New Britain herald., 1921-04-19
LAUCK ACCUSES
 FINANCIAL MEN
(Continued from First Page).

| banks, tho railroads and the industries | controlling basic materials. and that this combine has and exercises a | power over the economic destiny of the United States. It shows that within the idenucal capitalist group lies the | power to adjust or rnisadjust relative | prices in a manner that will stimulate \ or suppress industrial activity. It poins \ out that this focal capitalist group | has deliberately maintained high II prices of steel, coal. cement and other | basic materials and that the railroads, \ financied by the same interests, have Il refused to place the orders for plant \ maintenance, or even the orders | necessary to prevent plant and equip ment deterioration.
 All Bound Together The exhibit shows that the | greater factors in American industry. | the railway equipment producers, the | railway repair works. the steel inter- !, ests. tho coal. cement and other basic | material producers-all are closely | bound together by intercapital rsla- I tions and fnteriooking directorates, coming to focus in the House of ! Morgan.
 The railway employees make no is- sue as to the propriety of a centralized system of economic control. The point Of the exhibit is its challenge of the unconscionable misuse which the great combine has made of it's power The employees call attention to the national responsibility which the pos session of such power entails and note that this responsibility in the case of the railway industry has been recog- nized and written into the Federal Laws of the United States. and the employees specifically point out that this responsibility is being unscrupu- lously evaded.
 R. R. Pleading Poverty
 The railroads are pleading poverty. The banks are making unprecedented profits and declaring unprecedented dividends and the same applies to steel. coal. railway equipment and eimiiarly situated concerns. The .capi- tal combine. in preparing to precipi- tate unemployment, adopted the poli- cy that the railroads should do 1t first Railway improvement programs were deferred: railway maintenance was reduced below minimum legal requirement..
 The report brings into clear relief the fact that there is no foundation for opinion which the employers publicity machinery would popularize that the railways and the other great industries are the victims of some misfortune of the times.
 Strike Against Society -~ 'The industrial paralysis which has staggered America is capital on strike against society," And capital. national iy and internationally organized and concentrted. takes the stand that the capital strike shall go on until labor comes to its knees and consents to sweeping reductions of wages. and also as1 fx bargain collectively on a scale CO., extensive with the organization of the enploycrs.'
 Taking up first the lay or charges the report presented by Mir. Lauck said that railroad shop layoffs. in- complete. in the past nine months were more than 10:.000.
 Cites Many Examples
 A letter from Raton, New Mexico. of March II last. charged that on tho santa Fe, in January, after six ma- chinista had been laid off. tho remain ing machinists were worked overtime 1916 hours in that month. l
 Examples of what the report called 'the lay-off policy" were fnstanccd from Indianapolis, Los Angeles. Nash viile. Oswego. N. T.: Hrton. Kan: Du Buois. Pa. and Ottumwa, Ia.
 A report from Oswego. N. r.. charged that ''In March, 1919. the shop here was full of steel flat cars tthat was under government controD and tho foreman only had about 24 men cutting them down. The rest of the men wore walking about doing nothing at all and drawing their pay, but there was no lay off then. The government was paying for it. and not the N. Y. C. Now VIC have all kinds of work and we are laid off."
 1t was charged that in January at winston-Salem a foreman on the Nor folk and Western was caught pulling tags off bad order cars. while at Blue field on the same line foremen were alleged to have orders not to have defective equipment repaird.
 An Eckman. w. Va, letter from railroad worker read; There is pulled out of here every. day cars with no brakes at ali.''
 The report carried a statement charging the Baltimore & Ohio Rail- road company with laying off car me- chanics while 'cars are deliberately run with cracked plates. cracked wheels. broken truck frames" and 12 other specific kinds of breaks.
 Outside Repair Jobs.
 "By far the most illuminating fact" innate what lies back of these rafl- road Iayoffs, is the fact that practical ly all of the larger systems have been contracting with outside concerns for repair of hundreds of locomotives and thousands of freight cars which would normally be repaired in their own
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