Evening star., 1922-07-23
Belief at Capitol No legis-
Iation Is Likely
Otherwise.
PRESIDENT CONFERS
WITH SENATE BODY
House Members Would Be Called
to City If Emergency De-
mands Law Changes.
BY G. GOULD LINCOLN.

making 1t necessary for the govern
lnent, IN order to protect the public,
TO take over the coal mines or the
railroads, no legislation will be at
tempted by Congress to deal with
either the mines or the roads until
tfter the strikes have been settled.
This was the general belief at the
Capitol yesterday following confer
ences between the President and re-
publican and democratic members of
the Senate interstate commerce COM
mittee.
Should an emergency arise demand
ing legislation giving the President
the power to seize the mines OF the
roads, the House of Representatives
would be called back to Washington
immediately by the President. In the
ordinary course of events the House
will not return until August Is. 1t
IS understood that the President be-
lieves 1t will not be necessary to sum-
mon the House.
There Is general willingness on
the part of senators to keep hands off
the strike situation and to give the
administration full sway in effecting
an adjustment of the mine and rail-
road labor differences. Nothing
should be done. they hold, which might
embarrass the executive in handling the
situation.
ON the other hand, it was indicated
yesterday, Legislation will be under
taken as soon as the men have gone
back TO work looking to a prevention
of future disturbances tying up the
coal supply and the transportation Of
the country.
Senator Cummins, chairman OF the
Interstate commerce committee and
co-author of the Esch-Cummins
transportation act. creating the Rail-
road Labor Board. following his con-
ference at the White House with the
President, was closeted at the Cap
itol for two hours and a half yes
terday afternoon with representatives
of the railroad brotherhoods.
The brotherhoods are not involved
In the strike Senator Cummins point
ed out later but they are keenly in
terest b in it. Their representatives
pointe out to Mr.. Cummins that the
brothefhoods are the trainmen, who
must operate the trains. The loco
motives and cars, due to the strike
of the shopmen. they said, are get
ting into bad order, becoming unsafe.
The plain intimation was, Senator
Cummins said. that the trainmen
many of the locomotives and cars be-
cause of bad order"
1T is easy to see to what this
tends" was his comment. If the train
men refuse to take out the trains
because they are not safe, the same
result would obtain as IL they
were on strike, SO far as the public
is concerned.
The representatives Of the broth
Arhoods had demanded. Senator Cum
tnins said. the repeal of all the labor
provisions Of the transportation act
which would meap the abolition of
the Railroad Labor Board. He point
ed out, however, that this was moth
ing new, as the brotherhoods always
had opposed the labor provisions Of
the transportation act.
willing to Amend Act.
Senator Cummins indicated that he
would be willing to have the trans
portation act labor clauses amended
after the men had gone back to work
so they should state specifically
that in fixing wages of the workers.
the Railroad LaboA Board should
take into consideration living costs
and provide for a living wage"
NO man should be required to work
for less thar a living wage" said
Senator Cummns. The transporta-
tion act. by implication, at least, now
takes into consideration a living
wage. and I have no doubt but what
the Labor Board took that into con-
eideration in making its decision re-
garding the wages of the shopmen"
The proposal to amend the trans
portation act in accordance with sug-
Sestion may be offered as an induce
ment il was believed last night, to
get the shopmen to go back to work
In some quarters, it was suggested,
too. that the administration might
propose that il the men would go
back to work it would use it's in
fuence to obtain for the men the
seniority standing they held before
the strike. This issue is said to be
one of the chief stumbling blocks to
a settlement today of the strike.
There was no confirmation of this
latter report, however.
If the transportation act Is amended
30 as to have living wage" spe-
cifcally mentioned. it will be neces-
eary to define a living wage. So far
as could be learned last night, only
one official attempt to define living
wage has been made by govern
ment agency-by the War Labor
Board. created during the war.
Living Wage Defined.
Tile War Labor Board decided that
4 living wage must be sufficient to
provide a decent home, adequate food
and clothing. burial outside of the
potters field. medical treatment other
than at free dispensaries and freedom
Nom dependence on child labor
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