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Show THE SEARCHLIGHT Maw’s Political Manager Several months ago Governor Herbert B. Maw organized a political committee to spear- to the Commission. head his drive for re-election. ized chairman of the State Eldred M. Royle, Industrial Commission, and of the Utah Labor Relations Board, was des- ignated by the Governor | to act as chairman of the committee. Besides Mr. Royle, the committee included Layton R. Maxfield of the State Road Commission; Tracy Department R. Welling, chairman of Agriculture; of the Ross M. State A heavy labor of the Gibson, once-powerful Three G's, was left out in the cold. “A. number of labor leaders expressed serious concern over the Governor’s action in asking Royle to serve on the political committee, and as its chairman. ‘They feared that the involvement of any member of the State Industrial Commis sion in active partisan politics would prisals, and invite re- might impair or destroy the useful- ness of the Commission to Utah workers. They expressed regret and uneasiness that the long tradition of the Commission of non-partici- pation in partisan politics had been broken. They obtained a conference with the Governor at which they asked him to release Mr. Royle from political activity. such The Governor acceded to the request, and is reported to have excused Mr. Royle from further participation in the activities of the political committee. mittee and But, Mr. Royle still heads the commakes its public announcements. Either the Governor did not excuse promised labor leaders he would, or, cused him, recalled him again. him as he having ex- It wouldn’t be the first time His Excellency has given labor the run-areund wild goose Mr. Royle or sent its representatives off on a chase. A third alternative is that may be unwilling against the members re-election of organof Herbert appeal to the jury, purposely the other side of the case. neglects to present Leonard, unaccountable reason Lambert the lone official survivor is of the B. Maw. Those members will have to realize that when Mr. Royle makes political statements in behalf of His Excellency, he is merely fulfilling his political duty. They will also have to remember that a political endorsement, like a lawyer’s director of the Fish & Game department; and Heber Bennion of the State Tax Commission. For some proportion to quit. Either way, the Industrial Commission is put in an untenable position. The danger to its effectiveness and its standing remains. The high regard in which Mr. Royle is held as an Industrial Commissioner and Board member, is being undermined. The longer he continues his ill-advised political activities, the greater will be the danger War Alitbis Mr. Jed F. Woolley’s alibis about “war re- strictions” preventing the Traction Company from buying new buses is about worn threadbare. If ordered, buses can be obtained within ninety days—and in any necessary number. His alibi about inability to obtain equipment provides the Company with an excuse to keep congestion up to highest week-day levels on Sunday afternoon runs. That excuse, too, is distinctly false and unjustified. vide adequate The Company can pro- Sunday service if it chooses to do so with the equipment available right now. The policy of Traction, as evidenced by its Sunday restrictions of service, is to crowd its buses during busy hours up to the maximum pos- sible load. So long as it can jam in all but a few passengers as standees it will not increase service. The few it cannot accommodate can walk into town. Missing a few passengers costs the Company less than putting on adequate service. Mr. Woolley deliberately restricts service on certain lines on Sundays to a point where congestion is as great or is even worse than on week days. He cannot deny that he has reserve busses on Sundays that could be used to step up his schedules, Nor can he deny that he has enough drivers on Sundays to man additional service. Traction policy has never been popular with Salt Lakers. In fact the only thing that has reconciled them to Traction operations has been the Company’s staff of exceptionally capable, courteous and considerate bus drivers. Had the drivers been men of indifferent calibre and lacking in a sense of fine public service, Salt Lakers would have staged a fight to expel the Traction Company years ago. |