Evening star., 1941-11-29
Railroads Denounce
Blind Insistence' Of
Labor on It's Views
Presidents Board Hopes
To End Hearings Today
On Woge Controversy
BULLETIN.

BULLETIN.
NEW YORK tP'.-F. B. Huf-
nagel, board chairman of the
Crucible Steel Co. of America.
late today informed DR.. John
r. Stcelman. chairman of the
Captive Coal Mines Arbitra-
ton Board. that Il cannot
agree blindly to accept as
binding on this company the
decision of the arbitration
board He asked DR.. Steel
man to advise him whether 1t
IS within the province of the
arbitration board to decide
that the SO-Called closed shop
or some condition tantamOunt
to it shall be imposed upon
the captive coal mines. before
he made any commitment for
the company.
b ne Associated Press.
Counsel for railroads of the coun-
try accused railroad labor TODAY OF
blind and stubborn inslstence on
the substitution Of its views Tor
those Of a governing board
J. Carter Fort. the railroad attor-
rey. offered this criticism before
President Roosevelt's special fact
finding board which seeks 10 END
threat of a strike scheduled Decem-
Der :.
Mr.. Fort said that railroads were
willing to accept the $2700000O0 IN
annual wage increases recon-
n1endpd bv the presidential board
bur refused by the Brotherhoods As
too small for their l.250000 mem
hers. The attorney said this IN
crease was not advocated by the
carriers and was reached after a
fun and fair hearing The
Rrothcrhoods are asking raises estl-
mated 70 total about s400 100000.
NAV tHU TLtdI lIlSN iuuoN'
Mr. Fort told the Railroad Board
that the increases it recommended
amounted to seven times the ever
age net income of all railroads for
the 10 wears of 1881 10 l940 and were
more than the 1910 neg income Of
Sl88 100000 for all railroads He said
lo4Os income was the largest since
1880.
Recalling an argument Yesterday
BY Charles H. Hav. counsel fer the
brotherhoods. that ne life Of the
railway labor law was endangered
by this wage dispute Nj. Fort said
that If one party could unset fnd-
lngs Of a Government board. then he
favored letting the att bleed and
die"
The board hoped to wind up its
hearings today and submit to Pres
ident Roosevelt on Monday a rec
ommendation for wage adjustments.
Dean WAYNE LYMAN Morse OF the
University of oregon law school.
chairman of the board, reported
possibility that both sides Of the
controversy may request the board
to serve as a mediation bodv instead
Of sending a new report to the Pres
ident. In that event the scheduled
strike presumably would be held in
allowance.
Elsewhere on the labor front de-
velopments included the announce
ment in San Francisco that nearly
900 members of Local 10 of the
United WelderS, Cutters and Helpers
had voted unanimously to authorize
a fve-man national board. repre-
scnting independent welders, to call
a NatiOn-U wide strike
The Welders. seekeing autonomy.
sent the following telegram to Lloyd
PAYNE. secretary of the committee
at Washington
Ratified amalgamation. Author
ize Washington committee to call
Nationwide strike Pledge financial
support
A union spokesman said approval
Of the strike sanction meant inde-
pendent San Francisco welders
would walk out Immediately in the
event Of a national strike call. He
charged that Bethlehem, Western
Pipe Steel and the Brown Weld
ing Co here had Disseminated
against unloniSts
Steel Companies Reply.
Dr. John R. Steelman. chairman of
President Roosevelts three-man ar
hltratlon board in the captive coal
mines dispute, announced in New
York that the board had received
replies from substantially all captive
mine operators
The board had sent kilograms to
executives Of nine companies asking
whether they would be bound by the
boards decision on the union shop
issue in the captive mines. The firms
also were asked whether they wished
To appear before the board. made up
Of John l.. Lewis. president of the
G. l. o. Mine Workers: Benjamin
Falrless, head of the United States
Steel Corp. and d. Steelman.
DR.. Steelman did not disclose the
nature Of the replies However. from
Pittsburgh. Thomas E. Millsop. preSi-
dent of Weirton Steel Co. notified
the mediators that we consider our
selves compelled to conform TO your
decision in any settlement despite
Welrtons opposition to the closed
shop.
Weirton Steel is one of the largest
National Steel Corp subsidiaries and
Is among the Nation s steel concerns
which operate coal mines exclusively
for, their own use.
The $4,000 pay roll of Kenosha
wis municipal employees will 90
unpaid today because Of a three
day-old strike by an A. F. L. city
employees union against a labor-con-
trolled city government.
The 200 striking employees and DO
hcemen and firemen. who are not
on strike. Will go unpaid because
City Clerk Barney Hermann. who
makes out the checks. is on the
picket line before the empty city
hall.
Abrams Hides Tuf