Evening star., 1921-02-09
Editorial Digest
The Labor Boards New Problem.

The Labor Board S new fTOpleu.
With the railroad executives de-
mands for release from their wage
agreements and the union heads as
surance that they will fight any at
tempt to cut down pay. the LABOR
board has a problem before 1t when
the press of the country thinks may
produce another crisis. While num-
ber of writers apparently believe that
the drop in the cost of living ha..
been sufficient to justify reduced
wages for the railroad men. many
think that trouble lies not in too high
wages. but in the fact, as stated by
the Railway Age. that the railroads
are being compelled to pay employees
in the shops many millions OF dollars
annually for work which is not done
That. whatever be the trouble with
transportation, the employees must not
be allowed to suffer. is an opinion
voiced by some newspapers.
one of these is the Cleveland Plain
Dealer independent democratic), which
considers it doubtful if anything like
a general and arbitrary railway wage
reduction could be justified at the
present time. The railroad men were
among the last to receive the wage
advances to compensate for the great
!.creaSe in living cost. The 81
ous Star independently points ont:
"A downward revision cannot safely
mean the beating down of wages be-
,ond the level of good livelihood.
,ut should be a readjustment to meet
he plainly recognizable change In
living costs.
Some relief could be afforded the
public in the high rates 1or freight
and passenger traffic, the Memphis
New -Scimitar GndependenO believes.
without entailing reduction IN
wages" and the New York Globe Gin
lpDcndent). while 1t admits that the
theory is Gin sense revolutionary.
vet zone of the revolutionary meas
,res which prevent revolution. de
.lares that ITO reduce this (wage)
ate while prices are still high above
he pre-war level will work as serious
! hardship on multitudeS of employees
AZ high freight rates and passenger
ariff do on shippers and passengers.
The San Francisco Chronicle Gnde-
,andent) hopes mo wage reduction
NAV be necessary for the present, but
# the roads have not the business.
they must reduce their forces. The
Fargo Courier News (Non-Partisan
LeaguH). however, asserts that no
"irnmediate crisis confronts the rail-
-oads" but they are simply trying to
10 away with the Esch- h-Cummings
labor board "as a preliminary TO
General open shop fight on all rail-
-oad labor" While the New York
"ost independently makes no such ac-
rusations 1t does go SO far as 10 say
hat at Is an open question whether
.onditions are so desperate as to JUS
'ifv the abandonment of the method
If inquiry and negotiation LOT the
method of conflict"
Some writer's feel that the agree
nents which the railroads have asked
0 have Cancelled have outgroWn their
oracticability. 1t is not simply a
question Of wages. the New YORK
Times independent. democratic) ex-
plains. but whether the wage fund
$, being administered as economically
rs the rate fund under private man.
1gement with public fixing or rates.
nd "the roads are not disputing about
he rate of pay. but about the work
',iven for the pay
After citing as an example how the
oads are forced to pay for minimum
,umbcr of hours no matter how short
time a Job might take. the Boston
Ierald independent republican,. re-
.,arks that lit is not strange that the
ailroads wish to be released from the
pational agreements' which under
hanged conditions and individual con-
-ol would handicap the roads" The
rand Rapids Press independently
ns'ders it "inevitable that the rail-
Dads should demand release from
hes" temporary agreements.
As to the concrete question of wage
.aduction a number of newspapers re-
'ect the opinion Of the Columbia
tate tdemocratic), that since other
osts have dropped wages must drop
90 The Sioux City Iowa) Tribune
indepen endent) says: when rail en-
,,oyes were demanding increases in
ages they based their plea on the
isng cost of living: railroad execu-
yes in asking permission OF the
abor board to reduce wages, are re-
-ersing the argument"
And the Philadelphia Record (inde-
>endent democratic) believes the lat
ers reasoning has undoubted
nerit'' Eventually the employees
must reconcile themselves to less
.ay," the Richmond TimesDispatch
democratic) declares. and the Brook
n Eagle Independently sees no rea-
on why this particular group should
'cmand that the government should
seep it from participating in the sac
'ifice that must be general if stabil-
zation of values is ever to come as
he herald of business prOSperity"