Montana labor news., 1933-05-18
II
The Washington

By LAWRENCE TODD

WASHINGTON-(FP)Jose B.
Eastman, ablest and most liberal
member of the Interstate Commerce
Commission, came before the Senate
Committee on Interstate Commerce,
May g., to tell it a few fundamental
economic truths. The text of his dis
cussion was the Roosevelt railroad
coordination bill. 1t was evident that
Eastman, as an advocate of govern
ment ownership and operation, did
not think that this measure had more
than superficial value. Administra-
ton m had named him as the
Roosevelt choice for coordination of
rail services. Rail labor had counted
upon him as its defender; rail labor
opposed the bill because it made no
provision for the men who would be
scrapped if the roads were further
consolidated or if their services were
run more economically.
Eastman told the senators that the
railroad industry is very sick He
said it is suffering not only from
the general depression but from in
creasingly sharp competition from the
bus and truck lines, and that the time
has come for drastic economies in
operation. He warned Congress that
reduction of waste in operation meant
loss of jobs to railroad workers. He
explained that here, as in the budget
of the government, economy would
not permit of retirement allowances
or pensions to offset dismissal. In
short, workers must pay the cost of
reduced operating expense.
**s
This did not mean, Eastman added,
that the rail workers dismissed from
service should not be assured of other
employment. 1.-THE welfare of the
people of the country is the
essential thing" he said. an
dustries are of Importance only as a
means to that end. They are not of
Importance in and of themselves. The
problem of unemployment is the fun
damental problem which the country
must deal with and solve, if ruin is
to be averted. The railroads
future contribution to their own and
the public welfare is dependent upon
their ability to operate with the least
possible burden of waste. In many
instances they will need to reduce
their rates. From a long range stand
point, certainly, avoidance of wastes
is in the interest of their employees,
for it will tend to remove a threat
to fair wages and working conditions.
CLEARLY the government must move
in the direction of the elimination of
unemployment. l hope to see an at
tack of this character made along a
wide front, and apparently one is
about to begin. A public works pro-
gram might well include widespread
elimination of railroad grade cross
ings at public expense. l would be
happy if a practicable plan could be
proposed whereby funds could be sup
lied for the making up of deferred
railroad maintenance, now amounting
to probably more than $1,000, 000, 900"
Eastman further suggested the adj
vocates of government ownership and
operation are increasing in number,
and that some compromise between
private and public operation may be
the next step.
This disclosure that the most liberal
member of the Interstate Commerce
Commission sees no hope of continued
employment for the present number
of rail workers, but turns to a pro-
gram of public works construction to
furnish jobs for those who will hence
forth be laid off, came as a shock to
the labor organizations represented at
the hearing. 1t Immediately inten-
sified their anxiety to write an m
ployment-safeguard clause into the
bill and it quickened their interest in
securing early enactment of a big
program of public works.
On that very day Senators Costi-
gan and LaFollette had introduced
their new bill providing for a &c.
O0O, 900, 900 program. This bill was
offered when it became evident that
the Roosevelt program for public
works had been whitfield down to
something between $500, 100000 and
81, 500, 900 900.
sss
Meanwhile the presidents proposal
of a partnership" between employ
ers and the government in securing a
shorter work week, minimum wage
r.o1oo o,J obo1itiop of cNU~aatchOpc in