The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1951-03-01

| Morse OK, Ore.) thinks his collea-
CUES investigating negotiations be-
tween rail unions and management
could speed things up by letting
Rail Brotherhood lawyers cross
examine company witnesses and
letting company attorneys question
union spokesman.
"Of course, it's probably illegal,
out they'd know the questions to
ask and we could sit as neutral
judges" Morse told the opening
session of Senate Labor and Pub
lie Welfare committee looking into
the bogged-down bargaining on the
nations railroads.
Morse, who has shown great in
terest in the two-year-old dispute
between carriers and the Big Four
operating brotherhoods, also limited
broadly that perjury charges will
be brought against witnesses if
necessary. Apparently motivated
by current investigations into the
RFC, the Maryland Senatorial cam
paign, and crime syndicates-all of
which have turned up obvious liars
Morse said he intends to hold
witnesses to their spoken word.
When Roy o. Hughes, president
of the Order of Railway Conduc-
tors, skipped part of prepared
statement, in which he asked inn
pounding of companies profits
during bargaining, Morse told him
that only the portions he actually
read would go into the record.
"I've had enough experience with
inserting for the record to know
that if you're going to get it across
to me you'd better do it now,"
Morse declared 81 want only spok-
EN- testimony included. All the wit
nesses here are under oath and II
intend to see that the procedures
applicable to such testimony be
applied if it becomes necessary"
The Oregon Republican said he
wants to call rail company presi-
dents as well as the three rail nego-
tiators, DR.. John K. Steelman, Ma
tional Mediation Board members,
Army officers who are running the
roads, and all others concerned.
81 know there will be objections
about the length of time this will
consume, but | think this commit |
tee has an opportunity to be of SER
vice to the country, to establish al
pattern for labor-management dis !
putes during the time of the de-
fense effort. Labor management
relations are in a state of confus-
ion, if not collapse, and | think
we should do what we can to bringi
order out of what has almost be-
come chaos" Morse said.
Sen. James Il. Murray 3D.
Mont. }, chairman of the committee,
earlier had expressed much the
same thoughts. He said rail nego-
tiations did not appear any nearer
settlement now than when they
started in March 1949, and that
the dispute was "a threat to our
economy and defense effort"
at is difficult to believe men Of
good faith cannot settle almost any
dispute in a period of two years,
stated. Surely, if they
can't do it in two years they won't
do it in four or ten"
He declared that apparently the
elaborate procedures" of the Rail
way Labor Act had gone awry, and
that his committee was holding an
to "afford an impair
tial forum in which conflicting
views can be tested and publicized,
and to find Legislative remedies to
prevent a recurrence of this typel
Of dispute so dangerous to the pub
lie welfare"
Hughes, ORC chief, didn't agree
with the Senator that the Railway
Labor Act needed revising. Answ-
ering questions from both Sen.
Lehman Cd, NY) and Sen. Hump
nery Cd, Minn.), Hughes said he
felt the act was adequate. 81 be-
ieve it would work." he said, "ifI
both parties entered into bargain
ng with good faith"
Hughes denied the roads had any |
of such bargaining and
,alled for the government to inn
pound profits to force collectivel