Evening star., 1924-04-27
RAIL BOARD END SEEN
WITHIN NEXT 80 DAYS
Labor Tribunal in Fair Way to N,
Abolished by Congress, Situa
ton Indicates.
SHOWDOWN COMING MAY .
Unions Join Those Who Would KID
Present Arrangement.

The railroad labor board ~ IN q
fair way to be abolished bv congre.
within the next thirty days. Orpan-
lied labor has joined enthusiastjeaIIy
/ in the fight on the board which ts
/ 'ed IN the House nv D@mocrax.
Bsrkle Of kentuckv, and in the s-~--
ate bv a Republican. Howell OF Me-
! braska
Organized capital opposes the
boards abolition as strongly IS lahn~
f2vors it The railroads ther selves
oppose the move These two forras
are reported to he working inde-
pcndently in nationwide effort to
defeat the proposal. A showdown h
expected in the House, May . when
the bill comes up for consideration.
One hundred and fifty-four repre-
sentatives have signed petition TO
| discharge the House commerce CON-
Tnittee from further consideration oz
the measure and most, if not all, os
these petitioners, it is believed, viz
support the measure.
The railroad labor board, il will ha
recalled, was created by the trans
portation act of 1920 for the purpo~s
Of settling disputes between the car
riers and the workers 1t IL cou-
posed of an equal number cf rer~~r
scntatlves Of the railroads. the worr-
ers and the public. 1t figured larraly
In the strike, two years ago, Of ths
shopworkers and has acted az rn~At-
ator in other disputes between tky
railroad and their eup1ove-
Substitute Measure.
AS substitute for the board 3D.
resentatives Brkley and Howell pas-
pose that there shall be created fouz
boards of adjustment. containfnx
forty members, equally divided b.
tween representatives, of the roaAr
and of the unions of employees Tvs
OF these boards would consist e
fourteen members each and two a
six members each. They would draw
annual salaries of $1,000 apieoa-
There also would be created boarH
of mediation and Cancellation of i've
members at annual salaries Of s1Anao
each.
The measure makes no pruv4xAuR
the adjustment boards and the atank
upon 1t is based, to considerable a1-
tent, upon this phase.
Within the past few days an appeal
has been made to employers of about
100000 workers throughout thu
country, urging those employers to
advise their representatives. in Con-
of hai
The appeal was signed by John L
Edgerton. chairman of the National
Industrial Council; Earl Constantine
executive secretary, and James A.
Emery, counsel.
Many signs indicate determined
effort 10 reproduce the situation
which surrounded the enactment of
the Adamson law" reads the appeal
THE Importance of the subject and
the circumstances presented deserve
your immediate consideration and
the formulation and expression of
your views to your representatives.
The National Industrial Council
which is closely allied with the Ma
tional Association of Manufacturers
opposes the measure on nine groundx
and pleads for a further trial of tha
present law. One of the grounds h
that membership of all adjustment
boards, so far as the employees ara
concerned, is restricted to member.
ship of the railroad unions. ThiA
the council states, would "excinAs
all non-members from representa-
ton by men of their own choice
Enforcement Question.
Another basis of the opposition, as
cited in Mr.. Edgertons Letter, is THAI
the awards would be enforceahAa
against the roads but not against ths
employees. Further, he states:
The proposal ignores the doMss
inant public interest in uninte<-
rupted transportation bv excluding
representatives of the public from all
preliminary adjustment and making
no provision for their presence -
arbitratorS. 1t is the paramount
public interest which justities gov
ernmental Interference in disputes
between carriers and their work era
Representative Barkley has an
nounced the measure to be the result
of two years of serious thought. II
is designed, according to its advS-
Gates, to remedy existing lmper~
fections in the transportation act.
The railroad labor organizations and
the American Federation of Lab0s
are reported to be actively in favoF
of it's passage. ana. it Is believed.
it will be supported. both in tba
House and Senate, by the l-aFolLstts