Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-03-24
AHERBURy SAYS RULES
COST R.R.'S s3OO,OOO,OOO
Amount Lost to Railroads Even
More Than That, Pennsy Vice.
President TestIties.

Chicago. March 24.-With 'he close
yesterday of the cross-eNamlnatioh ol
w w. Atterbury, Vice-presldent OF the
PENNSYLVANIA Railroad, after COM
naratively mild session, the unions end
ed their inquiries from railroad oliiclais
as mart OF the presentation of their case
in behalf of the national agreements be
fore the Railway Labor Board.
MIR. Atterbury again cla5hed several
times with Frank T.. Walsh. counsel Tor
the unions, who sought to get him 10
take a more favorable view of the ma
tional agreements. The two disagreed
sharply on the question OF principles as
compared with rules.
Mr.. Walsh read from the principles OF
the National War Labor Board, promul-
gated in 1918. concerning the right OF
workers and employers to organize ana
be protected from discrimination.
Now YOU are getting into principles
and NOT rules" said Mr.. Atterbury.
You might just as well take the Ten
commandments and set them up as
principles for protecting employees and
employers rights TO organize as these
rules laid down by the National war
Labor Board.
For instance. Thou shalt not steal
It's stealing for a man to take an hour
pay and not give an hours work Tor H.
The counsel for the unions took UP
the contention of the roads that the ma
tionaI agreements, through waste and
extravagance. caused loss to the rail-
roads of $500 100000 in 1920
The figures are really grossly under
estimated" declared Mr.. Atterbury, and
he offered statistics compiled by ou-
reau of the Association of lta1lroad EN-
eclltives from data obtained from the
Interstate Commerce Commission.
The statement said that the 1920 pay
roll of the railroads was $4,000.OOO,OOO.
In 1917 1.206.520 men were employed
and in 1920 there were 1,4SS,4SS persons
~, tbc navrolls. an increase of 229.96S.
..'Tbis increase was caused by the
aipht-ho11r day, decrease in production
per man and increased business, Mr..
Atterbury continued.
The total earnings in 1917 were ST.
O10 q6.75I. or $S37.61 per man. In 1920
the earnings were $2,444, ,74S.44l. or ST.
| 7Ol 90 per man.
The increase in ton miles was "a per
cent. in 1920 over 1917. Assuming that
| the increase in the number Of employees
| is directly proportional 10 the increase
| in business (an assumption in the EN-
! ploves' favorl it would require oS.oN'
/ additional men to handle the increase II
! business. In reality. as | have shown
we required .g6S additional men. ol
/ an excess Of 176.SS2 employees over wha
should have been needed. These ex
cess men at the average Of earning
SLIP show an excess expenditure
/ consequently. OF $500. .el1.653.4o."
Mr.. walsh concluded his examination
when Mr. Atterbury asserted that h'
| did not know a single national agree
rnent that had been taken up hy tn
| officials Of Pennsylvania lines with theI
| employees.
NJ. N. Jewell. President Of the RAN
road Department Of the American Fed
Grafton Of Labor. issued last night Z
statement reviewing the testimony o
| three adverse witnesses '-Atterbury
| ClIvler and Gray of the Railway Exec
utives' Association. He said:
"Throug- these adverse witnesses w'
have shown:
.'First-That an verwheirning major
ttv of the Labor Committee Of the Ran
vay Executives favored bargaining
with US on a national basis through tn
establishment Of bipartisan natona
adjustment boards.
.Second-That the Atterbury rninOrit
program was forced on the membe
roads OF the Executives Association b
a vote in which one system. the Ne'
York Central, held the balance OF powe
/ and -lded the Issue.
'Third-That Atterbury program
means going back to pre-war condition
such as prevailed on his railroad. Ia
PENNSYLVANIA. when that road had n
signed agreements with labor and whe
that : spent as much as $500, 600 j