The Washington times., 1921-07-06
RAIL STRIKE OVER
I. PAY CUT UNLIKELY,
. HAPGOOD BELIEVES
Writer Confident Men Won't In
jure Public, but Will Seek
Aid of Congress.
BY NORMAN HAPGoOD.

Things are about to happen In the
railroad situation. The decision
about the wage awards at Chicago
will. l think, be against a strike. To
strike now against wage-reduction
would be the poorest strategy.
The diplomatic procedure would be
10 protest against policy Of making
labor pay for the stupidity of the
railroads, but to express a generous
willingness. TO save the public from
the disasters of a strike at this criti-
cal moment.
There might we'll be a reservation
about the future; an explicit pointing
out that labor does not permanently
give up It's just claims, and means to
return to them as soon as the emerg-
ency Is past With more statesman
like leadership the opportunity could
be used to lay down a constructive
program
At the Washington end things will
also be lively. beginning next week.
The railroad employees are to put in
their case before the Cummins COM
mittee. The brotherhoods are expect
ed TO occupy about Ave days. and the
shop crafts to follow them, probably
the following week.
POOR ACCOUNTS SYSTEM.
to recall the railroad officials for
REORGANIZATION, II the promise is
carried out, will furnish the most in
teresting feature of the hearings. 1t
will show just how little the officials
know about the actual costs in their
own business. 1t will show what
hopelessiy meaningless system of ac-
counting they carry on.
The noisiest claim being made by
the railroads is something that seems
TO total about $1,000 900 900 for al
legged inefiiciency of labor during the
period of Government operation and
the period of Government guarantee.
They are trying to interpret the
word cost" not in the simple sense
OF money paid out. but in the subtle
and wholly guess work sense of
money paid out in relation to a dog
matte surmise about the quality of
the work done
The falsity of this attempted Inter
probation OF the contract with the
Government is shown by the fact of
record that the roads, when Mr.. Nc
Adoo was Director General tried to
get such a provision put in the con-
tract. and the Government rejected
IL, on the simple ground that IL was
unworkable and would be the basis
for wild and unsupported claims.
ORDER OUT OF CHAOS.
The railroad administration, which
rs the one department of the Govern
ment that does not seem to be afraid
OF the propaganda carried on by the
roads, points out that when President
Wilson's proclamation took over the
roads he took 100000 miles OF main
track 250o, 900 freight cars. $4,000 To-
comotives, $1,000 passenger cars and
all kinds Of complex equipment.
There were 1sS separate large or
ganizations and from 600 to 500 small
organizations. No comprehensive or
detailed survey of its condition was
in existence.
Some were in poor condition. Some
were in very bad condition. Labor
was of many different kinds in diff
ferent parts OF the country. In one
place track labor would be native, in
another negro, in another Mexican,
Italian. Japanese.
Therefore. the Government agreed
with the railroads on a straight money
test. closed to wild claims, and IL is
that test that the railroads are now
trying to confuse so as to rush in
endless fake claims.
WEAK BASIS FOR CLAIMS.
tration shows, to support their sweep
ing claims merely by offering figures
which are themselves pure assertions
as to the time required for certain
selected operations at particular
shop OF a single railroad at some
time during the test period and at
some time during Federal control
The railroad attorneys, as the Gov
ernment says, do not try TO show
even as to these figures by what
method they were produced. or how
the comparison attempted is proposed
to be justified"
II is considerable nerve. As the
Railroad Administration says, The
railroads have no records on which
to base their guesses. They gayly re-
duce the work done by the Govern
ment by about 40 per cent with
equal gayety they trife with the few
real records there are.
For example, in one case an in
crease is shown OF 12.4 per cent.
They juggle the figures to try to show
an increase of 1922 per cent
The rest of this tale OF infinite
al