Show I LAW TO BE ENFORCED Railways Will Close Small Sta Stations Stations Stations on Principal Systems LACK OF NECESSARY CASH NO GENERAL REDUCTION IN WAGES OF OPERATORS Washington March 1 American railways have made arrangements to comply with the tIme provisions 01 of the law The operation of the tue law will mean the employment by rail railroad railroad railroad road companies of several thousand ad additional additional additional operators and the closing of oC ofa oCa ofa a large number of small stations on the principal systems WIllie While discon discontinuing discontinuing discontinuing of oC railway service sen Ice at many c points it is thought will induce a aleast at least temporary inconvenience to the thc traveling and shipping public in order to reduce operating expenses which now seems necessary the tho operating of officials offic fic al of the railways believe boll eve that this is the only way that Hrat they possibly can an meet the situation with which they are arc ar confronted Inability to Pay flay During the hearing of applications for an extension of the Jaw Ian by the interstate commerce commis commission commission sion lon some astonishing statements wen ver made by the operating officials of oC important railways A good many lines Jines owing owin to a reduction in the revenues and to their inability to command the cash necessary to meet their payrolls have been forced during the past four months almost to the point of asking for receivers In the time opinion of railway officials expressed at the hearing under oath and in private conversation this condition does not seem to have been due to the enforcement of t r laws or to the incapacity of railway management Most of oC the time railway of officials attribute the difficulty to th the unfortunate banking situation which developed last September The railways did not feel feal the stringency in money until about the first of November In fact the month of If October was one of the time best in the history of the th busi bust business business bustness ness of American railroading Came Like an Avalanche Then without the slightest warnIng warning warn warning ing H U Mudge and general manager of the Rock flock Island system expressed it we were plunged from prosperity to adversity A year ago our system could not handle the traffic offered us Today Tod y we have 11 idle cars Five months ago we suf sur suffered from a x congestion cong Uon of freight now we we suffer s from Cronn a of empty cars What is true of the Rock flock Island is true also of scores of other railroads One railway official ventured the state statement statement ment that in the country countI today thre were idle freight cars and one line which he instanced was declared to be hauling I empty cars ears backward and forward because It had not yard jard room or sidings to accommodate them Depression Cannot Last Not a single official of oC a single Bingle rail railway railway railway way line who appeared before the corn com commission mission expressed the belief belic that the present industrial depression would be lasting In the testimony or of orne nearly ne every witness before beCore the corn com commission mission there was a note of oC onti confidence dence deuce because nearly every one of oC thorn them practically believed that the tile stringency in the money market from front which tle tl country has suffered is not net due to fundamental causes They point out that the crops last year were good that prices were excellent that indus industrial Industrial industrial trial enterprises throughout the Iun un try were flourishing It was i r rely the Inability to command ready cash and the hoarding of money by panic panl stricken individuals which produced eo s suddenly the remarkable depression from witch all have suffered They practically uniformly express confidence thence dence that the return of prosperity will wilt willbe willbe be almost as sudden as was the com corn coming comIng corning ing of adversity and In their arguments arguments ments meats as to the enforcement ment of the tha law Jaw they the pointed out to the tha commission that such s ch a return of pros prosperity prosperity prosperity might seriously embarrass them therm In complying with the law because it would render it difficult to command the services of competent operators in insufficient Insufficient insufficient sufficient numbers to meet the needs of prosperous conditions Few Reductions Proposed With four or five exceptions no Im Important Important important railroads in the country havE indicated an intention to reduce the wages of their As Chair Chairman Chairman Chairman man Knapp of the interstate commerce commission expressed it So far as ItS I am Informed there Is no concerted action on the part of or the American Amerian railway companies to reduce wages Instances of ot an intention to to Continued ed on Page 2 LAW TO BE Continued from Page 1 1 change hange the scale of or wages have been given but they can be said to be hem In no sense general cenera Such railroad companies or their em eni m plo es as may take advantage of ot the Erdman act to secure the mediation of the he chairman of the interstate com corn commerce commerce merce meree commission and the commis commissioner of labor will ill be accorded every ever opportunity fairly to present their case caseto caseto caseto to the government gon officials It will be bethe bethe the effort of Chairman Knapp and Professor Neill Neil amicably to adjust the differences between the companies and their employee Their efforts will be purely pureY conciliatory as a board of ot ar arbitration arbitration Any An decision which they the them may m ma reach in a R given Ien case will not be binding upon either party Darty to the con controversy controversy They expect however hower to be bc beable beable able to adjust such differences as may maybe maybe maybe be presented to them on the facts now In heir possession without serious dif ilif I |