The New York herald., 1921-03-10

Like the Pennsyivania's decision. the
New York Central's embodies a horizon
tai reduction in pay inside and outside
the Offices.
The cutting and pruning will take
siace In every department and all dis
frscts For instance. certain number
OF general superintendents are to become
supertntendents. The squeezed out super
hufendents will move down peg TO as
sdstants. Chief engineers are to become
division engineers and division engineers
win affect train masters. motive power
superintendents and foremen. How many
men will be affected by the denotions is
yet to be learned, but whereas the New
York Central purposes to save about ST.
100000 month by cutting the wages OF
IT'S unsklled labor, 1t Is estimated that
at least half that amount will be saved
by the inside pruning and demoting.
Naturally some are doomed TO separation
from the payroll
Abolish Certain Positions.
In fact, so certain is this latter propo-
sition that within the last few weeks de-
partment heads have received from the
various yice-presidents OF the road no
fewer than I'VE or six letters calling upon
them to submit TO their superiors at once
their estimate of how many of their sub
ordinates they can do without. These
letters called upon department head to
abolish official positions where possible
and consolidated others.
4i.l1 ~ -al
would talk about the matter yesterday
Although verihcation of the. plan was
had easily enough. Persons inside the
company Offices and others identified
with the organized labor forces declared
that the New York Centrars plan. like
the Pennsylvania, would have incalcu-
liable effect upon the labor situation
generally. In the frst place, according
TO the labor men, organized laDor's
fight agaist a general reduction In wages
wall have more stubborn opposition In
that they will be faced by the general
knowledge that all other workers sub
tnitted TO the reductions while they re-
fuse to take their medicine with the
crowd.
Furthermore the Now York Centrals 5
appeal to the Railroad Labor Board to
uphold Its new wage schedule tthe one
offered unslxilled labor on Tuesday, Will
have greater weight 1t IL thought, be-
cause even the men who make the
appeal will be able TO say that they
endured a reduction in pay relatively as
great or greater than the union men.
The pruning of the New York Centrais
Office forces already has begun. 1t Is
progressing. Just how many men and
women have been laid off thus far was
rot discovered yesterday.
The meeting between the Lehigh Valley
Ncials and the common labor unions
{ mes to pass tomorrow in South Beth
em. AS the New York Central did.
fea Lehigh Valley will submit to the
n the new wage scale and offer
tistical tables 10 back up arguments.
Jersey Central offer.
The Central Railroad Of New Jersey
received an offer from shop workers
IL at apparently has no parallel. Two
x xeeks ago the Central laid off the en-
IRE working force in It's car repair
shops saying that IL lacked the ready
money to pay the wages OF the men
fsetween 1000 and 5000 men were
aAfected by the order and Indignation
meetings resulted The men declared
hat the excuse was subterfuge. mere
attempt 10 discourage the workers ana
an attempt at paving the way 70 putting
& CnEraI
Yesterday representatives of tho idle
men met In the Chamber OF Commerce
rooms in Elizabeth and adopted prop
osition that calls upon the railroad 70
open the shops again, permit tho nlec 10
get back TO work and pay tho men with
pron1issory notes. committee OF nine
OF the representatives. headed by Charles
Macintosh, presented the proposition to
the superintendcnt OF motive power.
Merchants in Elizabeth got together and
agreed to support the workers In their
plan to get back 10 work. The mer-
chants declared themselves willing to
cash tho II. 0. us" issued by the rail-
road The men say that they decided
upon the promissory note plan when
they discovered that the company was
sending locomotives to the Baldwin
Locomotive Works and the American
Car and Foundry Company for repairs
that ordinarily would be done in the
closed shops
The plan submitted by the men con-
tains the condition that work Is 70 he
resumed on a six days a week and eight
hour day basis.
w. G. Besler. president OF the Central
Railroad OF New Jersey refused to ac-
cede to the proposition Of the men. say
ing that tho financial condition OF the
system he headed was the same as that
OF virtually all other railroads in the
country. He said that it was imperative
that railroad wages be reduced TO the
level paid BY outside employers OF the
same sort of labor. He placed the blame
upon the Railroad Labor Wage Board.
which refused to permit the reduction
the railroads sought to put into effect.