mich.) Chron- |
icle Gndependcnt: "If the wages |
agreed upon at the peak Of the era |
CT high prices are out Of proportion ,
to the present scale of things. the |
roads are entitled to relief. But they !
aer entitled to it only upon making
trustw orthy demonstration before an !
unbiased tribunal
Tho Lansing (Mich) State Journal |
independently declares that "if wages ;
are to be reduced they should be re- ,
duced as scientifically and as uni
formly as they were raised" |
AS to the question of rates, the |
New York World (democratic) is in !
sistent that something be heard on |
that matter "as definite and immedi- ,
ate and radical as the facts concern |
ing proposed wage reductions. And ,
I've shall have to hear this 1t con- !
cludes. before the public. which is |
paying the rates, can be brought into /
sympathy with the action of the |
roads,"
Indeed, rate reductions ARE per- /!
haps, more than wage reductions, an |
obvious remedy for what ails the |
railroads. in the opinion of the Tulsa |
Tribune (democratic). Amy in |
dustry," it adds that holds out for |
peak prices for its products is bound !
to lose trade and therefore lose profits |
in the long run. And the railroads are
no exception" !