Evening star., 1933-09-02
ROOSEVELT BACKS
BAN ON RAIL CODE.
Finds Self Behind Eastman in
Thought Roads Will Be
Better Off.
By the Associated Press.

&Sy lLC hSSUCldltO HlcSS.
President Roosevelt has informed A.
F. Whitney, chairman of the Railway
Labor Executives Association, that he
is largely in agreement" with the view
of Joseph B. Eastman, Federal CO.
crdinator of transportation, that the
Nations railroads would be better of
If they were not placed under the
N. R. A.
- Cleveland yesterday Whitney ex-
ve-.d himself as disappointed and
shocked at learning that the recovery
act was not going to be applied to the
nearly a million railroad workers.
In letter to Whitney, which accom-
S,Anied a memorandum from Eastman,
the President said he had given the
matter careful consideration" but
that he found himself largely in agree
ment" with the co-ordinator.
Eastman said:
For what it may be worth, my own
opinion is that the railroads are not in
cluded in the N. I. r. A.
Sees Codes Inadequacy.
aside from wages and working con-
ditions, there seems nothing which such
code could accomplish"
The President in another letter to
Whitney, said Eastman has called the
attention of the carriers to the provl-
sions of the emergency railroad act
which guarantees workers the right to
organize and which forbids railroads
from maintaining company unions"
Eastman sent a memorandum to
President Roosevelt expressing this
opinion He advised the President he
has been conferring with railroad
executives to correct unhealthy spots"
in the rail labor situation.
Certain classes of rail employees. he
said, now are working longer hours
other classes.
II am hopeful of favorable results"
he said. "It may be possible, also, to
provide for minimum wages consistent
with those adopted in the codes, in the
few instances where such minimum
wages may be necessary"
Wrote to President.
Eastman said his memorandum had
whitney. with the communication from
the President that was made public
today.
About the middle of August, Whitney
wrote to Mr.. Roosevelt urging that the
railroads and their employees be put
under an N. R. A. code. This was
given to Eastman for answer, along
with a memorandum from the Asso-
citation of Railway Executives contend
ing the carriers were not included in
the recovery act.
The Federal co-ordinator sided with
the railroad executives. Taking up first
the question of whether the N R. A. is
applicable legally to the carriers, he said
his own opinion is that the railroads
are not included
Code Would Not Be Wise.
Discussing whether the recovery act
Should be applied to the carriers as
matter of policy he said
Under all of the circumstances am
OF the opinion that the adoption of a
code fer the railroads under the N. I.
r. A. would not be wise. even if it were
legally practicable.
In saying this, do not mean tiat
railroad labor conditions are all that
they should be- In the memorandum
from the Railway Labor Executives
Association. it is stated that the rail-
roads employ 1,750,000 in normal times
and are now employing about 100000
leaving 100000 unemployed.
This is, think, an over-statement
for improvements in transportation
IISI4lOUS Llohc IL IIlpi OUdUlC CAidI d1ly
thing like 100000 would be re-employed
even if traffic should be restored to 1929
proportions.
There is bad unemployment sit
uation on the railroads, but the best
hope for Improvements lies in an in
crease II. business activity which will
add to the traffic and earnings of the
railroads, enabling them not only to in
crease their train service, but also to
make up much deferred maintenance.
Anything which would interfere with
the improvement of railroad net earn
ings would also stand in the way OF
such a program of unemployment"
PAIL EYECIITIXES SHOCKED