The New York herald., 1922-07-12
RAIL STRIKERS HERE
HAIL LEES THREAT
See Hopes of Big Four Men
Quitting to Help Walkout
Of Shopmen.
B. & 0. SUFFERS DELAYS
Long Island Roads Employees
Are Becoming More
Dissatisfied.


with enthusiasm the statement in Cleve-
land yesterday Of William G. Lee. presi-
dent of the Brotherhood of Railroad
Trainmen and spokesman for the big
four" Observation-Disclosures conductors. en-
gineers. fremen and trainmen-that
these unions would act as soon as the
equipment OF the railroads deteriorated
to the point Al which life and property
were endangered. 1t was accepted at
once as meaning that the big four"
would support the shopmen In their
present strike.
John J. Dowd, chairman Of the CEN
trail strike committee, said that the
committee was recording all instances
of members of the "big four" organiza-
tions being ordered by the railroad COM
panies to act as strike breakers. He
said that orders wore sent out at the
beginning Of the strike from the head
quarters Of sthe four unions forbidding
members to do such work. Mr.. Dowd
also drew attention to an order of the
Railroad Labor Board that no carrier
has a right to require an employee TO
do work outside the scope Of the exist
ing agreement,
The suggestion OF support for the
strikers from the big FOUR came while
local railroad exesdtives were reiterat-
ing statements that the situation was
well in hand. and that there would be
no further curtailment Of trains
Lackawanna Makes Denial.
e. NJ. Rine. general manager of the
Lackawanna, said Of q report emanating
from strike headquarters I'VE have
cancelled no trains and we do not pur-
pose to do So"
The only road official to admit par
tial breakdown as q result of the strike
was the Baltimore and Ohio. III. B..
Voorhees,. general manager. said that
delays of as much as two hours were
traceable to the strike.
1--WE admit this" said Mr. Voorhees,.
"in order to play fair with the public.
but as a matter of fact II the same de-
lays and breakdowns appeared In nor
NAL times they would attract no atten-
ton. Our shop forces have been built
up to 40 per cent, and We could get
more men, but are going slow to get
good ones. No strike could continue
ten days without some reakdowns.
Our service Is normal as far as pubic
convenience IL concerned"
The central strike committee said last
night that the employees Of the Cook
works Of the American Locomotive
Company in Paterson, had voted to
strike II that company contracted to DO
repair work for the Erie. as announced
by General Manager Mantell on Mon
-. a. Dat N
engines had been sent for repairs, but
that the men had not been ordered to
work on them. 1t was added that the
issue might come to-day. , sr Il.
Long Island Men Worried.
Reports of dissatisfaction among en-
ployees Of the Long Island Railroad
with the progress OF the strike, pub
lished exclusively in THE New YORK
HERALD yesterday, were confirmed by
employees who said last night that
skilled men who had worked from ten
to twenty years on the road were grow
ing more insistent in their demands for
some definite information from the
strike leaders. Promises had been
made that the strike would tie up the
road. Instead trains are running on
schedule; white their seniority and PEN
sion rights are threatened, IL not lost,
and they have heard no word Of strike
benefits. The strikers committee took
pains to deny the report and said no de-
lection had been reported.
The strikers made public the following
telegram sent to Charles c. McChord.
chairman of the Interstate Commerce
Commission:
1.-THE public as well as the workers
have a right to know whether 1t costs
more to attempt to break a strike by
economic force than to settle 1t at the
start by collective bargaining. The rail-
road companies in this district have al
ready spent hundreds of thousands OF
dollars In fees to detective and employ
ment agencies to recruit strikebreakers
during the last ten days. They have
spent hundreds of thousands more in
feeding and housing such men as they
could get, in paying them bonuses and
buying them clothes and tobacco. 1t Is
reported that New York Central strike
breakers are being paid $12 day with
led and board free. All this is an abso-
lutely useless expense for which the pub
lie will pay in the end. We urgently re-
quest that the Interstate Commerce
Commission order the railroads to
make a special accounting OF their strike
expenses to the commission and that the
commission publish the results OF the
same from week to week"