The New York herald., 1921-06-01


telegra pliers. teiephoners. towermen and
agents (eAcept -telegraph). cents
Agents (non-telegraph)--5 cents.
Engine service employees;
Passenger service-Engineers and
motormen firemen, helpers--6 cents
Freight service-Engineers, hremen
and helpers--S cents.
Yard service-Engineers, firemen and
helpers---S cents.
Hostler service--Hostlers and helpers
IS cents.
Train service employees:
Passenger service, including suburban
service--conductor ticket collectors,
baggagemen. iagmen and brakemen--
~ cents
Freight service Ooeal and through)
Conductors. fiasmen and brakemen,
cents
Yard service: Foremen. helpers and
switch tenders, s cents
Stationary engine and boiler room en-
ployees: Engineers, firemen and oilers
cents.
Water tenders and coal passers,
cents
Signal department employees: Signal
foremen, inspectors, leading maintaineAs,
gang foremen, signal men and signal
maintainers, cents Helpers, cents.
The attitude of the railway unions
toward the decreases ordered remains to
be determined The big brotherhoods
are expected to meet here July to con-
slider the boards decision, which Is ef-
fective on that date.
Declaring they were hard hit by the
winter slump in business. railroad man
egements have been clamoring for sew
erai months for lower wages. and the.
decision tomorrow will mark the first
relief granted by the board since IL set
the advanced scale more than ten
months ago.
The decision will say that since the
1920 wage award there has been a de-
crease in the cost of living" and "the
scale of wages for similar kinds of
work in other Industries has in general
been decreased" These two points were
the chief contentious of the railroads
before the board. Testimony was Of
fered in the hearing. which began April
IS and ended May 16, to show reduc-
tions of 90 to so per cent. in the cost OF
food and clothing. Varying reductions
in wages mostly for common labor, were
also cited by the carriers, THE board
believes" the decision says, that. based
on the elements shown. the decreases
fixed are justified and required"
"Whatever may be said as to the
origin or contributing causes, there has
been and is a marked depression in In
dustry affecting the entire country, ana
some lines of production most seriously
The board declares: "As result, heavy
financial losses have been suffered, and
many hundreds of thousands thrown out
Of employment and deprived of all
wages, and this loss of purchasing power
by them has accelerated the general de-
preston by reducing the demand for
the products they would otherwise have
purchased
while it has been argued that the
fall i'm prices has not reached TO any
large extent the consumer. II has with
out question most dsastrously reached
and affected the producers, especially
some lines OF manufacture and the aS-
iicultural classes"
Railway executives tonight expressed
disappointment at what they declared TO
be the inadequate wage decreases an
nounced by the board
Not Sufficient. Says Byram.
Il. NJ. Jewell, president OF the railroad
department of the Federation of Labor,
refused to make any comment. but de-
ciared that the decision would be taken
UP at meeting of the executive COM
mittee. probably in Chicago. within the
next few days.
THE reduction in wages granted Is
not, in my opinion. sufficient to meet
the demands Of the situation" said II.
f. Byram, president OF the Chicago, Mill
waukee and St. Paul Railroad. "Thc
railroads in good faith asked for and ex-
pected that the Labor Board would
make a reduction of wages equivalent
to the advance which 1t granted on
July 20 1920. That advance proved to
run at the rate of almost sS00,O00.oo0
a year when the railways were handling
normal business and averaged about
20 per cent.
"The reduction authorized by the
Labor Board to be made on July is
just about one-half OF this sum. The
reduction granted will be helpful. but it
will not BIZ sufficient Whether IL and
other Developments will make practi-
cable any reductions CT rates viii de-
pend upon the net earnings of the rail-
ways"
8. NJ FELTON,. president OF the Chicago