The New York herald., 1922-08-27
WAGES now issue
in RAILWAY STRIKE
ShOpmen Declare They Will
Revert to Their Original
Demands.
CITE u. S. STEEL RISE
Declare 1t Is a KnOckdOWn
and Dragout Fight
From Now On.
SEE VICTORY IN A MONTH
Equipment of Roads Is Key to
Situation, Says Chief, Time
Is on Our Side
SEE VICTORY IN A MONTH

Peace negotiations having failed, the
railroad shopmen announced yester-
day they win begin the strike all
over again on the basis of July L.
This means they will hold out for their
original demands. including adherance
to the 1921 wage scale. During the
August conferences the strikers prom
ised President Harding to let the
wage dispute go before the railroad
labor board. Now. according to their
leaders, the strike will go on until the
railroads agree not to cut wages.
Speaking for tho $4,000 men on
strike in the metropolitan district
John j. Dowd, chairman of the local
committee, said last night:
I'VE have done with conceding. We
will fight now. The responsibility be-
longs to the executives and the press
Refers to U. S. Steel Wage Rise.
Our wages were cut below a living
wage level at the very moment when
returning business prosperity began to
make wage increases possible. Since
we struck the United States Steel Cor
poraton and other steel plants have
voluntarily raised wages 20 per cent. the
Lawrence textile mills have taken
their strikers back at an increased scale
and the bituminous operators, have
| agreed to take their miners back with
wages and all rights unimpaired. This
object lesson has not been lost either
on the strikers or the public as a whole.
THE truth of the equipment situation
will be evident to everyone in the
| United States before the month Is up.
both through Government reports and
| the, concrete effects of car shortage.
I'VE will win within a month";
"It's a Knocledown and Dragcut."
David Williams, secretary on the COM
mittee, was even more emphatic.
Thank God" he said. ''these negotia-
tions over Now we know where
we are. For the past two weeks the
rank and file of our men haye been up
in the air Now we don't have to
wait. We can fight.
Fine words have failed. It's a
knockdown and drag out now. and
| every man is in the battle line.
1--WE are stronger to-day than we
were on July L. I know that in my
union, the machinfsts. we have enrolled
Is 900 new or delinquent members since
the strike began Only the other day
/ saw forty-six men taken In over In
Jersey City lodge, and that's only one
out OF hundreds. There is nothing like
clean cut fight to bring men together
The arrogant anti-union tactics OF the
employers have united our ranks as
rothing else in the world could have
done"
Interest focused yesterday on the re-
hearing tomorrow before the labor
board OF the maintenance Of way mems
case. There are about 300 900 track la
borers in the United States. Seventy
five thousand on the Eastern roads
have threatened to join the shopmen's s
strike.
John G. walber. executive secretary
of the bureau of information Of the
Eastern roads, will represent the rail-
roads. He issued a statement on the
''cost of living" budgets, minimum
wage" budgets. health and decency"
BUDGETS and Health and comfort" bud
gets, on which the union men base their
claims for higher wages.
Mr.. walber gave six reasons why he
thinks these theoretical budgets cannot
be applied to RAILROAD wages, as follows
Il, Conditions are not the same In all
localities: 2, tastes and habits are not
the same 8, actual expenditures are
not the same; 4. actual needs are not
the same 5, prices are not the same
6. the hypothetical normal family OF
fve--a man. his wife and three children
under lis not a typical family in the
United States"
You cannot distribute more than
there Is" Mr.. Walber states. The re-
suit of any attempt to AK such a mini
mum wage, IL II did not result In whole
sale evasion, would only be to throw
millions of men out Of employment. for
capital could not afford to employ them.
But we cannot double wages through
sympathy or legislative fat"
Figures ON Coal LoadfnEs.
Robert S. Binkert. secretary to the
chairman OF the Association OF Railway
Executives. issued the following figures
on coal loadings:
During the first four days this week
73,T6S cars were loaded with coal, ac-
cording to reports just received from
the railroads OF the United States. This
was an, increase of 1902 cars, or 35
per cent over the total for the first four
days last week, and as the largest
number OF cars loaded with coal dur
| ing any four day period since the miners
strike began on April / last.
AT this rate. production would be ap-
proximately 100000 tons a week, or
| 725,000 tons In excess of the best pre-
vious week. which was In June. when
there was no strike OF railway shopmen
| in effect.
Reports showed 1874 cars loaded
with coal on Thursday. August "a, the
latest figures available. This was an
| increase OF SIS cars over the preceding
day and within ESQ cars OF last Monday,
when 1908 cars were loaded. the
greatest number since the miners strike
has been In progress"
The New Jersey bureau OF railroads
of the public service commission SUBJ
mitted q report pointing out the rules
Of the commission are specific In for
bidding the operation of locomotives un-
less in safe condition. The report adds
THE companies are concentrating
their efforts to bring the roundhouse
repair forces to the maximum number
required TO maintain daily running re-
pairs In order TO use available Iocomo-
tive equipment TO the best advantage
IL main shop forces for general repairs
| are not increased owing 10 labor condi-
tions and provisions made for their re.