The Washington herald., 1921-10-17
Reduced Charges Proper
tionate to July Salary
Drop Suggested.
PAY ADJUSTMENTS
MIGHT COME LATER
Lower Tariff Expected to
Diminish Workers
Living Costs.


roads Immediately cut their rates
in proportion to the JIhy wage cut
and withdraw for the present their
request for further wage reduc-
tions, and that the unions with
draw their strike order pending a
later wage settlement, are made BY
the public group Of the Railroad
Labor Board in a statement issued
last night.
The board summarizes its sugees-
uons in the following words:
cd Let the carriers give imme-
diately a general rate reduction.
measured by the July wage reduc-
tion, and the benefits derived from
the new rules, and devised under
the supervision Of the Interstate
Commerce Commission TO AFFORD the
greatest degree OF relief TO the pub
lie.
"C2) Let the request for further
wage reductions be withdrawn until
the rate reductions have been com
pleted
-(s) Al such time as the cerrIers
deem advisable let them present 90
the Railroad Labor Board their pc
tition for a further reduction in
wages. based upon conditions then
existing.
"CI) Pending the working out Of
the rate reduction and the action OF
the Labor Board on such petition
| for a further wage reduction as
the carriers may subsequently sub
init, let the strike order 5e with
drawn"
Would Allow saCoOIinE Time
This method of procedure has
the merit of affording cooling time
to everybody concerned" the state
ment continues and requires or
the carriers only one thing. namely.
that they give to the public in re-
| duced. freight rates the benefit OF
the July waes cut, tust as they are
rropostng 10 do in case OF further
tg-ege REDUCTIONS II also Involves
/! uss withdrawal er suspension OF the
strike order upon the part OF thu
employees.
The course suggested does not
involve any sacrifice Of pride or
prestige, either 70 the carriers or
to the employees.
TN view Of the enormous destruc-
| ton of property values. the deadly
/ blow 20 slowly reviving business
and the appalling human prfvation.
suffering and death that will follow
in the wake of a tie-up Of the
coUntry's transportation system.
the people should bring 70 bear upon
/ both parties the pressure OF an i'm
! partial public sentiment"
Group Summoned Here.
Members OF the public group Of
the Railway Labor Board are r. NJ
I Barton, G. W. w. Haner and Ben
/ Hooper. They came TO the Capital
at the request OF President Harding
before the strike order was issued
to discuss with the Interstate Com
merce Commission the relationship
OF wages and freight rates.
The group declares present condi-
tions do not justify a strike.
There is absolutely nothing IN
existing conditions that justif1es the
carriers and employees in inficting
the ruinous results OF a strike or
themselves and on the public" the
statement read. There is no
amount of propaganda that can
convince the people that either side
is entirely blameless."
Remainder Of statement.
Following is the statement Of the
board. except the parts already
quoted:
up until Friday there was but
little, IL any. danger of railroad
strike. This fact is well known to
every man in close touch with the
real situation. The railway work
ers would have brought down on
their heads universal condemnation
for resisting by force a wage cut
so manifestly just and reasonable
as that made in July. II may like
wise be said that il remains TO ~
seen whether the issuance Of a
strike order merely because a petit
tion for a wage reduction is abops
J to be filed will be sustained by
public opinion
The Railroad Labor Board has
functioned for more than is months.
settling hundreds of controversies
between carriers and employees, ano
its decisions, with but few excep-
tions. have been respected by boIn
sides. There wouldz have been a
strike, long ago IL the two parties
had undertaken to settle without
intervention or supervision the
manifold disputes they inherited
from the war period.
July "nEN Cut.
"on July l. the Railroad Labor
Board made effective a decision
which reduced the wages Of railway.
employees IL per cent aggregating
about $500. 1000. 900 per aRnum, has
ing the estimate on the normal
number Of employees. Since then,
by revision OF only a part Of the
working rules OF only one class of
employees, the carriers have received
further benefits amounting TO many
millions OF dollars
Friday the carriers notified the
employees they would ask the Labor
Board for a further wage cut Of 10
per cent. at the same time assuring
the public that the shippers and the,
people should have the benefit Il
this wage reduction in the form oi
reduced freight rates To this
proposition, the employees replied
that no general reduction Of freight
rates followed the 0O.000.OOO wage
reduction of July 1, that the cost Of
living had not been sufficiently low
cred since July l to justify anothef
wege reduction and that they would
strike without even waiting a de-
dsion Of the Labor Board as u
whether another reduction Is just
and reasonable.
This Is the stage Wy eon-
Il Confi,,s,~d oN paa.