San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1924-04-27
Organized Labor Joins En-
Enthusiastically in Fight on
Organization.
CAPITAL in PROTEST
Oppose Bill That Would Do
Away With Arbiha-
ton Board.
BY HARDEN COLFAX.

| Copyright by The San Antonio Light
Washington, ID. C., April 26.-The
Railroad Labor Board is in a fail
way to be abolished by Congress with
in the next 80 days. Organized labor
has joined enthusiastically in the fight
on the board, which is led in The
House by a Democrat, Barley. Ken
lucky. and in the Senate by Repub-
lican, Howell, Nebraska.
Organized capital opposes the
boards abolition as strongly as labor
favors it. The railroads themselves
oppose the move. These two forces
are reported to be working independ-
emily III Il nationwide effort to defeat
the proposal. The showdown is ex-
pected in the House May 5. when the
bill comes IN for consideration. One
hundred and fifty-four representatives
have signed petition to charge The
House commerce committee from fur
Their consideration of the measure and
most, if not all. of these petitioners,
it is believed, will support the meas
ure.
Offers Substitute.
The Railroad Labor Board, it will
be recalled, was created by the trans
portatiOn act Of 1920, for the purpose
of settling disputes between the car
riers and the workers. 1t is COM
posed of an equal number of repre-
sentatives of the railroads, the work
ers and the public. 1t figured largely
in the strike two years ago, of the
shop workers and has acted as media
tor in other disputes between the rail-
roads and their employees.
As substitute for the board. Bark
ley and Howell propose that there
shall be created four boards of adjust
ment containing 40 members, equally
divided beween representatives of the
roads and the unions of the employees.
Two of those boards will consist Of
fourteen members each and two of
six members each. They would draw
annual salaries of $1,000 each. There
also would be created a board of
mediation and Cancellation of five
members at annual salaries of So 900
each.
The measure makes no provision for
representation of the public on the
adjustment boards and the attack
upon it is based to considerable ex-
tent upon this phase.
Expect Bitter Fight.
Within the last few days an appeal
has been made to employers of about
5,000,060 workers throughout the
country urging those employers to adj
wise their representatives in Congress
of their opposition to the bill. The
appeal was signed by John +. Edger-
ton. chairman of the National Indus
trial Council, Earl Constantine, ex-
ecutive secretary, and James A.
Emery, counsel.
"Many signs indicate determined
effort to reproduce the situation which
surrounded the enactment of the
Adamson law" reads the appeal.
THE importance of the subject and
circumstances presented deserve your
Immediate consideration and the for
mutation 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 grounds
and pleads for n further trial of the
present law. One of the grounds is
that membership of all adjustment
boards so far as the employees are
concerned. is restricted to member
ship of the railroad unions. This,
the council states, would exclude
all non-members from representation
by men e. :aeir own choice"
Another basis of the opposition. as
cited in Mr.. Edgerton's letter. is that
the awards would be enforceable