The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-03-15
Federal Board Wants to Know
What Agreements Made.
Even Minutes Of Conferences
of Executives To Be Examined.
BIG SHOW W-DoWN ON FRIDAY
Union Chief Declares All r, r.
2 Not Anxious to Break.
Charges Rail Heads Picked
Weakest Unit for Attack.


b New York, March f5.-All skfYiea
workers employed by the New York
Central railroad. with the exception OF
members of the Big Four Brother
hoods, today announced they, as we'll
as unskilled laborers, would reject
wage cuts. proposed by the company.
This announcement was made hy
William Parker, general chairman OF
the United brotherhood of Mainte-
nance of Way Employees and Railroad
Shop Laborers. after represe natives
OF common iaborers had notified the
company they. would not accept the
proposed cuts
Altogether nearly 10000 men now
have made known their opposition to
the plan.
Chicago, March 15.-Pending the
response of the railway executives to
request that they appear before
the board Friday the United States
railroad labor board went into
executive session today while the rep
resentatives of the railroad employees
completed preparationfof their case in
opposition to the railroad executives
request for abrogation of shop agree
ments pending the response of rail-
ROAD executives to subpoenas sum-
board Friday
T. Dewitt Cuyler, chairman of the
associa ton of railway executives. and Z
Robert E.. Binkerd, his assistant, were
requested to bring books and records
Of the association. w. w. Atterbury,
vice president of the Pennsylvania
railroad, and former chairman of the
associations labor com1nittee and who
Tiled with the board the executives
request to abrogate the agreemelts.
was subpoenaed, as was Carl r.. Gray,
president of the Union Pacific.
'1TE1rteAn other railroad executives
may be notified to appear later. smorg
them Hale Holden, Wesident OF the
Chicago. Burlington & Quincy; c. II.
Markham, president of the Illinois
Central. and H. e Byram, president
OF. the c., NJ. & st. p. The action fol-
lowed avowal by the unions thru At
torney Frank p. Walsh that the em-
ployes could not present their argu-
ments I'm favor of the shop agree
ments until the witnesses were called.
Majority Roads Oppose Abrogation.
A majority of the railroads of Amer
lea oppose abrogation of the national
| agreements. in the opinion of Bert
M. Jewell. rail union leader.
| In statements by Jewell and Frank
p. Walsh. attorney representing the
| unions today. it was disclosed an effort
| to prove this will be made before the
United States railroad labor board
Friday. Railroad executives will ap-
pear before the board at that time to
be questioned by union attorneys.
wv. w. Atterbury. vice president OF
the Pennsylvania lines. backed by the
powerful Morgan and Gary forces. has
exerted sufficient influence with other
railroads TO secure their support in
the battle to crush the unions" Walsh
declared
Has Three Fold Scope.
Jewell believed the effort to break.
the national agreement has a three
i fold scope. The purpose. he said, be-,
hind the railroads demands are:
1. A part Of the national campaign,
of big interests to bring about general
open shop working conditions.
2 A forerunner of the fight to. cut
wages which will eventually come be-
fore the United States railroad labor
board.
/ 8. To drive every man who seeks
to hold his union card out of railroad
employment.
! Jewell said the railroad executives;
/ "craftily struck at the weakest unioHs
first-that of unskiIled labor"
j The plan," he said. "is to wipe that
union out of existence and then the
other unions will be dealt with sep
arately.'
Must Open Minutes
Under the railroad boards order.
executives must open the minutes and
records ofsthe conferences on the ma
tional agreement. Union leaders said
the minutes would show many roads
opposed to abrogation of the national
agreement They believed they will
also, disclose the influence which
caused the executives TO demand abro.
CATION of the agreement.
! Thru questions put the executives.
the union attorneys will attempt t.
extravaganza in railroad operation.
that the agreement leads to waste and
/. Walsh expected the views of some ex-
ecutives to differ with that of At
fterburyg
1 Jewell DECLARED the railroad unions
had not opposed changes in the ma
4 tioHal agreements. He declared they
had ought in vain for conferences
with the executives to wipe out the unS
reasonable rules In the agreements.
Thru the examination Friday, he
said. the public may learn that the
railroad executives were the ones who
first advocated national working
agreements"
i Southern Pacific to Cut?
i Houston. Tex, March 15.-Southern
Pacific officials today issued call for
a confsEence with employees to con.
slider proposed wage cuts of unskilled
ing will be April I. More than four
) thousand employees would be affected
in the changes N wages and working
condition. Representatives of the siH
unions concerned are opposing the re-
dqctfon.