Evening journal., 1921-10-19
ONLY PENNSY
DEFIED BOARD
Company Refused to Recog-
nize Shop-Craft Union
When Ordered
NO ABROGATION
OF WORKING RULES

WASHINGTON, Oct ia gen
eral reduction in freight rates to fol-
low the II per cent cut in railway
wages. already ordered and the
championship by the Administration
of this program as a strike settle
ment policy, seemed to be definitely
forecast by intimauons from high
official sources.
There was reason to believe thai
before many days have passed a for
NAL announcement viii be made by
the Interstate Commerce Commits
sion of an order carrying into effect,
broadly speaking, the Atterbury plan
OF action which has been publicly in
dorsed by the public group of the
Railroad Labor Board.
It is Confidently expected thai II
this action is taken as a result of
joint Consideration of the railway
wage and railway rate problem by
the two regulatory agencies OF the
government, the Harding Admin
istration will find an early opportun-
ity to give il full approval and 10
urge its acceptance in good faith by
5oth the railroad executives and the
employees.
Whether such a program on the
part OF the government will serve TO
stop the threatened strike is OF
course debatable. but. the feeling
continues to grow in Washington
that such a policy as outlined. il
rigidly adhered to by the Admin
stration, will have at least a deter
ring effect and may provide their
leaders with an acceptable avenue
Of retreat
Meanwhile the Railroad Labor
Board has called a conference in
Chicago for Thursday with the
brotherhood leaders and the public
group Of that body has left Wash
ington, fresh from conferences with
the President and the Interstate
Commerce Commission, to lay some
program OF other before the labor
spokesmen. This program. il is be-
lieved here. is the Atterbury plan,
which the President Is expected 10
acopt as his own proposal for a set
.iement.
The Chicago conference. although
reforred 70 In Official circles as "in-
formal" nevertheless is regarded as
a step taken to determine whether
or not in the creation OF the Rail-
road Labor Board the government
has founded a totally 'impotent in
stitution." as one high official refer
red to the body today.
IL this conference fails to avert the
strike then the board will be a fu-
tile agency. since OF the two inter-
ests over which Il has jurisdiction
will have ignored its authority.
In this connection interest was
shown in the charge made by War
rem S. Stone. president OF the Broth.
erhood OF Locomotive Engineers, I,
the effect, FIRST. that the railroads
themselves had dened tho Railroad
Labor Board, and next, that the car,
riers had deliberately abrogatec
working agreements that had beer
in effect for more than two decades
This charge, coming from a highly
responsible source, has been given at
tention by all interests here and som,
pains was taken in Official quarters
10 give the facts egarding the at
titude OF the railroads. particularly
toward the Railroad Labor Board.
II develops that there has been onls
one flagrant case OF a railroad fiout-
ing the board. This was the Penn
sylvania.
The issue between the board and
the Pennsylvania. il is stated, arose
when the board issued an order re.
quiring the carrier to recognize the
shop craft union. This the railroaf
declined TO do. insisting that its owr
shop craftmen had elected represen
tatives in their own way to deal with
: the management and these repre-
sontatives alone would be recognized
b After some controversy. the boar,
r requested the railroad to confer will
IL over the matter. but again IN,
!. railroad declined, saying that ther
a was nothing 10 confer about. There
Q upon the board, acting under the dis
n ciplinary section Of the Cummins
). Esch law. cited the railroad TO ap
a pear before It