Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-02-03
Rail Board Defers
Employees Hearing
Continued from PaEc One

Continued from PsEc One
Maine Central Railroad: New York
New Haven and Hartford Railroad
Northern Pacific Railway; Philadelphia
and Reading Railway.
While earning their operating ex
penses, twenty eight additional road,
estimate that they did not earn Their
taxes and fixed charges in January
Among these are the Arizona Eastern
Railroad, Atlantic Coast Line, Balti
more and Ohio Railroad, Boston and
Maine Railroad, Chicago, Indianapolis
and Louisville, Chicago, Milwaukee and
st. Paul Railway, Chicago, Rock
Island and Pacific Railway. Lehigh
Valley Railroad, Minneapolis and st.
Louis Railroad, Missouri Pacific Rail
road, Norfolk Southern Railroad, Penn =
sylynnia Railroad. Perc Marquette
hallway. Western Maryland Railway.
Wheeling and Lake Erie Railway.
nder present traffic and operating
conditions these were the results de
spite the fact that the sixty four com
panics referred to--of which only n
partial list is given above-have, in the
aggregate, decreased their labor cost Of
operation by laying off approximately
200 200 employees since September | .
1920.
These companies have a total main
line mileage Of moro than 100 600 miles
and constitute approximately 40 per
cent Of the railroad mileage Of the
country"
The statement said that other com
panies of we'll established earning
power under normal conditions" OK
pcctcd to earn only slightly more than
their fixed charges in January.
The statement said that the diff
cultics Of the short line roads were nil
ing up under the national agreements
aud argued that this only goes to H.
,VStrat" that II is cronOmically un-
sound and fraught with disaster" to
compel all roads to meet identical wage
and working conditions. The state
m"ut repeated previous arguments that
the labor hoard was the proper body to
grant relief
Representatives Of the employees have
been busy for several ,!ayS preparing
dent of the Railway Employees De
par,meut Of the American Federation of
Labor. i To present
send Telegram to President
1--WE are convinced, said telegram
To President Wilson. signed by Mr..
Jewell and six other organization lead
erS, "that Mr.. Nttorhuvy wishes to take
advantage of the temporary unemploy-
mCnt and the unfortunate economic
condition Nf the railroad workers, which
the railroads Themselves have intcnsi-
fed. to crush our labor organization
I'VE shall show that there is no
economic justification for wage rcduc-
tions and that n reduction in the gen
eral cost Of living is not dependent
upon reduction in our wages and that
of other wage earncrs
IF the public expects rs to maintain
the spirit and the letter Of the law
and to rely upon judicial settlement Of
differences in nm orderly way. We must
be protected against the advised ef-
forts of Mr.. Attcrbury and his aSso-
CIatoS, who are violating the procedure
Established by law. and. because of an
absurd and impossible obscSsiOn for de-
strOying labor organizations, are re-
sorting to methods whlcu are inde-
f"nsiblc and opposed to the public well
fare.
AtterburS Supplements Statement
Mr., A'rrrbUry yesterday also sup
u,"mrntCd his statement before the
Labor Board Monday by Il message TO
President Wilson, showing the in
creas" in number of employees and in
DayrolIs during the period OF govern
uent control.
I'm the year Of 1911" Mr. After
bUry's message said. "b"fOrc government
operation was adopted, the railways en-
p.Oyed %O2 ~2S maChinsts, boilCrmak-
ers. b,scksmithS. electricians. air brake
men, car inspectors, car repairers, other
skilled shop employees and machinists'
helpers and apprentices. In 1920, when
the number Of locomotives and cars TO
b" maintained wa, only slightly larger
than in 1917. they mad 44%.77S. an in.
crease of 1iO,94I, or ~ per cent. The
total wages mid % thcs" employees in
1917 was s3lT,NGO,I40. while in 1920,
after the advance in wages granted by
the railroad labor board last July, their
wages We're running at the rat" Of ap-
proximatcIy $500, 900, 900 q year.
Another class Of employees included
in one Of rhc national agreements Is the
CLERKS. In 1917 the railways employed
lS4. .O62 clerks, while in 1920, when
business wa, normal, they We're employ
ing 23S. S.G93 clerks, an increase of 30
1Cr cent The total wages paid to
clerks in 1917 was SlS9, ,OO9, sos. After
the wng" award made by the railroad
lahor board the wages Of the clerks were
running a., near a. can be estimated at
the rate of $500, 800 900 II year,