Twin city review. [volume] (Champaign, Ill.) 19??-1929, 1923-03-16
STATEMENT OF
PRESIDENT LATE
But WELCOME

The statement of President Harding
IN reference TO the condition OF the
railroads which have failed to settle
with their old employees, comes late,
but Is nevertheless welcome 10 those
| who are directly affected by the situa-
ton. The president in his letter 10
stephen h. Conner of the New Jersey
Shop Crafts, verities the position
taken by the strikers ever since the
j Nillard-Jewell settlement was made.
The strikers all over the country were
willing TO go back 10 work on that
basis, but the rail managers had
something else in mind, and the
strikers believe that it was the elm
ination of their organizations. Since
the days when the hard boiled manag-
ers refused to DISCUSS any kind of an
honorable settlement, the strikers
have been standing for one thing and
that is simply this, "The right TO re-
turn to their old Jobs, and the main
tenance of their unions. These two
things are and have been the issues
since the month of October, 1922.
President Harding in his letter.
places the blame where it belongs and
the very fact that bad transportation
minority of railroad interests 1.-THE
managers) are responsible. The pub
lie seems to have lost sight of the
fact that railroads used to run nor
| mally on strict time basis and that
late trains and delaped freight were
source of Inconvenience. Today the
public seems to be satisfied with
whatever it can get, and this is the
attitude which has allowed the rail
road managers to continue the fight
against the shopmen. Train inspec-
| non is a farce, so is the $50 air brake
| rule. Freight cars are in bad con-
| dition, with fiat wheels common
| thing. Stand at crossing and watch
a freight train pass, note the condi-
ton of the equipment and then won
| der why wrecks take place and ship
ments are delayed. Close observers
| of railroad management assert that
the roads which are still trying to
operate with Incompetent help will
sooner or later fall into bankruptcy
| because they cannot successfully
| operate on the present basis.
| President Harding points out that
| the acute shortage of fuel and other
| industrial necessities is due to the
| failure of the roads to settle the
strike, and again his statement is
proven by the statement of coal
operators, stock and grain shippers
as well as some very large industrial
concerns, who depend upon transpor-
tation to carry on their business sue
cessfully. The rail managers have
produced figures in an effort to per
suade the public that they are doing
more business than they ever did be-
fore, but the general industrial re-
ports show that railroad facilities are
| lar from meeting the needs of indus
try. The struck roads report having
/ tully manned their shops, and this Is
no doubt a fact. In some instances
! they have several hundred more men
| than they had July l, 1922, but being
fully or overmanned by incompetentss,
shows up in the equipment and will
continue so for several years to come.
The president points out IN his
statement that conditions will con-
tinue to get worse and his opinion Is
in line with all reports we receive
| from men who are in the position TO
know. The president places the blame
| where il belongs, and although 1t is a
little late in the day, his statement is
| welcome to the men who have been on
strike since July 1st.