Smyrna times., 1921-10-12

Commenting upon the talk OF q Y
possible general railroad strike, which
is current on the Delaware Division
and other railroad centers. the Rail
way Age says: "The innumerable
concessions, beginning with the pas
sage of the Adamson Act, which the
railway labor unions have obtained by
constant threats of strikes, and by
not infrequent sporadic actual strikes,
apparently have encouraged them 20
believe that whatever they cannot ret
by reason they can get by force. If
a strike there must be, the present
would be, from the standpoint of the
railways and the public, as good a
time as any to have it. If the labor
leaders must be taught sooner or later
that they cannot dictate their own i
terms to the railways and the public |
by constant threats of force, the soon
er they are taught it the better it
will be for all concerned. The traffic
being handled by the railways is the
smallest for some years, and it would
be easier for the railways to handle
it, in spite of "a strike, than it would
have been at any time within recent
years. There are about 100000 men
out of employment in this country, Of
whom 100000 a year ago were en-
ployes of the railways. The difficulty
of getting men to replace the strikers
would therefore be much less than 1t
would have been at any time within
at least six years.
The Railway Age ridicules reports
that are given out regarding the strike
votes. "Of course the votes, as an
nounced," it says, "are practically un-
animous for a strike. They always
are. The percentage of members of a
railway labor union usually announced
as voting for strike is SO. Some
times it is only 81. and sometimes it
is 80. The skill the leaders have ac-
quired in always getting practically
the same percentage of their members
to vote for a strike is quite remark
able. We suspect a count of the votes
under governmental supervision wOuli
produce results surprisingly different
from the 90 per cent. now usually an
nounced..
"On the whole, railway employe
who have not been laid off are bette
off relatively and have less to com
plain about than almost. any othe
class of people in this country, it as
serts. Even since the recent reduC
ton of their wages the average hour
ly wage is 194 per cent. more than i
1914. In August, according to tn
statistics of the Northern Industri;
Conference Board, the average cost {
living in all parts of the United State
was only about 65 per cent. more 1
the necessaries and comforts of Ii.
than he could before the war.
"The average hourly wage unlt
labor employed in all industries i
creased between 1914 and 1920 only
little over one-half as much as that
railway labor, and which the last We
has been reduced much more in pI
portion. The average prices of fan
products are now only about Is p
cent. more than in 1914, while t
prices of the things the farmer has
buy are relatively much higher. I
result is that he cannot buy with
given amount of his products neal
as much of other things as he col
in 1914. While, however, railway e
ployes as a class, are relatively
much better off than the farmers a
most other working men, the lead
of the unions are busily engaged
taking and counting votes on the gu
ton of strike. There is one impo