Show TIlE THE DAILY NEW YORK j Financial l Whirligig t for rb The Telegram By JAMES JAl MCMULLIN NEW YORK The railroads have sold the I government a bill ot of goods They have successfully successfully success success- fully registered the idea that you cant can't crowbar higher wages from the industry without prying it over the cliff of financial disruption Railroad Coordinator Eastman helped with the sales talk more than appeared on the surface and hes he's supposed to know his stuff That's why the president has asked the rail unions to ride along on the status quo for lor another six months New Yorkers interested in railroads are arc grateful for the stay but claim theres there's a joker in the what deck happens when the six months are arc up Assuming that labor plays along they doubt that the roads can achieve any miracle of recovery in that short span sufficient to swing the additional pay load demanded by the unions And if they dont don't the administration is in a strategic position to step in and force reorganization o of capital structures for the workers worker's benefit If and When Loc Local l insiders contend this is a phase of a abroad broad new deal plan to give private enterprise fun full leeway a while longer to work out its destinies destinies des des- and take over its share of the employ employ- purchasing ment-purchasing pOwer burd burden n voluntarily If having had its opportunity it cant can't or wont won it will be the governments government's cue to say You had your chance on your own terms and muffed it Since you cant can't run your business to meet your social and economic responsibilities ties well we'll run it for you This angle gets a lot of attention in the private vate conversation of informed New Yorkers Its It's believed in high quarters that current concessions concessions con con- cessions to capital on labor policy security regulation N R A etc are in the nature of ofa a final tryout of private initiative as a constructive constructive tive social with force a definite turn to the left in sight if it doesn't measure up to administration administration admin admin- standards I. I Fear Threat Not Hollow The main question in conservative minds is whether labor may not unwittingly boost the conservative cause The knowing in New York are fearful that the railway under brotherhoods the fiery leadership leadership lead lead- of A. A F. F may Whitney mean business this time The brotherhoods sincerely feel they are arc the real forgotten men They want their wages restored and the strike threat is by no means hollow But if they flout the presidents president's request for a six month truce on wage controversies they'll be playing into managements management's hands In that case they would forfeit all claim to official official cial sympathy and practically compel the government government gov- gov to sIde against them Keen observers point out that naturally the administration cant can't tip its hand in advance so the unions do well to plan for the future rather than for lor the pres- pres ent Strange as it seems quite a few conservatives conservatives conserva- conserva tives are hoping that Mr Whitney and his associates associates as- as will continue in their present aggressive sive strain They see in this the best hope of upsetting the long range idea of allowing the individualists to convict themselves of incompetence in- in competence Tiger Wants the Gravy AU All this waving flag about Tammany reforms reforms re- re forms to win back the Democrats who bolted at the last city election hands political insiders a laugh Boss Curry evicted because of the laxity and corruption exposed by the Seabury Seabury Sea Sea- bury investigation He was thrown out for the simple reason that he lost an election The Tiger hasn't changed its stripes all it wants is to be led b back ck to the gravy Of course there will be gestures designed ned to recapture the allegiance of independent Dem- Dem At least one or two of the members of the new steering ng committee will be of a type to be paraded jd in public Fancy Farley will help with federal patronage The recovery party boys will mostly string along But there are signs th that t a strong faction of the lo local al wIth racy the pro Fusion Knickerbocker Democrats as a nucleus adamant to Tammany overtures Political experts say the Republicans have a swell chance of of retaining a large section of their fusion support if they stick to local rather than national issues in this falls faUs campaign C S S Boss Flynn Fynn of the Bronx McKees chief stands backer to gain most from the Curry ouster Hes He's on cordial terms with Edward Currys Curry's nemesis and Ahearn will have a lot to say in Tammany affairs although he will not be bc titular leader S S S of Joseph McKees McKee's political fortunes is hinted in some quarters but the well informed rate it unlikely The inside story of McKee is that he turned down the fusion with nomination certain ain victory in sight sight- rather than double cross his friends But now he has served Flynns Flynn's purposes and X marks the spot where his political career went overboard over over- board Copyright 1934 McClure Newspaper Syndicate i r |