The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1923-10-08
RAIL UNION
PAY PLEA
BLOW
Brotherhood Raise and Cut in
Transportation Cost I'M
possible, |. C. C. Asserts.
BY WILLIAM HARD.

"The, sFarmer-Labor' combina
eion, after its startling successes
in electing Brookhart and a half.
dozen other radicals to the
United States Senate, is now this
week going to get its day of
doom and disappearance as sud-
dent as its rise"
That is the hope which Wash
ington enemies of the Farmer
Labor" combination are cherish.
ing as they watch the collision
this week, happening between the
: demands for higher wages for the
transportation brotherhoods and
the demands for lower freight
rates for the farm organizations.
Clash In Demands.
Inquiries in the statistical services
Of the Interstate Commerce Commits
: sion show that b CHER wages aud
lower freight rates cannot conceiv.
ably happen simultaneously on the
railroads in the Northwestern region
where the ''farmer-labor" combina-
ton has its principal home. The
verified findings of the Interstate
Commerce Commission experts are
to the effect that in the first eight
months Of this year the North
western railroads earned a return of
less than 315 per cent.
Now, this week, the Interstate
Commerce Commiss on Is at last well
ON into its tentative inquiries into
the possibility of rate reductions; and
now this week, after conferences
here between leaders of the railroad
conductors and leaders of the rail-
road trainmen, the five concerted
standard railroad Transportation
brotherhoods" are likewise we'll on
their way into serving notices upon
all railroads for a return to the peak
wages of 1920.
Brotherhoods Are Strong.
These "brotherhoods" are the en-
gineers, the firemen, the conductors,
the trainmen. and the switchmen.
They are immeasurably stronger
than the shopmen who struck las:
year.
1t was the Transportation brother
gAoOds" that wrung the Adamson
eight-hour law from Congress IN
1916, under the mere threat of q
Wtrike.
Their most outstanding leader is
Warren S. Stone of the engineers,
who is also the chief figure in
the labor end of the Farmer
Labor" combination.
The labor part Of the Farmer
Labor" has been in practice essen
tally railroad labor; and Mr.. Stone
has been its great pilot.
Now Mr.. Stone, according to his
delighted enemies, is demanding
something which the railroads can
not give both to him and to his
allies, the farmers.
The calculation here is that Mr..
Stone. and not the farmers, will
ret it.
Have Advanced Wages,
The railroads already have re-
Gently In many cases advanced the
wages Of shopmen. They also in
many cases are negotiating with
the shopmen with a view of let
ting them have the overtime ar.
rangements which the Railroad La
Dor Board took away from them.
In spite of the victory which the
railroads claim to have won over
The shoprI1en last year, and in spite
OF the decisions OF the Railroad
Labor Board against the shopmen,
1.-THE wages and the working condi-
tons OF the shopmen are now
going up.
Governmental officials whom this
writer I'm times past has found to
be reliably well-inforned are con-
fident now that the present wage
demands of the transportation
brotherhoods" are going to be large
1y granted.
The enemines OF the Farmer.