Evening journal., 1921-01-15
~HoNEsr CRAFT AND NATIONAL AGREEMENTS.

rHNIE RAILWAY ACE declares in an editorial in its cur
rent issue that the spokesmon OF the labor brother
hoods have made recent charges OF wholesale mlsman-
ssement against the railways for the purpose dvertng
bic attention from many millions OF dollars OF honest
graft which railway employees are getting directly from
the railway companies and indirectly from the public
and also to promote The Plumb Plan.
II says that this honest graft arises from the fact that
thousands OF employees under the national agreements
with the railway broherhoods by the Railroad Ad-
unsiration receive pay for work which is not DONE
pSo three four times much pay as the number
Of hours worked viii justify.
a'The American public may not know H." the Railway
Age says but is deeply concerned In the hearings
gardng national agreements between railways and their
employees which began before the Railroad Labor Board
10 Chicago January co. These hearings involve many
millions OF dollars annually that the railways are paying
Hfecty and the public Indirectly to railway employees
$bo do not it. Therefore the public Should fail
70 take note OF the difference the ways in which
DE representatives OF the labor unions and the repre-
enatives Of the railways presenting their The
difference is significant"
The question OF national agreements the Age asserts
spurey question OF whether greater efficiency In rail
way operation be obtained the railways contend
under agreements made between individual railways and
ipr-own employees, under national agreements made
BY The railways as whole with the national railroad
brotherhoods.
What arguments have the spokesmen OF the railway
brohorhoods advanced in favor OF continuance Of
tonal agreementsg is asks.
They have charged that The railways controlled by
group OF New York banks, trust companies, etc.-a
charge already made treadbare by frequent repetition
They allege that the railroads have sent TO outside
companies for repair large number OF their locomotive:
and and have paid excessive prices for repairs
when every well-infomed person knows that the rail-
roais had to send large amounts Of their equipment "a
outside shops for repair in order to get 1t in shape
meet the vast trafBc demands Of last year.
Having made these and sundry other charges The
spokesmen OF the railway brotherhoods have added that
they viii make no attempt TO subsantate them at thi.
hmei
They were not made to be subsiantiated.
They were made 60 divert attention from the ehones
graft obtained by the members OF the labor union.
through The national agreements and to libel priyat,
management FOR the purpose Of promoting the Plumb
Plan under which the members OF the labor unions would
be able to collect "hones graft" from the public without
limit
The spokesmen OF the brotherhoods threaten that n b
labor board does not adopt course satisfactory to th
employees the service rendered 10 the public will nevi
aby suffer-" but the public will seek in vain in thel
statement for any discussion OF the principle or efec
railroad efficiency OF national agreements versus loca
agreements
The spokesmen OF the railroads proceeded at once Oh
the other hand, with discussion OF the question Of ma
uonal agreements and presentation OF the facts an
arguments which they believe show that local agreement
between Individual railways their employees are pref
cradle 70 national agreements
II IS not uncommon thing for a man who has us
picked another mans pocket to begin crying "sop thief
tosfiyert attention from himself
When gets pay for doing work that he doesn
do gets two or three four days pay for doing on
days work he is simply grating upon somebody
The spokesmen OF the brotherhoods knew that n
representatives OF the railways going 10 lay ban
ue facts about these matters and they raised the CT
5tbp thefr TO divert public attention from the matter
acthaly under consideration by the Railroad Labor Boar
aili Curcis palm reveals three husbands according
sseress, which may may not be comforting TO
Sslnuels. who is 10 be her second husband