South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1922-06-17
new REDUCTION
AFFECTS CLERKS
AND SIGNALMEN
Brings Total Reduction Under
Boards Decision to
Sl35. 100000.
AFFECTS $4,000 MEN
Marine Workers and Dining
Car Employees Are Not In
Guided In Slash.

CHICAGO. June TO- b. A. P.l
Pruning nearly S2I000.000 from
the annual payroll OF $4,000 rail-
signal men and stationary fremen
from two 10 six cents an hour the
United States railroad labor board
Friday announced another wage
slash. bringing total reductions un-
der the boards orders up 10 Sl35.-
100000 beginning July
Clerks were cut three and four
cents an hour. according to- CLASH
fcation. signal men five cents and
f1remen two cents.
Approximately 1900 600 railway
employees viii share the total re-
duction which has brought vigorous
protests from every union orEaniza-
tion and is expected 10 result in a
strike vote of ten labor bodies. The
voting is already under way In seven
unions.
A dissenting opinion protesting
against any reduction was included
IN the decision l. was signed by
Arthur o. Wharton and Albert
Phillips both labor members w
I. McMenimen. the third member
is IN the east on an Investigation
trip for the board.
Definite recognition az a Giving
wage" and Saving wage" was made
for the first time by the board In
todav's decision Although abnor-
NAL postwar conditions were count
ed out as objections 70 fixing any
scientific living or saving wage 90
present, the board declared that as
soon as this condition cleared away
It would give increased considera-
ton 10 all the intricate details in-
cident 20 the scientific adjustment"
Of such a wage.
The bulk Of those hit by the new
cut will be 100000 clerks and 100
900 station employees.
Telephone Girls Hit
TELEPHONE girls who the boarc
declared. have suffered from indie
pendent proportionate increases am
decreases. are given a minimum
wage Of Ss5 a month. Foremen and
inspectors however. escaped with
no reduction. The 5000 train dis
patchers also escaped a cut.
Stationary engineers fremen and
oilers. numbering 10000 were re-
duced two cents an hour
A decision covering Is. 1000 tele-
graphers will be issued by the board
later Dining car employees and the
cUlinery workers on the ferries IN
San Francisco bay viii continue 20
get their present paw Marine work
ers wages were untouched.
Figures IN the decision showed
that clerks will receive under the
new scale an average OF SIS cents
an hour compared with $3.50 In
December 1917 when the govern
ment took over the railroads The
fremen and oilers receive an in
crease from 21.s cents an hour IN
1917. 10 1915 cents.
THAT the carriers shall have
fair opportunity 70 profit by the re-
vival Of business ir order that they
may expand their facilities is a bso-
lutely Indispensable 10 their efficient
service TO the American public. the
decision said Their tunpreDared-
ness now 10 core with any greatly
increased traffic is notorious Every
facility OF railroad importation
has been skimped for the last sew
eral years and az 10 mileage there
has been an actual decrease instead
Of an increase
Common Sense"
This statement must not be mis-
construed 10 mean that the employees
should be called upon 20 bear the
cost 81 railway rehabilitation. im-
proved service and reduced rates
IT, simply means that Il Is only
patriotic common sense and justice
that every citizen. including The
railway employe should cooperate IN
a cordia, spirit should bear and FOR
bear. until the carriers are back on
their feet.
When this accomDIishrnen -
safely under wav it viii then -
possible for the railroad labor board
10 give increased consideration 70 all
intricate details.
In this connection il should be
said that the labor board has never
adopted the theory that human labor
is a commodity 70 be bought and sold
upon the market and consequently
20 be reduced 20 starvation vvaEss
during periods of depression and un-
employment On the other hand (.
IL idle 10 contend that labor can be
completely freed from the economic
laws which likewise affect the earn
inss OF capital
1T also must be remembers taat
the carriers are a. liberty % paw 20
any class OF employees a higher wage
than that fixed by this board when
ever the so-calIed labor market com
pels. provided. as the act states. that
such wage does not result in increas-
Cd rates 20 the public"
Taking notice Of labor leaders who
declared after the last wage decls-
ions that the board had disreE arded
the employees living wage" argu-
ments. the decision said:
The extreme utterance OF parti-
san bias 20 the effect that the board
does not give full consideration 20
the evidence submitted 20 u would
be discouraging were Il not for the
knowledge OF the fact that such Ut
terances evidence merely n spasulo-
dc relapse into the old system OF
bluff and buster that entered 30
largely into the adjustment OF rail-
road labor disputes befor AdJudtea-
ton supplantd force"
Considered Testimony.