Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1921-10-18

? The statement followed a meeting
of the organization by Samuel Felson.
president of the Chicago Great West
ern. The Chicago & Northwestern;
the Chicago. Burlington & Quincy;
the Santa Fe; the Chicago. Rock
Island & Pacific, and the Chicago,
Milwaukee & st. Paul are some of the
larger roads which were represented
at the meeting.
By coincidence, the statement, which
causes of the strike, was issued at al
most the same moment Warren S.
Stone. president Of the Brotherhood
OF Locomotive Engineers was giving
out statement in Cleveland telling
why the Big Four brotherhoods and
the Switchmen's Union Of North Amer
ica had authorized waIkout on
October 80
Statement BY Roads
The railroads statement said. in
part:
The thing it is proposed to strike
against is the decision of the railroad
labor board authorizing the reduction
OF II per cent in wages which the rail-
Ways put into effect on July, 1921.
Inere Is at present no other possible
grounds for strike by che railway
labor brotherhoods.
The railroad labor board was Gre
ated by the transportation act passed
by congress in 1920. which delegated
10 1t the duty. in case OF disputes, of
determining reasonable wages and work
ing conditions of railway EMPLOYEES.
me wage reduction put into effect on
July l was authorized by the railroad
labor under the provisions of this act
therefore, the strike which has been
ordered, will be. if it occurs, a strike
against decision made by a govern
ment body acting in accordance with
federal law. -.
More Serious Than 1916
The situation presented is. in i'm
poftaht respects, more serious than
that created by the issuance of a
strike order by the same labor orsani
zations in 1915, which precipitated the
passage of the Adamson act. At that
time. Wnhe the railways had asked for
ar,pitrat!on. there had not been any
had refused it. Therefore the labor
unions were then within the Law. The
present case is entirely different. There
Is now a law which requires the rail-
ways and their employees to submit to
the railroad labor board disputes which
may interrupt transportation,
While the railways complied with
the decision in 1920 for an advance in
wages. the labor brotherhoods now
propose to defy the law and strike
,ather tnan accept much smaller re-
iuctlon in wages. The course Of the
aoor unions IN ordering strike in
Dad labor board and in disregard of tha
'iain provisions of the law. is clearly
'dapted to nullify these provisions ~
he law, - OA
Action by Executives
The railway executives ~ ~.
.ountry at meeting in Chicago On
october IA. = did mot I" msI ON ON
eduction in wages. but decided s;mniy
o seek further reduction. in aceori,
nee with the law. so that rntes rn;eh,
'e reduced. ecS AAshl
Inc railway employees have no moro
csal rlgnt to strike against it than the
a.,roaus would have had to refuse s1o
.rans No. one advance in wages authorized
is@V by the labor board"
concerning the labor board public
tely. the statement said:
In asking for further reduction in
wages IN order that they may be able
Q grant the public reductions In rates.
ne railways are acting only in accord
nee with the laws and in obedience to
insistent public demand that they
hall create conditions which will en-
bic them to reduce rates. The sug-
cstion has been made in a statement
ssued by the public members of the
abroad labor board that the railways.
D prevent Il strike. shall make a re-
uction in rates equal to the reduction
wages made on July l and shall post
one seeking further reduction in
ages.
Ruinous to Many
a general reduction in rates. without
further reduction in wages would be
linous to many railways. Thus far in
ie year 1921, the railways have earned
net return Of only GO per cent, and,
Though the net earnings have in.
'eased recently owing largely to the
.cent reduction In wages, general
,duction Of rates without a further
'duction in wages would put the rail-
ays buck IN u very precuriOus position
The statement declares tie roads
ere in sympathy with the farmer and r.
.sired to. help him through lower
tcs, b4t this was impossible undse
lni0MA yy0NAm