The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram., 1922-08-29
WAGE
RULE BEYOND
LABOR BOARD
Informs Maintenance Men of
Inability To Define Prin-
ciple of Living Wage Under
Esch Act.
WILL MEET WEDNESDAY
fBv Associated Press)


of W J. Lock, labor statistician, that
the board Immediately define the
principle of a living wage" in the
case of the maintenance of way en-
ployes, who are seeking an increase
Of minimum rates of pay.
At the request of E. F. Cradle, presi-
dent of the maintenance organization,
the hearing was adjourned until to-
morrow morning.
President Cradle announced that he
had telegraphed President Harding
and Senator Cunmins, one of the
authors of the transportation act, at
Washington today, asking them to pre-
sent to congress an amendment to the
act which would make it mandatory
for the labor board to enunciate the
principle of the living wage.
Limited by Act
The board in its ruling on Locks re-
quest said it could not go beyond the
transportation act, which prescribed
just and reasonable wages. The
boards ruling as announced by Chair
man Ben W. Hooper follows: "On the
motion submitted yesterday on he
half of employees by Mr.. Lock the
board announces as follows: 1t is
| in advance the principle on which it
will fix wages in the pending dispute"
| This question was raised when the
| hearing began yesterday. The board
was asked by E. F. Cradle, president
| of the Maintenance union and W. Jett
| Louck, the track mems statistician, TO
define living wage" it is according
to union leaders, nothing less than As
cents an hour, the minimum of the
wage scale which the maintenance
men have asked the board to establish.
Roads Object
| Ten roads whose trackmen have
been on strike since the shopcrafts
threw down their tools July /, joined
in the protest against permitting the
strikers to have representation in the
case. When the protest was made Ben
w. Hooper, chairman of the board, re-
called that the board refused TO rec
ognize striking switchmen in 1920
pending their determination to work.
Representatives of the carriers also
contended the case was not properly
before the board because no mention
of Ascent minimum had been made
in joint conference at which rail Off
cials and union chiefs failed to agree
on wages.
The wage scale for maintenance of
way workers prescribed by the board
in its decision effective July l and
against which the trackmen voted to
strike ranged from % to 35 cents an
hour. President Cradle, who held the
strike of his organization in allegiance
pending the present hearing, declared
that wages on some roads have been
forced down as low as 171a cents.
PASCO, Wash, Aug. 2s-Twenty-
eight striking Northern Pacific shop-
men here are starting suits for $1,000
each against the railroad because they
have lost their jobs.
This is how it happened:
After the strike was declared the
railroad management decided to build
a fence around the shops as a protec
ton to the property and the workers.
The contract for building the fence
was let to construction concern. The
% idle shopmen Immediately applied
for jobs helping put up the fence, and
] got them.
When the Northern Pacific found it
out, the % alleged in the law suit.
they lost their new jobs. Boycott and
blacklisting are charged.
: DANVILLE, Ills, Aug. pa series
: of four explosions early this morning
, shattered windows and demolished
? long strips of yard trackage in the
), shops of the Chicago and Eastern Hi
: nois road here. It was believed that
an attempt had been made to destroy
/ the entire shops. One bomb had been
= planted near the main entrance Of the
S yard.
i CHICAGO, Aug. 29.-The walkout of
g Chicago & Alton trainmen at Rood
!, house, Ill, is over. Striking engine
n men and company officials met at
S Slater. No, in a move to end the c. &
A tie-up there. Five men were held on
= charges of murder in connection with
: the Michigan Central wreck at Gary,
{, Ind, Aug. 20, when two of the train
n crew were killed
! These were important developments
f in the railroad situation today follow
e ing bomb outrages, shootings, wreck
t plots and investigations by federal,
state and private operatives during the
last "a hours.
The Chicago & Alton, which has
been one of the chief sufferers from
strike complications since the shop
1 mems walkout, July 1, prepared to un-
ravel the traffic tangles of its western
lines.
Starts Schedule
With the settlement at Roodhouse
e the road began arrangements for a
:, daylight schedule for its trains. The
i unauthorized strikes by train service
y unions virtually had paralyzed the Chi
e cago & Alton since last Friday.
While Chicago and Gary police, fed
leral operatives and railroad detectives
dug into their investigations of the
= Gary wreck and other alleged sabotage
= plots in which train wrecks were a
= part of program of terrorism, sepa-
rate inquiries We're in progress into an
: attempt to ditch the California Florida
= flyer on the Frisco system at Caple-
v vile. Tenn. and the dynamiting of Chi
= cago & Alton railroad bridges at Drake
= and Whiteshall, III.
: Bombing Of the homes of railroad
:. employees at Bloomington H.. and
4, Montgomery. Ala. the shooting of a
Il Chicago & Alton watchman in Chicago.