The Connecticut labor news., 1921-07-29
FORD AGAIN HITS RAIL MANAGERS BY
 LOWERING RATES
Asks l. C. C. to Reduce His Charges By 20 Per Cent. Beginning
 August 20.

Washington, July 2o.-A little more than year ago Henry Ford bought the Detroit, Toledo x Ironton Rail road, about 45o miles long and run ming through Ohio and Michigan At the time he bought the road it was according to the books kept by the management, losing $2ooooo a month. Since Ford bought the road it has made a profit though doing less business than 1t was handling the year before.
 That IS one thing that the railr oad milkers who are wrecking other roads have laid up against Ford. Another mean thing he did which is considered an outrage and personal affront by the aforesaid milkers, was to an- nounce in June that on and after July l, 1921, the lowest wages to be paid any employe on the D. T. X l. would be 50 for eight hours. The road is now paying that wage and still mak- ing profits.
 The fact that Ford announced the raise in wages at the same time the Railroad Labor Board announced that wages of all railroad workers were to be cut I220, which cut was made at the request of the managers of other than Ford's road and based upon their assertions that they could not pay a wage of $2.o2 to unskilled labor and make profit, is what hurts.
 On July I, when Ford raised the lowest wages paid on the D. T. & l. other roads lowered wages to the point fixed by the Railroad Labor Board from $2.92 per day to SPA per day.
 On July Ist and several times since the railroad managers announced the fact that there could be no lowering of freight rates because of the cut in wages, owing to the fact" that the cut was not deep enough to allow for a reduction in rates.
 Now comes the D. T. & l. and asks that the freight rates charged by it on it's main line and on all it's branches be cut 20 per cent, begin ming August 2oth When the general freight agent filed the request to be allowed to reduce rates 20 per cent with the public utilities commission at Columbus, Ohio, the only comment he made in answer to a question was: MT. Ford thought reduction should be made"
 Can you imagine what the railroad WreckerS who control the most of the roads are thinking about Henry They have been claiming that they are operating at a loss and demand ing that the government give them $500, ,oOO, 900 or they'd have to go into bankruptcy. The wages were so high and labor so inefficient there was nc hope for a reduction i'll rates unless wages were cut to the bone. Yet here comes Ford, takes a road that was losing money while owned and managed by "railroad brains", makes 1t pay profit, raises wages to nearly three times what other roads pay and cuts freight rates 20 per cent. Don't get the idea that the Ford road is toy road that runs a few miles through the back woods. It's real road and in better shape thar ever before and the fact that ForC has made the road a success from { failure, raised wages and reduces | prices charged for service, is not be- | cause he IS a superman, but IS solely because he either doesn't know how to soak the public and labor or be- | cause he doesn't care for that kinc of a game.
 | The railroad managers have beer ! claiming for over three years now
 
 | the brains and ability necessary 1T running the railroads of the country
 that they must have the right te charge high rates and lower wages i the transportatiYn system of the lane was to be mainY aimed, only to go ever deeper in d1p pt and nearer bank l ruptCy.
 How can they account, after al the propaganda they've spread, for al that Ford has done? They will no
 admit they didn't know what they ] were talking about or that they liee ! and do still lie, but what do you thinl | about it as you continue to pay exces | sive fright charges; see the purchas l ing power of railroad workers GU l down and crops rotting on the ground | because 1t costs too much to ShlI | them? Think 1t over.