The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-01-31
: ; ! !
Re TURN 70
1917 RULES
(contlnusd from Page one.)


49, and tie employees, will. -
|SS&11ly 9 possible, reduce the cost
II railway operation 20 - to event.
lilly insure . reduction in rates.
Ultimately . reAdJuetmcnt Of basic
sWages will be required. Meantime.
IN u to the interests Of all con-
earned. including labor. that the
rules and working conditions shall
~ made conducive to the highest
11clency in output per man.
r7'he railroad committee present
Ing evidence for the abEogation Of
me national agreements have far
from exhausted their evidence on
this subject. But 1t will be dan
gerous to continue the considera-
tion Of these agreements rule by
Tnle. II the board follows its pres
,ent procedure, months will elapse
before II can render its decision.
THE urgent financial necessities
OF the railroads will not permit
them to wait any such length OF
time for relief. Long before the
present detailed hearings are con-
cluded the board will be flooded
with appeals from individual rail.
roads from all parts Of the coun-
try for reductions in basic wages
It will be impossible for the toard
to hear and dispose Of these sep
arate cases upon their merits In
time to avoid numerous receiver
ships and the possibility Of a ma
tional panic. Losses Of railways
net operating income are irrepara.
BILE. You can not make retroactive
tomorrow the savings that should
have been made today.
"Your board can not possibly
write the rules and working con.
Gitions Of every railroad in this
country and adjust them equitably
to varying geographical, operating
and social conditions.
ut rests entirely with your board
TO determine within the next few
days whether this whole situation
shall drift into chaos, and orderly
procedure become impossible ex
cept at the price Of railroad bank
ruptcy, financial shock, and Still
wider unemployment.
'The course which We are rec
ommending il not only imperative
but equitable"
Perpetuation OF the extraordin
airy provisions Of the war period al
the normal rules and working con
ditions would be a distinct viola
ton of the promises OF Presiden
Wilson to investors in railway Sc
curities, when the carriers wer'
taken over by the government rail
road administration in December
1917, Mr.. Atterbury declared. In
vestors were guaranteed, he said
that their rights and interest
would be scrupulously guarded b.
the government as the. had bee
by the directors Of the railroa
systems, and that federal contrc
would be carried on with as littl
disturbance as possible OF the pei
! sonnet Of the roads.
Retard Rates.
Conditional on the abrogation
the national agreements by the la
Dor board, the roads ask, in add
ton, that the basic rates for un
skilled labor, fixed at 80 to 49,
cents per hour in the award Q
July, 1920, be Immediately retract
ed.
The plea 10 made that inasmuc
IS rates for unskilled labor in 9th
or industries have been greatly re
.duced since the award became ei
fective, the higher scale on tn
railroads works to the disadvantag
Of other employees. and bears wit
grave injustice upon the great bod
OF our farmers"
The appeal Of the railway execu
tives Is concluded with the declare
ton that Tin our judgment, unles
the proposed measures be take
promptly by your board, q situatio
will shortly develop in which OF
derby procedure will become en-
tirely impossible"