The New York herald., 1922-07-24
Movement Is Reported as
Making Healthy Prog
ress Oh Some Lines.
FAST TRAINS ARE LATE
Labor Bureau Asserts Condi-
ton of Rolling Stock May
Force Federal Action.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS tHdt tne tcrfudtlOn OF
independent company unions by rail-
road shopmen who have not Joined the
present walkout was being fostered by
the executives>as means OF winning
the present wage dispute was met
yesterday by the statement from local
strike leaders that this is no time for
a few hard boiled executives to choose
for finish fight to destroy the unions.
They can't do 1t anyway. but if they
try they will ruin the nations busi-
ness"
Nevertheless the. movement shows
just enough healthy vigor to cause the
strike leaders some concern. The an.
nouncement made by Daniel Willard,
president Of the Baltimore and Ohio,
at a Saturday night conference with
the members of the Senate Committee
on Interstate Commerce that to-mor-
row he would call meeting with the
union heads on his road with a view
of reaching a possible settlement has
caused feeling bordering on uneasi-
ness among some Of the leaders. II
a satisfactory agreement is reached
between the Baltimore and Ohio execu-
tives and the employees it might signal,
in the opinion of some, the beginning
of the disintegration looked for by the
Eastern managers.
The statement given in Chicago to
THE New York HERALD by Bert NJ
Jewell. national head OF the federated
shop crafts unions, gave considerable
reinsurance to the central committee
which is directing the strike in the New
York district. Mr.. Jewell said that the
strikers were ready to fight .'till the
last ditch and charged that the Eastern
railroads were In conspiracy against
the fundamental rights of labor.
Mr.. Jewell expressed the feeling of
the leaders here said Dave Williams,
secretary Of the strike committee.
Movement Making Progress.
1t was impossible to learn just how
FAR the company union" movement had
progressed during the last twenty-four
hours. 1t Is matter of fact on the
pennsylvania and has got of to a good
start officials said. on the Delaware
and Hudson, Lackawanna and Lehigh.
Erie officials said the movement is like
ly to reveal itself there at any time.
Some of the most serious delays re-
corded since the strike began occurred
Saturday night and yesterday, and. ac-
cording to the strikers, were directly
traceable to the state OF repairs to the
roads rolling stock. Passengers from
Yfe ra~1.< x~tx- -..II
the Baltimore and Ohio Saturday night,
at 80, did not get in until so yes
tcrday morning.
The New York Cenrral's "Netropoli-
TAM" due at 8 us. came in Saturday, eve-
ning about two hours late and then with
out the Delaware and Hudson connec-
tion. The Michigan Central Limited,
due at p. NJ, was reported an hour
late Delays of from .hrec to five hours
marked the arrival and departure of
passenger trains at the Lackawanna sta
ton at Hoboken.
William Parker. head of the mante-
nance of way mems organization on the
New York Central lines east of Buff
falo. said that the promised conference
with officials of the Rad would prob
ably take place this week. II an early
satisfactory settlement of the way mems
-
walkout. Otherwise he did not believe
he could hold the men in line much
longer.
Grave Emergency Is Seen.
The gravest kind of transportation
emergency now exists, which will
throttle new business in the cradle un-
less the strike is settled at once" said
a statement prepared for the strike
committee by outside advisers.
The statement adds that war time
measures. such as the pooling Of rolling
stock, the resurrection of priorities, con-
troll of shipments and the closing down
of essential interests. will have to be
resorted to unless a speedy settlement is
reached.
A report to the strike committee by
the Labor Bureau Inc. given out by
Secretary williams, says:
Even IL there had been no shop
strike. the equipment of the railroads
is In such poor condition that the Fed
eral Government would have had to ex-
ercise its emergency powers and assume
control OF the rolling stock before Sep
tember This may be seen by comparing
the present situation with that of 1920.
THE increase in weekly car loadings
between June and October OF 1920 was
100000. At least a parallel increase
in demand for cars may be expected
this year. Yet at the end of June, this
year. we had. according TO official fig
ures. only $4,000 surplus box cars.
The railroads entering New York with
two exceptions are worse of than the
average. The percentage OF bad ordar
equipment according to latest. figures
was.
Road. Locomotives. Cars.
". York. NJ Haven a Hartford 231 24.9
Del. Lackawanna a Western..164 104
Erie Observation-Disclosures. 20.5 1871
New York Central. ai............. 1876 1877
Baltimore a. Ohio. o............. .334 145
pennsylvania ................. .2O4 l2.5
Thus on July 1 an emergency ex-
listed which would normally have led the
to double their shop forces and
work overtime. Instead, however, the
hop forces were depleted by 90 per cent"