New-York tribune., 1922-10-15
Davis Demands
Labor Board
Be Wiped Out
Says Functions of s1Parti-
sam Railroad Insfifu-
tion Should BE ReIegafed
TO Federal Government
Declares It Is Incapable
Rl,0I1 Maintenance EN-
ployees Granted Wage
Raise of 2 Cents am Hour

ATHENS, Ohio, Oct. IA.-Secretary
of Labor Davis, In speech here to-
night, advocated the abolition Of the
Railroad Labor Board, which he re-
ferred to as "a quasi-governmenta
partisan institution" and the relega-
tion to established bureaus of his own
department OF such of the boards
mediation and conciliation functions
MS might be desirable for the Federal
government to continue in the trans
portation field.
The Secretary said the Railroad La
Dor Board had demonstrated that it
is incapable Of fulfilling the high hopes
OF those who proposed and supported
it as means Of Industrial peace on
the railroads" He added that another
s!stem of settling railroad labor dis
rutes should be adopted to leave en-
plcycrs and employees "to thrash out
their differences, free from the hone
or the fear that meddling quasi officials
would Interfere to cast their little in
nuence in the balance in favor of one
side or the other"
Mr.. Davis cited experiences dur;no
the rail strike last summer and cases
pending before the board at present as
reason for attacking it's functions.
The board, he declared, was, "still
struggling with issues raised in the
shopcrafts strike, though more than
ninety out of 212 railroads on their
own initiative have reached satisfactory
agreements with their employees"
Says 1t Increases Disputes
Retention Of the board as an arbitra.
tion agency, Mr.. Davis continued,
served to increase the number of dis
putes and generally to delay their set
Element.
The substitute plan, in which Labor
Department conciliation would be Of
fered where desired in railroad dis
putes, the Secretary said, would make
a step forward to taking the govern
ment out of the railroad business" and
would assist decentralization of rail-
road labor troubles and thus decrease
danger Of national strikes.
Mr.. Davis defended President Hard
ing's course during the recent coal
strike, declaring that conditions dur
ing it had never justified the Admin
iistration "in stepping over the legal
bounds of authority" to bring it to an
end.
CHICAGO, Oct. IA (By The Asso-
ciated Press).--The Railroad Labor
Board to-day granted two-cent-an-
hour increase to 451,e11 members of
the Brotherhood Of Maintenance of
Way Employees and Railroad Shop
Workers. The increase applies to four
OF the nine classes Of maintenance
employees.
The increase means m addition of
$22, 125, ,00e to the wage bill of the ma
tlon's railroads. The average minimum
wage under the decision will range
from 23 to 81 cents an hour
The decision came after ten days of
deadlock among the board members,
in which Chairman Hooper and mem
ber OF the public group succeeded to-
day in obtaining majority in favor
of the increase. The two-cent increase
was proposed by the public group, but
not until the accession of W. H. Nc
Menimen, of the labor group, and
Samuel Higgins, of the railroad rep
resentation, was the decision for an
increase made possible.
Hooper's Statement
A statement was issued by Chairman
Hooper mmediately following an
nouncement of the decision.
The action of the board in this
matter" the statement said, ais based