Evening star., 1922-06-13
Wage Cut of Railway Workers
Subject of General Discussion.

| While the men affected are voting
| dered by the Railroad Labor Board.
| and the brotherhood leaders are con-
| sidering future moves. the public is
expressing its attitude through the
press and the motion to adopt seems
carried overwhelmingly. But there Is
in newspaper opinion. as there was
| in the board itself, a minority that
protests against a reduction in the
wages Of a class Of railroad workers
who are poorly paid at best.
To this latter position, however. the
| New York Evening World replies
| that the reduction Of pay of mainte-
nance of way men must be consid-
cred as only a part of a larger read
justment Of railroad wages to take ef-
feet July l." and from this point Of
view it is welcomed generally by the
Democrat puts 1t, "of the painful
| process of getting pack to normal
| standards"
The Railroad Labor Board has act
ed under an imperative. economic
pressure and necessity says the
Flint (Mich.) Journal, and the New
ark News adds it has no intent of
dealing unfairly with the workers.
Having stepped railroad wages up, 1t
! now thinks it time to step them down
again." Coming just at this time, the
action of the board is, in the opinion
of the Hartford Times, "a desirable,
! recently announced reduction In
freight rates"
But it is in its relation to the re-
duction in rates that many editors
| protest against the wage cut. The
Pittsburgh Press cannot help doubt
ing the wisdom of the new wage cuts
before the effect of freight and pas
senger rate reductions has been
tried" for there Is good reason to
believe that the rate reductions would
| so increase the earnings of the roads
per unit by means of the larger traffic
handled as to make the wage cuts
unnecessary" And If. as is freely
predicted, the present order will be
followed in few days by other de-
cisions which will make reduction in
wages of about 100000 skilled shop
workers. and about 100000 clerks,
other small classes" the Omaha
World-Herald concludes that labor
| will not only stand the full cost of
| freight reduction but will contribute
| an aQQltlOnal SluU,VUU,UUU LOT BOoC
and overfiowing measure to make
sure that. whatever else may be re-
duced, railroad dividends will not be-"
Indeed. E"the rule referred to In
Scripture of depriving him who has
little OF even his poor possessions"
| seems to the New York Globe ito
have been in vogue" in determining
| the revised wage rates. rAt no time
in the history of transportation" says
| the Globe. have the wages Of mainte-
nance of way laborers "sufficed to
maintain families at any decent
standard of living" and "the new
rates continue the, old tradition of in
suf1cienoy." The Raleigh IN. c.
Times, at any rate. cannot recall
| "having met anybody who got rich
| working as a section hand" Since
as the New York Call contends
| wages received before this reduc-
tion were insufficient. to enable the
men and their. families to live in de-
cency and comfort manifestly, tho,
Waterbury Republican says, the new
weekly wage of $11.04 "is too small
an income upon which to maintain q
very high standard Of living" 1t
would require frugal living" for an
Individual, the Decatur (Ill.) Herald
observes, while "for the support of
a family it is impossible" But the
blow Of wage readjustment has been
allowed to fall upon the particular
class of workers already in sorest
straits" the Herald continues. be-
cause unskilled workers such as rail-
road laborers have the least power
lof ..resistance: thef are unable 70: Acs,
|cum1late savinssl to tide them over