The Snyder signal. (Snyder, Tex.) 1887-????, 1921-02-25
U. S. Railroad Labor Board
Asked to Stop Payments for
Work Not Done.
WOULD SAVE S3O0,ooo,oO0
Lower cect OF Service Can BE Secured
Only by Cutting Expense
Atterbury Says.

and conditions. General W. W. After
bury. vice president OF the PennsyL
vanla railroad, In a statement 10 The
board In session n, Chicago said IN
part
Many railroads are not now earning
and with present operating costs anc
traffic have no prospect OF earning
even their bare operating expenses
leaving them without any net returt
and unable TO meet their hIed charges
The emergency presented can he me-
either by an advance In freight ant
passenger rates, or by reduction N
operating expenses.
with declining prices and wages IN
Industry and agriculture, the country
demands that the solVeney OF the rail-
roads must be assured by a reduction
In operating expenses, and not by :
further advance Of rates.
The National Agreements. rules ant
working conditions forced on the rail
roads as war measures cause gross
waste and ineficiency
Would Save $500 900 900
estimate that the elimination oil
this waste would reduce railway on
Grating expenses AT least $500, 0O0WO
II would be far better Ia save this sun
hy restoring conditions Of efficient an,
economical operation than 10 reduce
wages
We believe that as the wages Of rail
road employees were the last 10 20 M
they should also be the last 20 CEN,
down. hut We do insist that FOR Az am
ple wage AN honest days work shall
be given The public has the right Il
insist that this must be obtained.
The public has also the right 20 eN
rect that the railway executives. viii
the cooperation OF the regulatory
bodies and the employees, will &C rap
idly as possible reduce the cost Of rail
way operation so as 20 insure eventual
~ a reduction In rates. Ultimately {
read enlistment OF basic wages Will be
required Meantime 1t is to the bter
cstS OF an concerned. including labor
thar the rules and working conditions
shall be- made conducive 10 the highesi
efficiency TO- output per man.
Losses In Income lrreparsble
When wages have been too low %,
harm done has been Offset 10y rctroac
tive Increases. Losses Of railway nel
operating income are irreparable iot
cannot make retroactive tomorrow Oh,
savings that should have been mad,
tudaN
TIE board cAuuot possibly write the
rulc- and working conditions of every
railroad in this country and adjUA
them cQuiiahly TO varying geograph
teal, operating and social conditions.
Ii rests entirely with the hoard &C
determine whether this whole situa
ton shall drift into chaos, and or
DERBY procedure become impossible ex
cept at the price Of railroad bank
ruptcy. financial shock and sin widei
unemployment.
The Labor Board can prevent thlt
catastrophe by declaring that the Ma
tienal agreements. rules and working
conditions coming over from the wal
period are terminated az once; thai
the question OF reasonable ana eco
nomcal rules and working conditions
shall he remanded TO negotiations be
tween each carrier and its own en-.
! plnvees: and that as the basis for sucf
| negotiations, the n.r, 90. cats, rules
| aud working coud''"r~ IN enect OF
! each railroad 90 hecember 81, 1917
| shall he rec .".Ished.
II the board will do this. the Labor
| Committee Of the Association OF Rail.
| way Executives will urge upon ev'
| cry railroad company party to he
cision No. 2, that no proposal fol
the reduction OF basic wages shall be
made within the next succeeding nine.
\ ~ days. This will afford an opror'
| tunity to gauge the economies which
| can he accomplished through more
| efficient rules and working conditions.
II also win afford additional time
| In which 10 realize the benefits Of a
| further decline In the cast OF living.
Relief Imperative and Equitable
! The course which we are recon.
menGiug is not only imperative but
equitable.
, Tie War Labor Board declared that
the war period was IN interreanun, to
he used neither by employer nor EN-
r'oyee for the purpose Of bettcrine
or Impairlng the position Of either.
To perpetuate as the normal ruler
and working conditions on the rail-
/ .c,is ,ho extraordinary nroVisious OF
the war period is a distiact violation
81 all promises. The war has now
been over more than tive years. The
time has come when, II the railways
ore 10 be efficiently and economically
operated. in accordance with the pro-
visions Of the Transportation act, nor
NAL conditions Of employment and o.
working conditions must ee restored
and increased efficiency Of labor b.