San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-10-07
Of
| LINES READY
FOR ATTACKS
Three Dilemmas Face Rad
ways Of Country, Exee-
utives Say.
SO-CALLED "MENACES"
"Wild Legislation" In Next
Congress Feared Most
of All.
Ry ROBERT I. SMALL

Z Copyright, by The San Antonio Lis1--
Z New York, Oct. 6.-The railway
: executives of the country are exchans-
! ing views roday as to the best ways
8 and means Of meeting what they re-
4 gard as a three-fold attack about 10
} be made upon the railway properties
|. of the country.
h As the executives see it, the rail-
!. ways are facing three dilemmas:
/: The forthcoming demands of the
big fou- brotherhoods for a restora-
tion of wages to the war time peak.
+ .: The demand of the farmers that
railway rates on farm commodities
4 be reduced.
l. 3: The probable attempt of radi-
Il cal senator's and representatives TO
|. modify the Esch- Cummins law to the
detriment of the railroads, repeating
all the favorable clauses and stiffening
all the unfavorable ones.
The first of these so-call-d "men-
\ aces" is very real one.
+ The brotherhoods are now engaged
in drawing up their demands.
The engineers, the f: emcn, the con-
ductors and the t-ainmen have not
separately, but with the same purpose
lin view and they will take concerted
action to get their pay back TO the
point to where it was when a cut was
announced less than eighteen months
ago.
! The railroads recently resisted the
demands of their shopmen for a high
Yer rate of pay than the roads 'elt they
could give, and their attack gradual
-.ly was broken.
: When it comes to dealing with the
brotherhoods, however, the PROPOSE
,tion is entirely a different one.
4 OF course the railroad labor board
smay have something to say Us to tn
brotherhood demands, but in view of
1.-THE manner in which the anthracite
coal strike was "settleu" the rail-
.road executives fear that they will
acome out at the little end of the horn
lin the adjustments" which Nill fol-
ilow consideration of the brotherhood
demands.
Some Roads Defiant.
The labor board is without the
means of carrying its orders into eff
feet and some railroads are openl!
defiant of it.. .s
= but regardless of its possible infer
..vention anc action the brotherhood
are going TO precipitate a lal,cr crisis
which will be countrywide when theil
demands finally are presented. sa
. The position Of the railway execu
,tives is that no increase in the pay
of employees can be made at this time
without a corresponding increase il
passenger and freight rates.
: 1t so happens, however, that the de.
1 mands for pay increases are coming
! at a time when the public in seneral
| and the farmers in particular, are
| crying out for reducerd rates.
A few weeks ago railroad officials
were fearful that the government
might be stampeded into ordering a
reduction in the rates for handling
wheat, but this fear has 'nbsided
somewhat and is not now so acute.
Railway officials have pointed out
what they consider the fallacy of
theory that reduced freight rates
would affect the price of wheat and
open new markets to the grain.
They declared that il wheat were
! transported free to the ports of the
country, the price still would be fixed
by the law of supply and demand
World conditions, they argue, are
not affected by domestic freight rates.
a The railway authorities say their
contention is proved by the fact that
] the higher tariff on wheat did not
. raise the price Of the commodity. the
i price stil being fixed by world con-
ditions.
Z The same reasoning is true of
sugar and other commodities affected
by world markets rather than domestic
conditions.
Would Shift Burden.
a The reduction of wheat rates, rail
way men declare, merely would shift
the burden to some other class of
! freight. il rail revenues are to meet
the requirements Of expenditures.
s The proposed increase of wages and
production of rates are concrete mat.
tiers with which the executives fee
able TO deal concretely.
The menace" they fear most Of
I jail. is that of "wild legislation al
the coming session o. Congress.
There are more radicals in Con
gress than ever 'efore and most o.
tthem rode to success at the polls OF
Ia nlatform of swat the railroads"
1t is certain that railroad legisla
ation will be one Of the features o.
f,,ihe coming session. but just what form
Sit will take. no one at this line car
E.isav.
Naturally the men behind the rail
.,rolds arc hopeful thar Prpsiden Coo
.,li'lge win be able to act as a curb oi
the radical elements. although will
"a nation:l campaign bnt 4 few month
jaway. he may hesitate To block IN
.nath Of the legislators who feel the,
lare representing the ponular demand
',haying so lately come just from tn
fpeople.