Evening star., 1950-05-12
Writer Says Truman
Could Have Averted
Rail Strike by Word
Both Sides in Dispute
Were Near Compromise
In 48-Hour Discussion
By David Laurence

By David Laurence
A word from President Truman
on Monday night could have
averted the railroad strike which
started at 6 o'clock Tuesday
morning.
The inside story Of the frantic
efforts made then to get David
Robertson of the Firemen's Union
to call of the strike indicates that
presidential Intervention could
have saved the day.
But Mr.. Truman was out on
political tour-unaffected appar-
emily by the plight of millions OF
voters in the Midwest and OF
shippers in all parts OF the
country.
The two sides in the rail dispute
were 50 close together Monday
night that an impartial inquiry
into the facts by congressional
committee now would reveal how
absurd it is for the national in
terest to be jeopardized through
the absence of the right sort OF
machinery to avert such a catas-
trophic strike.
48 Hours of Negotiation.
The railroad executives were
handing proposals back and forth
on Monday night. They would not
agree to the third man on all
Diesel locomotives and Mr.. Robert
son is said to have been ready to
waive that point in the interest of
some other concessions. One of
these was a slight improvement
in the pay of helpers on the elec-
trio engines, bringing them up to
the full rate. There was some in
clination, too, among the rail-
roads to put an extra fireman on
any new Diesels under the Aston
class but freezing the number of
personnel on the Diesels now in
use. There were various ways by
which the issue might have been
settled. and a suggestion was also
made that a new arbitration be
devised.
But after 48 hours of almost
constant negotiation, the man who
bore the brunt of it for the union
side-David Robertson, who is "a
years old-was not ready to COM
promise. Was he too tired or ex-
hausted? 1t makes one wonder
why these serious controversies
have to be left to the desperation
OF last-minute offers when the
matters are of such grave i'm
portance to the public interest.
There was a time when presi-
dentially appointed boards issued
decisions and these were accepted
But the late President Roosevelt
broke the precedent and, when
the unions refused to go along, he
gave them additional benefits
after the board had rendered its
opinion.
AS long as there is chance for
more concessions through polit-
ical help. no presidential board
will be OF avail. The net result
today is that Congress is being
asked to pass a law to prohibit
strikes on railroads and impose
machinery for compulsory arbi-
tration.
Rail Chiefs Statements.
"1f the force of public opinion. 4"
said President Walter S. Franklin
OF the Pennsylvania Railroad to
a Senate Labor Committee this
week, cannot operate to prevent
a strike in this Diesel case. can
not imagine any case where it
would do so. for know of no case
where the public is more strongly
opposed to the demands of labor
than they are to this request to
put an additional. unnecessary
man on Diesel locomotives.
Gustav Metzman, president of
the New York Central, appealed
for Federal legislation and said:
THE time is long past wheA any
group OF men can conscientiously
claim a right to paralyze the econ
omy of the Nation for their own
benefit"
Fred G. Gurley, president of the
Santa Fe Railway. charged that
railroad labor leaders are "pursu-
ing what appears to be a deliber-
ate and systematic policy of spurn.
ing voluntary arbitration and re-
fusing to accept recommends
tionS of presidential emergency
fact-f1nding boards"
What, of course, is burning ul
railroad executives generally il
that. with two men already on the
Diesel locomotives, they should be
asked to put on a third when the
big trucks that roam the highways
aren't expected to add that extra
expense. Yet the big trucks de-
compete for an important seq.
ment of the shippers business, al
rates which the railroads woulc
like to match but which they can.
not begin to do without decreas.
ing expenses and improving ef-
ficiency.
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