The Connecticut labor news., 1922-03-03
Missouri and North Ar kansas Receiver Se- cures Labor Board Decision That Will Enable Him to Get Huge Sum of Govern ment Money Labor Leaders Attack Ap- peal.

Chicago, March 3-In decision
 rendered late Saturday afternoon,
 February IS, the Railroad Labor
 Board authorizes the Missouri X ! North Arkansas railroad to reduce | wages of all classes of employees 25 per cent. below the standard hitherto established by the board as "just and l reasonable" thereby reversing it's position taken in Decision No. 90 (February 2I, 1o2) that inability of a carrier to pay "does not constitute a determining factor in fixing wages
 of railroad employees" This decision was reached with unusual rapidity> following a hearing the preceding Wednesday, February IS.
 Another unucual feature of the pro- ceedings is that the Missouri & North Arkansas has not operated as a com mon carrier within the meaning of the Transportation Act since July 3T, 1921, and the line of 365 miles, ex-
 tending from Joplin, Mo, on the north to Helena, Ark, on the south is streak of rust and bramble.
 Furthermore Judge Jacob Trieber in the United States district court of Little Rock, Ark, on February II had issued a decree authorizing the re- ceiver to sell the road at auctoin as junk at an upset price of $3,ooo,ooo.
 Employees Ordered Reinstated.
 In it's decision the board rules that the proposition contained in the sub
 mission made by the representatives of the carrier, dated October 10, 1921, shall be accepted by the employees, based upon continuation of the agreement as to working conditions that were in effect as of January I, 1921, or, in lieu thereof, the decisions the Labor Board has rendered in con nection with rules which superseded the several agreements in effect as of January I, 1o21.'
 A further ruling reads: While this matter Is not in issue at this tire be- fore the Labor Board, it is recom- mended by the board that all the former employees party to this dispute be reinstated with the continuity of their seniority unimpaired. Confer 1 ences to be held between the repre- sentatives of the employees parties to l this dispute and the representatives of | the carrier at the earliest possible l date, not later than March I, 1922, to 1 properly and fairly apply this decis- 1 ion"
 Murray Asks For Open Shop"
 Under date of December 20, 1921, the present receiver of the road, J. C. Murray, former traffic manager, filed a petition with the board asking auth ority to cut wages 25 per cent. below that could not be done, to grant per mission for the road to operate on what the receiver characterized as "an open shop basis" meaning that he would pay such wages as he saw fit without hindrance of the board. A simialr proposition had been submit ted and rejected at a meeting with representatives of the 16 railroad la bor organizations held in Chicago on December 10, last Under the pres ent decision of the board the receiver is free to adopt either alternative.
 But the crux of the whole business is the movement to have the Inter state Commerce Commission loan the receiver $3, 5oo,ooo from the Curnmins- l Esch law revolving fund to pay the debts of the road, most of which were | incurred fighting the 10 railroad labor | organizations.
 Banker Pleads For Cut.
 Festus J. Wade, president of the l Merchants Trust Co.,, St. Louis, who 1 says he represents all the investors | and creditors of the road, appeared 1 before the board at the hearing last 1 Wednesday and made a strong plea 1 for a quick decision in favor of the receiver in order that 1t might induce | the Interstate Commerce Commission to vote the Government loan. There are outstanding said MT. Wade, s2,- 500, 1000 in receivers certificates and about $1, 900 ,ooo of other indebtedness against the road, which he wanted to see paid, and that unless this loan was secured the road woudl be scrapped and sold for junk. If wages were cut and the loan obtained the road would resume operation within 30 days.
 The M. & N. A. was misconcep- ton at the beginning, and runs a sparsely settled country which refuses to develop. It began operations in 1912 and two years later went into the hands of a receiver,