Norwich bulletin., 1921-02-11
EMPLOYEs SEE VICTORY IN
 R.. LABOR BOARD DECISION

Chicago, Feb. 1O.-Decision of the Unit ed States Railroad Labor Board today that the national agreements shall remain in force until completion of the present hearing was characterized tonight by railroad emp.oyes as victory
 The ruling came as surprise botn to railroad and labor representative and up- set plans of union officials for bombard- ment of the railroads request for imme- diate abrogation of the agreements.
 Fortified with legal battery, headed by Frank Walsh the labor Npresenta tives appeared today to answer the re. quest of w. w. Atterbury, speaking for the railroads. for quick abolition, of the nationaf agreements. The boards de- cision against granting the request left little for the labor men to do except. file statement prerared by E. NJ Jeweli. president of the raflroad employees des pertinent of the American Federation of Labor. E
 This statement and &n amplihcation by | Mir. Walsh charged the railroads with being a party to an attempt at wiping out collective bargaining and crushing all | labor organizations. When they had fin- | ished, they were unprepared to proceed with the regular rebuttal of the railroad l evidence objecting to the national rules and the hearing went over until Mon- 1 day.
 MT. Jewelrs request for time in which
 to prepare his testimony met with pro-
 test from the railroad representa- tives, but l he promised to canvass the situation to- 1 morrow and adTise the board on Saturday
 when he would be ready to proceed.
 -"I have been up in an airship for ten l days and a committee of IS men has
 been working Gay and night on this re- l ply to Mr. AtterbuTy." sail Mir. Jeweil We are wholly unprepared to proceed
 now
 Both sides of the controversy express.
 ed qualification that the hearing would
 proceed in the regular manner. Mr At i terbury, speaking for the railroads, de. l clared that If there was urgency or January 31, when I made the request of the bord, there is still more now De- cember reports fom the interatate com
 merce commission show that 115,Uo, miles of railroads did not earn their op erating expenses and fixed charges fol that month" The railroads have contend ed that abrogation of the natiorai agree
 mehts would mean a big c-lt in tnelr or. erating expenses.
 w. Jett Lauck, consulting econora;s
 for the labor men, however. declared h,
 real issue was not the rules themselves
 but what they concrete!y sanctcn-th,
 principle of collective bargaining on th | basis or union recognition.
 "When this principle has rsce. sei ta i.board's sanction. no Further dis sturoance
 pr acute controversies will occur en tn 1 roads," Mir. Lauk said. .
 The boards ruling today reviewed ! the power delegated to it under the trans portation act and declared it's duty to b
 that of declining just and reasonable wag
 es, salaries and standards of workin
 conditions. It said that pending the out
 come of the rules bearing, which was sep
 arated by agreements from the wag hhearing the national agreements promu | gated under federal control would remai |. in full force Plea for their abrogatio on account of financial inability to pa
 wages awarded by the board was a ma ter outside the boards jurisdiction, th , ruling said, and should go to the intei ! ] state commerce commission.
 : The executives request for permissio to pay common Iaborers on the basis l the gale prevalent in different localiti, was AAo denied and leaves the bas , l railroad rate at 57 to AS 1-2 cents a ' hour.
 ;. The ruling pointed out that the tran ' porta tiOn act provided that it was Il a a duty of carriers and employees to conf :. over disputes and said that it did n ? appear any attempt had been made ; readjust the wages of unskilled labor al therefore declared that the board w = without jurisdiction. The Jewell and Walsh charges simme l. ed down to declaration of ,conspira
 on the part of industry to crush the
 I bor unions and reiterated charges tn
 New Yorl. banking interests were so N terwoven with the directoratesl of proi
 inent railroads that these banking m l terests controlled ninetytwo of the lea Il ing roads of the country, with sevent .e six per cent. of Americas railroad mi y, age. Mir. Walsh asked that these int. is locking directors be called before or board ecr Interrogation, but did not ma te wholly clear just what would be gain
 by their testimony. The board took t o- request under fconsideratoin