New-York tribune., 1922-08-19
national welfare rather than profit
by nations distress.

NATIONAL welfare rather than profit
by nations distress.
1t 1T may have your approval,
recommend immediate provision for
temporary national coal agency,
with needed capital, to purchase, sell
and distribute coal which is carried
In Interstate shipment. l do not
mean that all interstate coal shall
be handled by such Federal or
ganization; perhaps none will be
necessary; but it will restore it's
capital to the public treasury and
will be the instrumentality of guard
ing the public interest where private
conscience is insensible to a public
need.
This proposal does not relate to
any possible employment in intra-
state shipments. Price restraint and
equitable distribution in intrastate
shipments is a responsibility of the
states own government. In such vol
untary activities as have been carried
on thus. far the Federal government
has endeavored to re-establish the
authority and responsibility in the
states which was undermined in the
necessary Capitalization Of author
1ty during the World War.
Situation More Acute
Since Shopmen's Strike
The public menace in the coal
situation was made more acute and
more serious at the beginning of
July by the strike of the federated
shops crafts in the railroad service
"a strike against a wage decision
ynQ6o hu fha pos1rood ToL
directly affecting approximately 4O0,-
600 men. The justice of the decision
is not for discussion here. The de-
cision has been lost sight of in sub
sequent developments. In any event,
1T was always possible to appeal for
rehearing and the submis sion of new
evidence, and it is always q safe as
sumption that a government agency
OF adjustment deciding unjustiy will
be quick to make right any wrong.
The Railroad Labor Board was
created by Congress for the express
purpose of hearing and deciding. dis
putes between the carriers and their
employees, so that no controversy
need lead to an interruption in in
terstate transportation.
1t was inevitable that many wage
disputes should arise. Wages had
mounted upward, necessarily and
Justly, during the war upheaval,
likewise the cost of transportation,
so that the higher wages might be
paid. 1t was inevitable that some re-
adjustments should follow. Natural
ly these readJusJnisnts were resisted.
The administrative government
neither advocated nor opposed. It
only held that the Labor Board was
the lawful agency of the govern
ment to hear and decide disputes
and it's authority must be sustained,
as the law contemplates. ThisSmust
employees ignore it's decisions.
Unhappily, q number of decisions
of this board had been ignored by
the carriers. In only one instance,
however, had decision challenged
by carrier, been brought to the
attention of the Department of jus
tice, and this decision was promptly
carried to the courts and has re-
Gently been sustained in the Federal
Court of Appeals. The public or the
executive had no knowledge of the
ignored decisions in other cases. be-
cause they did not hinder transpor-
tation. When these failures of many
of the carriers to abide by decisions
of the board were brought to my at
tention, could more fairly appraise
the feelings of the strikers, though
they had remedy without seeking
to paralyze interstate commerce.
The law creating the Railroad
Labor Board is inadequate. Con-
trary to popular impression, it has
little or no power to enforce it's
decisions. 1t can impose no penal
: t{aa m ni+ /J,cyco NO a.,
decisions. It cannot halt a strike,
and manifestly Congress deliberately
omitted the enactment of compulsory
arbitration. The decisions of the
board must be made enforceable and
effective against carriers and en-
ployees alike. But the law is new,
and no perfection of it by Congress
at this moment could be helpful in
the present threatened paralysis of
transportation.
Thought Best Plan
Was to Start Anew
Happily it is always lawful and Oft
times possible to settle disputes OUT
side of court, so, in desire to serve
pubic welfare, I ventured upon an
attempt at mediation. Those who
had preceded me in attempted set
Elements had made some progress.
I submitted to the officials Of the
striking employees and the chair
man of the Association Of Railway
Executives, in writing, on the same
day, a tentative proposal for set
tlement. Knowing that some of the
carriers had offended by ignoring
the decisions of the board and tha
employees had struck when they
had remedy without the strike, I
felt it was best to start all ovar