The Owosso times., 1922-08-25
RAIL LABOR BOARD
SATISFIES HARDING
HE MAY ASK CONGRESS TO GIVE
1T MORE POWER AND MOVE
IT TO WASHINGTON.
WAITING FOR NEXT SESSION
Creation Of Similar Body to Handle
Questions Of Wages In the Mining
Industry May Be Urged Upon the
Law Makers.
BY JAMES p. HoRNADAY

Washington.-The railroad labor
board has done SO well that President
Harding intends to ask congress to en-
large Its powers and to bring 1t from
Chicago and locate 1t along side the
interstate commerce commission here.
The President believes the board
should stand between the railroads and
their employees in much the same
way as the interstate commerce COM
mission stands between the railroads
and the shippers. Both organizations,
or course, are presumed to represent
the public while seeing that exact
Justice is done between employers and
portation companies and shippers on
the other hand.
If the congress was not so far be-
hind with its work the President
would submit the recommendations
which he has In mind during the pres
ent session, but he realizes as well as
does the general public that the legis'
lators are not in any mood to take on
additional work at this time. And so
the recommendations relating to the
future of the labor board will prob
ably not be presented until the regu-
lar session opens the first Monday In
December. 1t Is highly important, In
the estimation Of President Harding
that the labor boa.d shall be brought
to Washington. The transportation
act located 1t In Chicago on the theory
that out there 1t would be freer to deal
with the problems submitted to it. But
the experiences Of the last two years
and half have convinced the author
tiles here that the board should be a
near neighbor Of the interstate COM
merce commission, since the two bodies
are dealing with problems that over
lap.
Mine Labor Board Suggested. @
The administration is now looking
for way to apply the labor board
plan to the coal mining industry. 1t
is not unlikely that the decision will
be to ask the congress to create per-
manent mine labor board. A constitu-
tiOnal question Is involved. Some of
the members Of the Presidents cabinet
believe 1t would be worth while to Gre
ate mine labor board with powers
similar to those conferred on the rail-
road labor board, and leave ii to the
Supreme court to say whether the con-
gress has exceeded its authority. A
mine labor board, If created, would
be composed of three members consti-
tuting the labor group, three members
constituting the operators group, and
three members constituting the public
group.
Under the legislation that Is receiv-
ing consideration, the mine operators
and the miners would, as duty to the
federal government, exert every rea-
sonable effort and adopt every reason
able means to avoid any interruption
in the operation of coal mines. The
legislation would provide as does the
transportation act that all disputes be-
tween operators and miners shall be
considered and, If possible, decided in
conference between representatives
designated and authorized so to con-
fer.
The general public, which after all,
is always the real sufferer in industri-
al clashes, the representatives Of the
nation and Of the state who are deal
ing with the present strike situation
and even the employers and employees
who are directly engaged in the strike,
appear to see more clearly than they
have ever seen before that way must
be found to prevent the recurrence
Of strikes that affect great public util-
tiles.
Public Wants Industrial Peace.
President Harding and his advisers
have made up their minds that the
public is good deal more interested
In the establishment Of permanent in
dustrial peace than in tariff legisla-
ton, subsidy legislation. bonus legis-
Iation or any of the other topics that
have been holding the attention of the
for n year and half. The
President has said to callers within
the last two or three days that lie
realizes for the first time i'm his pub
lie career the bitterness with which
these Industrial quarrels are carried
On. For nearly month he has been
between the fires of employers, EN-
Dioyees and publicists.
He has been criticized for not GO
ng fast enough In dealing with the |
.wo strikes, and for being too aggres-
,lve. Influential Representatives of
he political party, of which he is
he titular head have expressed great
because he would not
make use of federal troops unless q
state called for them. Radical rep
of labor have said and
ire still saying that the administration
s serving the employer. Many of the
mployers-railroad executives and
nine operators-are extremely bitter
because the President, as they assert
has shown too much sympathy for the
,nuse of the employee. The country
will, eventually, 1t is believed, realize
hat President Harding has from the J