The Connecticut labor news., 1924-09-20
CANADIAN RAILWAY
 WORKERS DISCLAIM
 HIGH WAGE CHARGE
Submit Evidence to Legislative Com. mittee on Relation of Pay to
 Freight Rates.

4 round table conference between the special committee on agriculture of the Ontario legislature and represen- tatives of organized labor, the United Farmers, the Canadian Manufactur- CTS Association boards of trade and chambers of commerce was held at Toronto on Wednesday of last week.
 Previously the committee held sit tings throughout the province and at almost all of them organized labor was charged with the responsibility for the increase in freight rates and gen erally for the increased cost of com modities used on the farm. In view Iof this fact 1t was expected that when organized 1abors case was presented the press of the country would give the workers views the same publicity as those of it's opponents. However, this was not done Many of the news papers made no mention of the argu- ments advanced by the workers rep resentatives, while others published a
 
 Canadian Manufacturers Association were featured and an attack upon the trade union movement by MT. J. J. Morrison, secretary of the United Farmers of Ontario, was given wide publicity
 Despite this glaring oversight on the part of the Canadian newspapers the evidence submitted by the workers will be of valuable assistance to the com mittee, as all the charges against labor were answered and refuted.
 Hon. Senator c. D. Robertson, vice president of the Order of Railroad Photographers E. Ingles, vice president of the Brotherhood of Electrical Workers; E. w. A. O'Dell, general Iorganizer of the Boot and Shoe Work CTS Union, and William L. Best, Do minion legislative representative of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Bremen and Enginemen, were the spokesmen for organized labor the three former representing the Trades and Labor Congress of Canada.
 The correspondence calling the con- ference stated in part that "the cost of transportation is perhaps the biggest stumbling block to agricultural recov- cry" and that "the allegation is repeat edlv made that labor costs are in measure responsible for the increase in freight rates.
 1 Hon. Senator Robertson undertook to answer these charges. He first an a1yzed the present railway situation in Canada. pointing out that the Domin ion had one mile of railway, line for every 250 of it's population, as against 400 people for every mile in the United States.
 The premature construction and | necessary continued maintenance ot thousands of miles of road that must for years to come be unprofitable, IS the chief cause of our present predica- ment," he said.
 Notwithstanding this serious handi cap" he continued, rates are today lower in Canada than in the United States"
 The senator then told of the sub stantial reductions in rates to apply all over Canada, proposed by the rail way companies which were not made effective owing to the action of the government in putting into effect drastic cut in grain rates i'll western 1 Canada. (which caused the railways i loss in revenue of over $25,OOO,00O 1n 1925" he said.
 This rate adjustment" he continued, ''saved the farmer cents per bushel. which materially aided the agricultural industry"
 Turning to the question of railroad employees wages, the vice president Of the o. R. T. said: Rail workers i'll | Canada receive wages comparable to those paid in the United States, though justly entitled to higher com pensation owing to rigorous climate and consequent higher living costs During the war both rates and wages advanced. The wages followed, but never overlook, the rise in the cost of living, nor did they equal the rise III the cost of farm products during that period
 The senator then showed the de- creases which have been made in rail road workers wages since the peak period of 1920 and estimated the cut in their earnings at between $4O0OO,OOO and S500OO,0 ,000 per year.
 "Two years after the universal wage reductions.' he declared. ''the railways were hit by a substantial rate cut on grain in the West causing loss of about S25OOOOOO in freight which re- mains in the farmers pockets. When