The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1921-10-24
SANTA FE CHIEF
GIVES VIEWS ON
GENERAL STRIKE
Points Out Roads Position In Matter
and Says Strike Means Loss
Of Jobs for Employees II
They Fail.

Chicago. Oct 2i.-with rcforcnc,
to the threatened railroad strike sci
for October 30. W. u. Storey. prcsi
dent Of the Santa Fc. today issued
the following statement:
"The Santa Fe has for many year.
had agreements with the four train
and englncmen's broiherhuods. II
has In times past had agreements
with other employees and Il has nj
all times endcavored to carry ont
to the letter every provision OF those
agreements. Minor difference oi
opinion have arisen from time Ia
time but we have always been glad
TO meet and talk them over and
have succeeded in living together In
peace and harmony. While the road
was in possession of the govern
ment agreements were made by ore
administration with practically all
the organizations of railroad om-
ployes and these agreements, beng
nation wide in extent were applied
to the Santa Fe.
"When the railroads came back.
the labor board which has been
formed to prevent differences from
threatening the transportation OF the
country, decreed that the agree
ments as made by the government
administration should continue until
changed by order OF the board. The
Santa Fe followed the order and has
dealt with all of its employees under
these agreements and In addition
has increased wages under the board
order. In July 1920 the board made
Increases in wages aggregatng
about % percent effective May 1, on
the ground that the cost of living
had increased to a figure that war
ranted such increase.
later. when a marked decline in
prices lowered the cost of living,
the railroads OF the country asked
that the wages in effect before July
1920 be restored and the board af
ter hearing an investigation, granted
a portion Of the request Effective
as Of July 1st, the Santa Fe put
these new wages into effect. Our
train and enginemen, through their
respective leaders asked the rail
roads and the Santa Fe among
them, for a conference to consider
a restoration OF the rates establish
ed in July 1920 and a promise that
further reductions would not be
asked. In view Of the general lower
ing of wages throughout the coun-
try and the changes that are taking
place, we did not feel that this
could be done especially in view of
the insistent demand that is sweep
ing the country for lower freight
rates.
"a strike vote was ordered and
we have been told not by our en-
ployes, but by the heads of brother
hoods, that the strike vote was al
most unanimous We do not know
that it was on the Santa Fe, but
we feel certain it was far from un-
animous, and we do know that on
certain roads not more than forty
per cent voted in favor, and on
some of these roads we know that
most of the men will not go out
"The Santa Fe therefore finds it.
self confronted with a threatened
strike through the decision of the
labor board, a body of nine men
as the arbiter under the
laws of the United States. On the
board are three. representative of
labor, and three representatives of
the public. The management of the
Santa Fe has duty to the public to
give it proper service at as low
rates as possible. 1t has duty to its
employees to pay them living wages
and to make their working condi-
tions as comfortable as possible. It
has a duty to its stockholders to