The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1921-10-27

|
| Freight Rates May BE Postponed -
| Roads Want to Destroy Unions.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE
| Especial Despatch To The Reformer)
Copyright 1921.
WASHINGTON, Oct 81. - The
United States railroad labor board has
practically averted the strike set for next
week on Americas railway systems.
The brotherhood chiefs have won
temporary victory.
The railroad executives will be com
PEELED to bow to the inevitable and post
pone their request for second wage cut.
Even if they fail to withdraw it, the de
cision of the United States Railroad la
Dor board to ignore the request until next
July win be sufficient ground for the un
ions to persuade their men to stay at
work.
The foregoing is the view taken here
/ of the latest developments in the railroad
situation. Every move made at Chicago
| has been with the knowledge and consent
of the Harding administration. EXecu-
! tive influence has been behind the scenes
/ from the beginning. The railroad labor
| board Is carrying out to the letter the
program agreed upon by the administra-
ton and announced in these dispatches
tlast week
| Unfortunate misunderstanding
/ In reality President Harding has felt
| that the whole thing was an unfortunate
misunderstanding in which mutual sus-
picion played more of a part than did
the actual merits of the controversy. He
has refused to allow a quarrel over
| imagukIry issues To torce j railroad
strike on a helpless public Mr.. Harding
t1fvI,+ #hs.
and found that the railroad brotherhood
leaders We're ordering a strike To make
/ good their original protest against sec
Ond wage cut. That second cut had not
even been debated or the facts presented
TO the labor board. So far as the merits
of the case were concerned it was purely
an imaginary issue.
The President has been hoping for "A
cut in freight rates, Decisions have been
ANNOUNCED making some sweeping rcduc-
ltions. But the expected cut in freight
rates on lumber is still pending And
an invitation to the coal shippers and
others 10 get busy and ask for the same
reductions. And the farm bureau has al
ready applied.
Both Sides To Precipitate
On the other hand the President has
lrcalizcd that the chief cause of the mixup
was the tendency of both the railroads
lcipitatcly. The first wage cut Of last
July has not been accepted by the men
lWhen the railroad executives threatened
another dose. But the administration
believes it would be more tactful. even
from the railroad viewpoint. if sufficient
time We're permitted to elapse 50 that the
effects on the first wage cut could be Iii
| geSted by the men, 50 that, to be sure,
| they could make the necessary adjust
mentS in their household budgets The
| second wage cut may or may not mater
ialize. Why. asks Mr.. Harding. have a
| railroad strike over something that yet
| may become unnecessary.
There Is a feeling in some quarters
that further reduction in freight rates
now will be postponed too. In other
! words, the government says in effect To
the railroads, withhold your. request for
n second wage cut until the first is an ac-
complished fact and the workers have
made their adjustments. Then we will
| see whether the earnings of the roads
between now and next July Justify a fur
Their decrease in wages or another drop
in freight rates"
Want Gradual Reduction
| The interstate commerce commission
has not been eager to reduce freight rate.
| too rapidly. 1t has been hoped that the
reductions would be so gradual as to
permit the carriers to adjust themselves
| TO the lower rates over fairly long per
iod of time. The decision to postpone the
request for wage cuts carries with it in
leyitably Il slower process of freight rate
revision. BY next July the public too
viii be in a better position to Judge
whether further wage cuts are needed
Statistics will be available on which dis.
interested judgment can be obtained.
Meanwhile, the United States railroad
labor board has done another effective
thing in refusing to consider more cases
involving wage cuts until there is an
agreement on working rules. The labor
Headers have had a tremendous tactical
advantage in ordering strike because
lthey have always been able to point t
the refusal Of the railroads to accept thC
decisions of the United States railroad
board on working rules as indicating that
the railroad executives were really trying
to destroy unionism. For some time il
has been said in well informed labor
quarters here that if the railroads die
not privately and otherwise make it plaiI
that they are trying to deliver a body
blow against union labor. the wage cut.
would be swallowed more easily Some
labor leaders have indicated that if tn,
rules question is settled satisfactorily
there win not be much difficulty over
wage adjustments.
Should Settle Working Rules
President Harding feels that the rail