Evening star., 1921-10-17

| freight rates Of the reduction au-
thorized last July in the wages of
railroad employees was suggested last
night by the public group of the
plan by which the present contro-
versy can be settled and strike
averted."
In a statement issued by Ben w.
Hooper, q member of the group, who
said 1t was drafted by the entire
membership, this plan was said not
lonly to possess potentiaiities Tor
clearing up the situation. but for re-
tducing the cost of living to con-
sumers and exerting a stimulating
effect upon business generally.
Wages Would stand.
: The railroads. under the proposed
arrangement, would withdraw their
| request for further wage reduction
| until freight rate reductions have
been completed, and pending action
| by the board on such petition for
may subsequently submit" the unions
| would withdraw their strike order.
| The statement follows:
J up until Friday there was but lit
tie. if any. danger of a railroad
strike. This fact is well known to
every man in close touch with the
| real situation. The railway workers
would have brought down upon their
heads universal condemnation for re-
sisting by force wage cut so mani
feStly just and reasonable as that
| made in July. 1t may likewise be said
that 1t remains to be seen whether
the issuance of strike order merely
because a petition for a wage reduc-
ton is about to be filed will be sus-
! tanned by public opinion.
THE Railroad Labor Board has
functioned for more than eighteen
! months, settling hundreds of con-
| troversies between carriers and their
few exceptions. have been respected
by both sides. There would have been
a strike long ago if the two parties
jhad undertaken to settle without in
ttervention or supervision the mani
! fold disputes they inherited from the
war period. There is absolutely moth
ling in existing conditions that JUS
titles the carriers and their employees
| in inf1icting the ruinous results of a
tstrike on themselves and on the pub
llic. There is no amount of propa-
ganda that can convince the people
THAT either side is entirely blame
| less.
"On the first day of July the Rail-
road Labor Board made effective q
decision which reduced the wages of
railway employees IL per cent, aggre-
eating about S400.OO0,000 per annum.
OaSlnR Ine eSt1Tudlc Oh tHe
number of employees. Since then. by
ii revision of only a part of the work
ling rules of only one class of en-
ployes, the carriers have received fur
l ther benefits, amounting to many mil
lions of dollars.
| Would Ask New Cat.
| Friday the carriers notified the
iemployes they would ask the labor
i board for further wage cut of 10
per cent. at the same time assuring
1.-THE public that the shippers and the
! people should have the benefit af this
| wage reduction in the form OF reduced
freight rates.
| "To this proposition the employees
replied that no general reduction OF
freight rates followed the 100000
| 900 wage reduction of July 1: that the
cost of living has not been sufficient
| ly lowered since July l to justify an
| other wage reduction. and that they
will strike without even awaiting a
decision of the labor board as to
whether another wsge reduction Is
| just and reasonable.
"This is the stage which the con-
! troversy has now reached
! There is at least one feasible plan
! by which it can be settled and a strike
averted. That plan is predicated upon
an excellent suggestion made by Sen.
Atterbury of the Pennsylvania rail-
road in his speech before the con-
vention of vehicle and implement
manufacturers at Chicago last Friday.
| Cannot Keep Protection.
His suggestion is quoted as fol-
lows:
Nevertheless. it is fact that the
carriers, through they are not earn
| ing what they must earn to entftIe
them to be called prosperous, nor
what the law intends they shall earn.
:. cannot rest under such protection
while other business struggles for IT'S
life. It would be q wise poiicy ior
| the carriers publicly to avow that
view and voluntarily reduce rates
where they now work hardship, even
| though such rates may be reasonable
! in a transportation sense and even
| though to reduce them means loss
of revenue to the carriers. The car
| riers can do this of their own vohuon.
! where it would be improper Tor the
| Interstate Commerce Commission to
| do SO.
! The result would be temporary
| check in the rising fortune of the
carriers. and that they can Ill anoro'
! but it would be step In the restore. .
! tion of sound business conditions, and
the public should give to the carriers
i a real appreciation of their act.
wssad -Cbear Up sssuatfsn.
"If the railroads will Immediately,
l
of Gen. Atterbury, the situation can
be cleared up, freight rates reduced
! to shippers, the cost of living reduced
, to the consumers and stimulating
effect exerted upon all business.
I'VE would suggest that the wage
! cut OF July be translated at once
! into q reduction Of freight rates.
/! This would be much more tangible
and satisfactory to the public than to
promise that future wage reductions
! will be passed on to the people in the
form Of reduced freight rates. The
public undoubtedly expected thfs re-
suit wien the July wage reduction
was made, and its consummatfon now,
though somewhat delayed. would be
hfxhly gratifying. That direct benefits
would promptly follow and that the
| psychological effect would be Instant
| " beneicial cannot be doubted.
! such reduction In the cost of l1v.
ing as might result from this and
| other causes would inure to the bene-
At Of the railway employees and would
constitute one Of the statutory grounds
| for q further reduction in wages. At
! the same time It would have a ten-
dency to reduce the cost Of material
supplies to the carriers. and 1t would
not then be necessary for the carriers
| to rely solely upon wage cuts for a
reduction of their operating expenses.
! "Dedation should be general and, as
IN ~