The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-06-30
RAILROAD UNIONS ! HAVE NO RIGHT ID
 COMPLA|N-HOOPER
Labor Board Official Declares Nation Will Not Tolerate General Strike-Must
 Have Peace
By Associated Press

Chicago, June 29.-Ben w. Hooper of Tennessee, chairman of the labor board, who was credited with having taken the leadership in averting a threatened railway strike last octo- Der, tonight issued statement de- claring that "it is evident to every student of the situation that the rail- way labor organizations have no just cause of serious complaint at the treatment they have received at the hands of the federal wage tribunals during the war period and since."
 The statement In full follows:
 ..The people of the United states are sick and tired of having railway transportation and traffic periodical ly interrupted by controversies be- tween railway managements and em- pioyes. It was this feeling which moved Congress to enact the trans portation act of 1920.
 ..The right to strike and tie up q private business is quite different thing from any supposed right to choke and obstruet the flow of in- terstate commerce in this vast con tinental nation. Railway transporta- tion is not a private business. It IS essential to the very existence of our republic and to the individual
 
 Won't stand for Strike
 q do not hesitate to make the pre- diction that never again will there be a railroad strike of any eonsiderab z proportions of importance in this country. The people will not stand for it. Every man concerned in traf- fife. travel and production, every con- sumer of the necessities Of life IS absolutely dependent on the unin- terrupted and efficient operation of the railways.
 There must be peace on the rall- roads. This cannot be obtained by leaving the carriers free te aapose unjust conditions upon the employees or by permitting the employees by organizations, however, powerful, to impose unfair conditions upon the carriers and unbearable burdens upon the VuDIlEs FNuCll A fNHlEth4 Eiitt ply means industrial war and this will result in disaster to the parties and I.eaple
 May mnks aiistalSes
 Any tribunal having q inrlsdlc- ton similar to that of the railroad labor board will make mistakes, but the fact that somebody criticises the action of the board does not even raise presumption that a mistake has been made. In these strenuous ly contested disputes before this board, somebody is always dissatis- fled with the suit. The board Is vigorously condemned, first by one side and then by the other. Labor controversies have always been rather violent and they have not de- were thrown before the railroad la bor board.
 ''The able men representing the employees put their whole souls into their contentious and the questions they handle are of momentous human import. They are doubtless often harrassed by the apprehension. as are all public servants. that their constituents may not fully under stand and appreciate their efforts.
 FIt is quite natural that they should take deeply to heart . en q partial failure 10 attain the full measure ef benefits which they seek for those they so Loyalty represent.
 No Cause for Complaint
 "But it is evident to every student of the situation that the railroad , labor board organizations have no just cause for serious complaint at the treatmept they have received at
 (Contfnued on page eieven1