The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1921-04-19
RAILS, LABOR
ARE BITTER
IN CHARGES
Rail Witnesses Charge Dis
elimination in Having To
Pay Present Wages-Labor
Charges Combine.
PAY CUTS ARE URGED
tBy Associated Press)

CHICAGO April 19.-Testimony by
railroad witnesses before the rail-
road labor board today that the
roads are Disseminated against and
robbed of their freedom in having TO
pay higher wages for unskilled labor
than are paid in other industries was
coupled with a statement by the labor
side charging that II New York f1nan-
cial institutions, through the roads,
had inaugurated a policy of nation
wide shutdown.
The railroads testimony came in
the formal presentation of their evi-
dence in the consolidated hearing into
the request of SO roads for lower
wages, while the labor contentious
were made in an extraneous statement
filed by W. Jett Lauck. consulting
economist for the union. the regular
presentation of union testimony not
being scheduled until the roads have
finished.
Claim Sad Plight.
B. A Worthington, president Of ths
Cincinnati, Indianapolis and Western
declared that the roads were in ter
rible plight" that they were facing
great emergency" and that unless
his road received aid within two or
three months, il would go into the
hands of a receiver. This concluded
the eastern roads testimony and
western road witnesses were called.
Ralph NJ. Shaw, for the Chicago
Great Western, which recently pro-
posed 20 per cent reduction for
skilled labor and the placing of un-
skilled labor on wage par with SINH
lar workers in other industries, de-
clared that the roads now were forced
to pay their unskilled employees 34
per cent higher wages than were paid
in other industries.
He urged the board to consider the
wages paid in other work and the
cost of living in making its decision.
B. NJ. Jewell of the labor side, then
interrupted him. What do you want
to pay unskilled labor?" he asked.
Thirty 10 So cents on hour?" ans
wered Mr.. Shaw.
We'll, assuming a man Is paid 40
cents an hour" said Mr.. Jewell. work
ing eight hours day. 26 days month,
he would get $3.50 a month. Statis-
! tics show that food takes up 3S.2o of
the wages of the head Of family of
! five That would be s115 day. Can
you buy Is meals for that?'
W. G.. Lee, another union leader.
| joined in Mr. JEWELS questioning. and
asked Mr.. Shaw why the railroads did
not reduce the pay of their officials
where they were free to act. H A.
Sargent, counsel for the Chicago and
Northwestern was the next witness.
He said the roads asked for reductions
! in unskilled labor, first because the
season was at hand when this force
was at its peak and because thousands
of laborers were out of work.
| Charges Combine.
! Charges that a capital comb bine, ="
| headed by II New York financial in
| stitutions inaugurated a policy of ma
! tion- n-wide shutdoWns, were made today
before the board by Mr.. Lauck, econ
omist for the unions which are fight
| ing any reduction in hearings before
| the board.
Mr. Lauck named about 100 men
who through interlocking directorships
he claimed, centered in these dozen
! institutions control of the majority OF
the country's important railroads. and
Of basic materials. He charged that:
This interrelated capital group de
! liberately debated the farmers and
then undertook by precipitating indus
trial stagnation, to deflate labor"
The railroads, he asserted. we're the
! chosen vehicle for this labor drive.
Layoffs of repair men in railroads in
recent months, he charged. were made
deliberately, while much of the repair
work was let to outside companies
who charged the roads about twice
what the same repairs would have
cost in their own shops. One purpose
; he said. was to get this portion of rail-
road labor out of government jurisdic-
tion by forcing it to work for the out,
side concerns. These concerns, he
said, were largely under this same
financial control as the roads.