The Cook County news-herald., 1921-02-24
! !. s RaiIroa oad Labor !; i, I Board
5 z5 4 Asked to Stop ayments for 81 81
.. Work Not Done. B. " 4. u.
IW0UL D SAVE $50 100000.
Lower Cost Of Service Can pc Secured.
.:=s4 ]. :.s..- Only by Cutting Expense, e
n :.*$ Atterbury Says. ! *"s ! s..>s s*.:ss

{#Ou1lcu5 OldIeS .NdilfOdu %LdDOT. #bOdEu .
to end "gross waste and inefficiency''
: prevailing under present working rules
and conditions, General w, W. After
bury, vice president of the Pe*nsyl-
vania railroad in statement to the
board in session at Chicago said in
part. " :@
Many railroads are not now earning,
and with present operating costs and
traffic have no prospect of earning,
even their bare operating expenses,
leaving them without any net return
and unable to meet their fixed charges.
The emergency presented can be met
either by an advance in freight and
passenger rates. or by reduction in
operating expenses.
With declining prices and wages in
industry and agriculture, the country
:deS1ands that the so!vency Of the rail-
roads must be assured by a reduction
in operating expenses, and not by a
further advance4ef rates.
The National Agreements, rules and
working conditions forced on the rail-
roads as war measures cause gross
waste and inefficiency.
! Would Save $500, COO ooo
l estimate that the elimination Of
this waste would reduce railway xOp-
Grating expenses at least 100000 OOO
1t would be far better to save this sum
by restoring conditions of efficient and
economical operation than to reduce
wages.
We believe that as the wages of rail-
road employees were the last to go up
they should also be the last to come
down, but we do insist that for an am,
pie wage an honest days work shall
be given The public has the right to
insist that this must be obtained.
The public has also the right to ex-
pect that the railway executives with
: the cooperation Of the regulatory
: bodies and the emnloyees will as rap
idly as possible reduce the cost Of rail-
way operation 50 as to insure eventual
REIMBURSEMENT of basic wages will be
required. Meantime it is to the inter-
ests of all concerned, including labor,
that the rules and working conditions
: shall be made conducive to the highest
efficiency in output per man.
Losses in income lrreparable
: When wages have been too low the
-. harm done has been offset by. retroac-
: tive increases. Losses of railway net
operating income are irreparable. You
cannot make retroactive tomorrow the
savings that should have been made
i! today.
rules and working conditions of every
+ railroad in this country and adjust
them equitably to varying geograph-
S ical, operating and social conditions.
s.: It, rests entirely with the board to
= determine whether this whole .situa-
0 ton shall drift into chaos, and or
e derly procedure become impossible ex'
d cept at the price of railroad bank,
Vi ruptcy, financial shock and still wider
e unemployment.
:. The Labor Board can prevent this
t catastrophe by declaring that the Ma
S tionaI agreements. rules and working
J. conditions coming over from the wal
j. period are terminated at once; that
the question of reasonable and eco
nomical rules and working conditions
7 shall! be remanded to negotiations be
tween each carrier and it's own EN-
= ployees and that as the basis for sucf
negotiations, the agreements, rules
and working conditions in effect OF
- each railroad as of December 81, 1917
Is shall he re-estahlished.
y, :, # the board will do this, the LabO
= Committee of the Association of Rail
- way Executives will urge upon ev
- - cry railroad company party to De
- cison No. g that no proposal fo
- the reduction of basic wages shall b
made within the next succeeding nine
= ty days. This will afford an oppol
U tunity to gauge the economies whic
can be accomplished. through NOR
- efficient rules and working conditions.
It. also will afford additional tim
e. in which, to realize the benefits of
ze further decline in the cost. of living.
IN Relief Imperative and Equitable
e. The course which we are, recon
le mending is not only imperative br
~ equitable. -. ~ "t ~. =
S. The War Labor Board declared tbs
Il, the war period was an AMI nSsinterregnum, t
be used neither by EMPLOYER nor en-
<. ployee for the purpose of betterin
!, or <impairing the position of either,
!! "a :. To perpetuate as the normal rule
IS and working conditions on the. raj
= = roads, the extraordinary provisions (
- = the war period is a distinct violatio
II Of all promises. 3 The war has no
= : been. over more than two years. u
X - time has cor:e when II the srailWa,
.s* y. !. are to be efficiently and economical
operated, il accord ance with the pr
, visions OF the Transpor ion Aact,, no
o. nal conditions Of employment and. i
. IL; working conditi ors must be restor.
8 ard Increased efficiency Of labor
ured. 55Ss.