Norwich bulletin., 1922-06-21

chiczCo. June 20 (By the A. PD--Dls- astsr fo- the striking railway unions and unfortunate results for their member ship was predicted to follow the threat sned walkout on which a. strike vote is now being taken by nineSrailroad labor organizations. in a letter 'from Ben W. Hooper. chairman of the railroad labor board. to the union leaders today.
 Answering a letter from the union chiefs. which declared the executives would authorize a strike if the employees demanded it. Chairman Hooper made categorical reply to the fierce assaults on the board. for which he declared there was no ground.
 "with the degree of friendly interest that ] feel in these organizations and with the recognition I accord to their great service 10 the membership. l am hopeful that they will not adopt a, course that win surely prove disastrous to the --ranizati ious and unfortunate to the men composing them" wrote Mir. Hooper.
 ~It is rcErettable that such a step is contemplated at a time when the country s just entering upon an era of more stable industrial conditions and, that gives promise of an enlarged degree of prosperity to railway employees.
 Although Chairman Hooper said In the l-;ter. which was addressed to B. Nj. Jewell. president Of the railway em- -loyes department of the American Fed -ration at Labor. that he felt no reply Eas required co che unions srike avow- a. he expressed "a willingness to go be- Fond the strict limits of my offhrial au- -horiiy In the interest of railway peace" Hs said he felt it his duty to reply be- iauss the threatened strike contains mch possibilities of loss and detrlment'' 70 the strikers The chairman added that strike vote should not be taken on any misunderstanding of the action or atti. .ude of the board but declared the union ihiefs' letter manifested "a strikingly distorted conception Of what the board iss done and why it did iL"
 Several statements were pointed out g distortions
 Your statement. that the boards Ia ttc.Elor states openly that pressure of sircunstances vas such that the board ras unable to determine just and req. Nrahis wages. Is not correct the istte, uit The decision contains no suet ratsuent and none that can be fairl, to construed
 Your statement that this board say hat the establishment of just wages fo -aiiway workers must await the com 1iets satisfaction of ownership in th natter of rehabilitation and profits Is A, lnexcusabie perversion of both the Ian ruage and meaning of what the boar ln fact said A strike of railway en sioyez. involving their wages. their en nd hnfe
 uch misleading statements of thi 'osrd's sentiments and declaration you'd be unjust to the men and to tn mbnc.
 The statement in the boards decisio that labor can not be completely free rom the economic laws which likewis ulect the earnings of capitaP is s obviously sound that 1t will not be que, uoned anywhere this side of the kin, Tom of The bolsheviki. And vet won me, Ion this as an occasion for ofrense
 Your statement that the board .fsi 'd Co take into consideration the princ hs that even the lowest paid railwa mpioyes such as sectionmen and I, io-ers, should receive at least a Iivir wage. is utterly baseless."
 Mr- Hooper then attacked 'the conti, aal isolation and accentuation" of II minimum 25 cent rate for common I, DOT. which he declared was made mi eadinE by the union men. He point, put that sectionmen will receive a ra f From @ 10 55 cents an hour, the m, -ority considerably higher than the mi mum. as shown by the average rate 4 '-.t cents, as compiled by the board
 Wages for other employees, also I edded, were very considerably Iarvs than In 1917 or in 1915.
 Surely the leaders of the railway | DOT organizations cannot expect to q, ne approval of the people of the In, - states by rigid unyieldins resis tnce to the inevitable process of req llstment which has been in prorrsss z me past year" the letter stated
 The fact cannot be overlooked th ne policy Of the leaders of the employ 'eens io be accept no reduction. ho, ver slight