Arizona republican., 1921-03-25
ASk RAIL HEADS
 TO TESTIFY AT
 BOARD INQUIRY
Republican A. p. Leased Wirel

CHICAGO, March 24-Three rail- road presidents, members of the former labor committee of the Association of Railway Executives, will be summoned to testify before the railroad labor board if a request of the employees to- day is granted. Labor representatives asked for their appearance April to testify concerning their attitude on na- tional boards of adjustmet. w. C.. Bes- Ter, president of the Central of New Jersey; E. E. Loomis, president of the Lehigh Valley, and H. b. Dyram, presi- dent of the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul, are the executives named. All were members of the labor committee which took divided stand on boards of adjustment.
 Labor began today it's task of refut- ing arguments of the carriers against national agreements. B. NJ. Jewell, president Of the employees department of the American Federation of Labor, started in to dispose of approximately 1000 printed pages of argument.
 Workers Would Lose S6,o0o,0o0
 Negotiating rules and working agree ments on each individual railroad, as proposed by the railway executives, would cost the railroad workers more than s6.oe0.00o, and require the serv- ices of more than 5000 men, it was SIdleQ DSlOT6 the IdiiICdu IdDci bodiu today by MT. Jewell in presenting the labor side of the controversy over na- tional rules and agreements,
 If the request of the conference
 committee of managers of the Associ- ation of Railway Executives were
 granted.'' said MT. Jewell, sand the national agreement abrogated by de-
 cision of the board, remanding the sub l iect matter of rules and working con ditions to the respective railroads and committees of their employees for con- | ference On individual lines. the em ployes' conference committee on each railroad would necessarily be composed of at least one man from each craft at each point on the railroad. For the l 1O7 roads listed, the figures show that l the services of 5,15S committeeman | would be required at total daily ex- pense of $65,76o and total expense for
 90 days of s5.9i2, 442. besides additional I expenses
 | Suggests Creation of Committee Much of this enormous expense on both railroad management and rail road labor, together with the consump 1 tion of valuable time of the highly skilled and essential railroad officials land railroad employees should be elim- linated by cooperation between rail- | road management and the recognized 1 railroad labor organizations through the creation of a conference committee | authorized to represent on the one l hand railroad management, and on the l other railroad employees of the partic- ular crafts.'
 t He cited figures to show that 8 pel
 cent of the 455,776 railroad shop em-
 ployes of class one carriers are mem
 bers of their respective craft organiza- tion, and declared that since 1911, wher the railroad employees department oi the American Federation of Labor Wal I organized there has not been Q single authorized strike of federated shoI craft employees
 E Mir. JewelPs statement is expected l to occupy several days in its presenta- :, tion to the labor board. following whicf the labor side will present numerou: exhibits on the various rules anS
 principles of the national agreement.