New-York tribune., 1922-07-20
Officials w atch
Result of Cut i'm
Way Mems Pay
Workers Get First Salary Re-
duction To-day and Eln-
ployers Admit That Con-
cessions May BE Made
DO Not Expect Walk-Out
Interest i'm Strike Here Cen
ters on Stand Taken by
Rail Presidents at Meeting

Interest in the railroad strike, so far
as it concerns New York City, centers
day around the stand to be taken at
the monthly meeting of the Eastern
conference of railway presidents and
the frame of mind with which the
maintenance of way men will open
their first pay envelope since the wage
reduction this afternoon
Concerning the former the carriers
had little to say, but on the latter j.
G. Walber, executive secretary of the
Bureau of Information of Eastern Rail
ways and newly appointed spokesman
Of the roads, expressed himself at
length. He apparently thought
strike of trackmen out OF the question,
but admitted that concessions are
likely to be made to them.
"AIl this talk of a maintenance
walk-out," he declared, "means little
enough to road offic i, for the track
men and ashpit men are all uhskilled
laborers, drawn mainly from the for
eign element, and cannot be held to-
gether for any long concerted move
ment Did you ever hear of success
full strike of unskiled labor?
'On the other hand, their national
union seems to have made an impress
sion on the Railway Labor Board and
to have maneuvered the majority of
that body into a position where, to
save its face, it must make some con-
cessions to the maintenance forces il
| the question Of their wages comes up
before it. Rather than have the mat
ter referred back to the board under
these circumstances half a dozen of
| the Eastern carriers are attempting to
settle with the trackmen out Of court
| and probably these workers will win
some concessions as a result of their
agitation. Some of the roads are meet
ing the leaders of their maintenance
unions to-day and tomorrow"
Says Clerks Oppose Unions
The carriers spokesman went on to
declare that SO large a proportion of
the clerks on all lines are opposed to
that a strike from the "white collar"
men is not likely to be dangerous He
added that there is a jurisdictional
disagreement between the signal men
and the electricians in the federated
shopcrafts which will probably keep
the former from going out with the
repair workers. AS for the shopmen, he
said the Eastern lines have recruited
their forces of that class up to about
AZ per cent of the normal strength, as
against about 20 per cent July 5.
The. central strike committee made
no comment on the situation yesterday
beyond pointing out further alleged in
stances of impaired train service.
They reported the usual delays on the
New York Central limiteds, cited four
instances in which the West Shore is
thought to have used freight engines
to haul passenger trains, and declared
that several changes We're made in time
tables Yesterday, notably the annulling
| West Shore. The company's inforn>a.
tion bureau said it had heard nothing
of the change.
Lackawanna Trains Delayed
Union leaders in Jersey City an
nounced that the Lackawanna began to
feel the pinch of the strike Tuesday,
when several of it's through trains
were two hours late and that lesser
delays were experienced yesterday
l he road admitted some engine trou-
bles and some slight delays Hereto
fore this line suffered less from the
strike than any other in this section
outside of the Pennsylvania.
To support the charge made earlier
TINS week that the carriers are using
defective equipment the strikers here
called attention to an all-day confer
ence in the postoffice in Jersey City
between Assistant Chief Locomotive
Inspector Hall, Of the Interstate Com
merce Commission, and several local
inspectors. The union leaders limited
the subject under discussion was the
need Of closer government supervision
of the engines and rolling stock kept
in service
AT Ansonia, Conn, the New Haven
struck snag in it's effort to have re-
| pair work done through the co-opera-
tlon OF patriotic citizens Of the state"
Seventeen machinists of the Farrel
! Foundry there quit work when asked to
| finish up car axles and wheels from
the railroad shop.
In Philadelphia Federal Judge Dick
| enson reserved decision on the injunc-
tion sought by the Brotherhood Of
Railroad and Steamship Clerks, Freight
Handlers, Express and Station EN-
pioyees to restrain the Pennsylvania
from enforcing tho new wage reduc-
tons. The importance of the case is
thought to have been minimized by the
success of the carriers in coming to
terms with its company union among
workers of this class.
Forty of the 800 men employed by
the Boat Repair Corporation at Pier is.
Jersey City, to handle marine shop
work for the Jersey Central struck yes
terday when they learned that non
union labor in the roads power house
IS furnishing electricity for the marine
shops.
Two employees of the New York.
New Haven & Hartford Railroad, who