Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1922-07-07
Strike of 1000 Railway Shop
men Sanctioned, and Pull
man Workers Included.
BOARD TAKES ACTION
Coal Miners Representatives and op.
orators Called Into Conference by
President Harding-Germany
Upset by Murder of Rath-
enau-Fierce Battle Is
Fought in Dublin.
BY EDWARD w. PIcKARD

BY EDWARD w. PlCKARD
EOUR HUNDRED THOUSAND rail
L way shop workers were called Out
on strike, effective Saturday morning
and the order included also all Pull
man shopmen in the country. An equal
number of maintenance Of way EN-.
ployees was expected to join in the
walkout, though as their strike vote
had not been completely ~canvassed, ii
was said their action might be delayed
a few days.
The strike was set on the day when
the rail workers were to undergo a cut
of $134,000, 900 in wages, and when the
S400, 900 freight rate reduction
went into effect. B. NJ. Jewell, heaG
Of the shop crafts, had told the rail.
way executives the strike would be
sanctioned unless they agreed to ig-
more the federal labor boards wage
reduction order, to restore certain
working rules which the board had
eliminated and 10 abolish the farming
out" system adopted by some of the
railroads. The railway arrangements
would not yield, and the strike deci.
sion was promptly sanctioned by the
following six international union pres.
idents, constituting the mechanical
section of the railway employees de.
partment: William II. Johnston, In.
ternational Association of Machinists !;
J. w. Kline, International Brotherhood
of Blacksmiths, Drop Forgers and
Helpers of America; J.. A. Franklin,
International Brotherhood of Boiler
makers, Iron Shipbuilders and Helpers
of America; ]. ]. Hynes, Amalgamated
Sheet Metal Workers International al.
lance; James P. Noonan, Information.
al Brotherhood of Electrical Workers,
and Martin F. Ryan, Brotherhood Of
Railway Car Men of America.
Railway managers were confident
that the strike would not greatly
handicap transportation operations, at
least for some time. They had antici-
pated it by making such provisions as
were possible, and besides, as has been
noted before, the train service men
and dispatchers are not involved in
the present controversy, and will con.
tinue at work.
There was some hope that Ben
Hooper, chairman of the labor board,
could stave off the strike by persuad.
ing certain roads to cancel their con.
tracts for shop work, but it was con;
sidered rather unlikely that this would
satisfy. the unions. Furthermore, bit
ter internal strife in the labor board
developed. The majority members
comprising the group representing the
public and the railways, issued a state
ment t~hatFlabor members, in their dis
senting opinions, were Sowing some
of the seeds that have terminated ant
blossomed into industrial anarchy il
Russia" that they had advised the
employees to strike against the deci
sion of the boagd' and had advanced
"incendiary arguments to the railroad
employees in favor of striking against
a decision of the board"
The board called the shop crafts in
ternational officers and the railway ex
ecutives to appear before it for an in
quiry.
n RESIDENT HARDING finally hai
L taken personal action in the mat
ter of the coal strike. The admins
tration, through a high government
official, stated its position thus :1'Coa
is going to be mined in sufficient guam
tity to prevent any fuel famine mex
winter" and it was added that i
peaceful measures to end the strik'
failed, more drastic action would b,
taken. Next, Mr.. Harding invited thy
representatives of the miners and OPP
orators to a conference in the White