The daily times. [volume] (Wilson, N.C.) 1902-1936, 1921-10-27
UNIONS TEMPORARY
v|CTORS, PROBABLY
STRIKE AVERTED
NO SECOND WAGE CUT
President Harding Had Been
Hoping for a Cut in Freight
Rates and the Helpless Pub
lie Waiting for the best i,
Could Get Will Probably
Benefit.
NO SECOND WAGE CUT
BY David Lawrence


Copyright 1921 by The Daily Times
Washington, Oct. 27.-The U. S.
Railroad Labor Board has practically
averted the strike set for next week
on America S railway systems. /,
The brotherhood chiefs have won
Il temporary victory.
1ne railroad executives will be
compelled to bow to the inevitable
and postpone their request for sec
ond wage cut. Even if they fail To
withdraw it, the decision of the l.. S.
Railroad Labor board to ignore the
request until next July will be Iuf-
ticient ground for the union to per
suade their men to stay at work.
The foregoing is the view taken
here of the latest developments i'll
the railroad situation. Every move
made at Chicago has been with the
knowledge and consent Of .hc Hard
ing Administration. Executive ia1d-
ence has been behind the scenes from
the beginning. The Railroad Labor
Board is carrying out to the letter
the program agreed upon by the Ad-
ministration ard announced ii these
| dispatches last week.
| In reality President Harding mas
left that the whole thing was an un
fortunate misunderstanding which
! mutual sus3icion played more OF a
i part than did the actual merits OF
the controversy. He has refused to
! allow a quarrel over imaginary is
helpless public. Mr.. Harding went
/ straight to the bottom of the case
and found that the railroad brother
i hood leaders were ordering strike
to make good their original protest
against a second wage cut. That
: second cut had not even been debated
or the facts presented to the Labor
: Board. So far as the merits of the
case were concerned, it was purely
an imaginary issue.
The President has been hoping fol
cut in freight rates. Decisions
Il have been announced making some
= sweeping reductions. Eut the ex
pected cut in freight rates on lum
Der is still pending. And the de
cision in the grain case is really al
invitation to the coal shippers ant
. others to get busy and ask for tn
same reductions. And the Farm
u Bureau has already applied.
On the other hand, the Presiden
has realized that the chief cause
the mix-up was the tendency OF bot
the railroads and the labor leader
to move too precipitately. The mrs
; wage cut of last July had not pee
r accepted by the men when the raj
r road executives threatened anothe
I'd dose. But the Administration pe
N lieyes it would be more tactful, eve
re from the railroad viewpoint if su
e. fcient time were permitted I
ry elapse so that the effects OF the mr.
w wage cut could be digested by tf
n men. so that, to be sure, they coul
make the necessary adjustments
u their household budgets. The Sc
n. ond wage cut may OR may not mat
ly aIize. Why, asks Mr.. Hardin
have railroad strike over somethlf
d. that may yet become unnecessary
ay There is a feeling in some qua
ters that further reductions
freight rates now will be postpon'
too. In other words, the COVER
ment says in effect to the rallroa
ie- Withhold your request for a seco
;it- wage cut until the first is an accol
he n!ished fact and the workers ma
of made their adjustments. Then
,ad will see whether the earnings OF I
use roads between now and next Jt
les Justify further decrease in wat
The CT another drop in freight rates.
ave The Interstate Commerce Comm
od- sion has not been eager to red'
arol freight rates too rapidly. 1t
nee been hoped that the reductl'
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