Evening star., 1921-02-11
BAIL UNION CHIEFS
: WORK ON ANSWER
epaHTed by Decision Refusing
immediate Abrogation OF
Agreements.

- a0 AE10c1Ated FfeD2.
CHICAGO, February 11.-Labor Off
c5als representing fifteen railroad
EHptherhoods today mapped out their
cAsmpaign of rebuttal to the railway
@ecutives.. plea for abrogation OF ma
t3onad agreements before the United
States railroad labor board. No ses-
SION of the board was held today,
a4 to when they will be ready to pro-
cted with the case.
Yesterdays ruling of the board
through w w. Atterbury of the
Hennsylvania railway, for immediate
abrogGtion of the agreem ents. brought
tie case back to its regular schedule;
Frank p. Walsh. retained as counsel
fdr the brotherhoods. departed last
night for New York after hearing a
decision favorable to the unions be-
fore he had introduced his arguments.
IL was said in labor circles that he
pfobab bly, would return next week
Meanwhile a committee of eighteen
Brotherhood officers is working on
reply to the specific objections to va
rious rules as presented by the car
riers' committee during the last five
weeks. B. NJ. Jewell, chairman of the
employees committee, declar red yester-
days he had been up in an airshfp"
and had devoted all his time and that
OF the committee to preparation of
raply to the Atterbqry request.
. Must Make New Survey.
He said it would be necessary to
make new survey of the situation
before he could advise the board when
he would be ready, to proceed with
the case. This he promised to do to-
I'D nd he ia hn or
tify the board tomorrow of the date
when his committee would have its
evidence ready.
when the board adjourned yester-
day it set Monday as the tentative
date for reconvening. following the
usual custom of reserving Friday and
Saturday for executive sessions.
Decision of the board that the ma
tipnaI agreements shall remain in
force until completion OF the present
hearing was characterized by rail-
road employees a victory. The
ruling came as a surprise both to
railroad and labor representatives
ard upset plans of union officials for
a sbombardment of the railroads re-
quest for immediate ahrogation of the
agreements. 1t left little for the
labor men to do except file a state
ment prepared by B. NJ. Jewell, presi-
dent of the railroad employees de-
partment of the American Fedora
tion of Labor.
This statement and an amplifcation
by Mr.. Walsh charged the railroads
with being a party to an attempt at
w3ping out collective bargaining and
crushing all labor organizations.
When they had finished, they were
upprepared to proceed with the regu-
lar rebuttal of the railroad evidence
o6jecting to the national rules. and
the hearing went over until Monday.
Executives File PrOtest.
Mr. Jewelrs request for time in
which to prepare his testimony met
with protest from the railroad rep
resentatives. but hes promised to
canvass the situation today and ad-
wise the board tomorrow when he
Both sides of the controversy ex-
pressed qualification that the hear
ing would proceed in the regular
manner. W. ". Attesbury. speaking
there was urgency on January 81.
when I made the request of the
board. there is still more now. De-
Gambler reports from .the sorstate
Commerce Commission SHOW that
1isos gilss Of Talresds aHs mot
fixed charges for that month-s The
railroads have contended that =abro-
cation Of the national agreements
would mean a big cut in their op-
Grating expenses.
w. Jett Lauck consulting econo-
mist for the labor en-, however. de-
clared the real issue waas not the
rules themselves. but what they
cmcretely sarction-the -pcincipls. Of
collective bargaining on the basis of
union recognition"
when this principle has received
the boards sanction no further dis
tuFbances or acute controversies will
occur on the roads, Mr.. Lauck said.
>Ln ayio taf nf Pai1
way Executives today called a meet
ing for February Is in Chicago of all
presidents of railroads belonging to
the organization to consider further
steps in the railroads fight for abro-
cation of the national agreements. by
which they expect to cut operating
expenses as one move in restoring pre-
Kar conditions on the roads.