The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1922-01-12
HOOVER SEEKS
TO FORESTALL
RAIL STRIKE
Arranges Conference of
Brotherhoods and Road
Managers to Talk Over
Wage Question.
EXCELLENT FORESIGHT
BY MARK SULLIVAN

WASHINGTON, Jan. l2.-What Is
really back of the effort on the part
of Secretary Herbert Hoover of the
department of commerce to bring the
railroad brotherhoods and the railroad
manag gers together is forehanded at
tempt to prevent the arising again OF
the disagreeable situation the country
faced a few months ago when it was
threatened with countrywide rail-
road strike.
The question OF wages was really
not settled by the calling off of that
strike The railroad managers have
again made application to the railway
labor board for reduction in wages. In
the ordinry course these applications
would come up for decision about four
months from now.
1t is in order to forestall what
might happen at that time that Mr.
Hoover brought about the rather eX-
traordinary spectacle of the heads OF
| the brotherhoods and the railroad
managers sitting down together in his
| house.
Indicates Judgment
| This was not only a striking event
| in itself, but it was also an indication
| of the far-seeing policy on the part of
| that department of the government
which is responsible for preventing
such an interruption of business as a
railroad strike would mean. 1t was an
example of the amount of quiet and
unostenstatiouS work done by many
government departments which does
NOT get much into the news
4 If strike conditions should arise as
they did in September that would be
spectacular The foreseeing and pre-
! venting it is fully as important, but
less startling to the public mind. No
news has been given out as to what
the brotherhoods and the railroad man
ayers did when they came together,
but there is a favorable indication in
the fact that they are to come together
again. '....-
/ Wage Questions
In addition to this question of rail-
road wages, there are two other SINH
lar questions, both to come to a head
I within a few months.---Both- of them
menace business conditions as much as
the railroad situation does. In the
building trades as well as in coal min
ing agreements about wages, made one
and two years ago. between the unions
and the employers, will come TO an
end.
When they end, it is certain that
there will be differences in points OF
view about the new wage scales, for ii
is obvious that wages fixed one and
two years ago are inconsistent with
iDresent conditions.
1t is presumed that if Mr.. Hoover Is
successful in bringing the railroad
unions and the railroad managers to
gether he will make the same effort
in the other two fields. The whole
effort is in an attempt to bring abou
new agreements on wages by negoti>
tion under the auspices of the govern
ment some months before the crisis
that are sure to arise otherwise.
Adjustment Necessary.
The thing is really broader than this
The whole matter of the development
of another period of smooth running
prosperity is dependent upon adjust
f ments of wages to present conditions
, The commerce department has made
, | exhaustive investigations looking to-
ward what are reasonable wages unde1
= the conditions of 1922 They hav'
lTleQ 10 arrive dl ueClSlon Oh WudC Ii
normal now as compared with pre-
: war conditions. In some lines wage
t have already been adjusted to what il
now normal, but in other lines th'
wages are far out of line
If this element can be stabilized sue
! cessfully it is believed that it will b.
D one of the largest steps now neede'
+ towards the restoration of period o
t steadily rising activity and prosperity
Copyright 1922 by the New YOrl
Evening Post, Inc.)