New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1922-08-09


which was authorized by law with
teeth in it.
"If this Congress has the courage,
said a Cabinet member tonight, "it
can prevent the recurrence of such a
disaster as this situation Is. II car
protect the public for all time from
being threatened with starvation or
freezing just because two groups of
men, proportionately small fraction
of the population, cannot agree on
wage scales or working conditions. The
President will demand such legislation
for future protection, and | sincerely
hope Congress will grant IT.,
Replies received by Bert M. Jewell.
head of the striking shopnaen, to this
invitation to the chiefs of all railroad
labor organizations TO meet him here
Friday to consider President Harding's
proposal for settling the strike by re-
ferring the seniority question to the
Railroad Labor Board, indicate that
the union vote will bring virtually
unanimous rejection. All except the
five train service organizations, which
are the big Four" brotherhoods and
the switchmen, have responded and
the others are expected within a few
hours.
I'VE haven't received a single reply
suggesting that it be accepted, but
have received hundreds demanding its
rejection" said Mr. Jewell.
Although the eight presidents of
the bodies composing the Federated
Shop Crafts Council will gather here
tomorrow, no decisive action will be
taken, said Mr.. Jewell, until after the
larger meeting on Friday
Say Roads Seek Alien Labor
The railroad executives. it was
charged to-day by Mr. Jewell and Will
liam II. Johnston, president of the
machinists' association, are making q
concentrated effort to obtain labor in
Great Britain and other countries of
Northern Europe to take the places of
the shop strikers. Formal complaint
against this action as a violation of the
contract lator law had been made to
the Department of Labor, they said.
We have called this condition to the
attention Of the leaders of the British
labor movement and asked them to in
vestigate the situation and make known
the facts" said Mr.. Jewell. at is a
clear violation of the contract labor
law. Our first information about it
came from the Chesapeake G. Ohio.
These workers, many of them non-Eng-
lish speaking, are being taken right
from the boats at New York and put
on trains for the shops. Many of them
have admitted to pickets that they did
not know they were hired as strike
breakers and have subsequently de-
manded return fare to New York. We
have not as yet any idea as to the num-
Der, but are Informed by man who is
an English subject that the American
roads are employing men in England
and elsewhere"
The railroad labor heads now in
Washington declared that based upon
the figures they have been preparing
for the use of the general conference
Friday, it would take at least wear.
should the strike end Immediately, be-
fore the condition of the rolling stock
could be brought back to normal.
10000 Cars Need Repairs
eve have been tryin. to get in
formation to show the situation with
which the railroads will be confronted
with regard to equipment" said Mr..
Jewell They will have to repair ap-
proximately 10000 cars and 1000 loco
motives day to keep pace with the
needs of normal traffic. Of this num-
Der approximately 5000 are classed as
heavy repairs and $4,000 as light re-
pairs. Of course, with the men on
strike, they are not making many re-
pairs and any inspection made will not
report the true situation, but figures
for July Is show that there are 11,91S
locomotives, or 17.6 per cent of the
total number. out of service for need
of repairs requiring more than twenty
four hours work, and 1904, or 5.25
per cent requiring less than twenty
four hours work. The total number
of LOGON olives is 64,341, according to
the American Railway Association fig
ures, from which this is taken
This number will increase daily and
no matter how soon the strike is set
tied it will take at lcas. year to get
them back into service" 90
Mr.. Jewell denied that the more seri-
Gus part of the industrial emergency
would be ended by settlement OF the
coal strike. Re-opening the coal mines,
he declared, would give the railroad
strike still more grave proportions by
loading upon the already Handicapped
carriers additional business.
"The coal strike really handcaps the
conduct of our strike" said he. of
it is ended it will bring more business
to the roads and thereby intensity the
strain upon them"