Show I r. r I Cutting Out Waste I o r THE T HE railroad in advising President Harding that they ar are willing to revise any of their rules which make for unwarranted op operating rat ng expense e have taken a long step forward Th The railroad ci executives say that the failure of the rail nil 1 roads roads' roads roads' rl aid d alJ d by the high wages ages paid The rin reply that the the big waste is in operating expense items other than labor Then they offer to cut out any waste that can be found in the labor item t President Harding in his message to congress c said that railroad rates and costs of f operation must be reduced Labor secured notable advantages in the war Advantages that are more far important than rat rate of of pay For example the right of collective 1 bargaining was established r The e basic hour eight d 1 f I s l f i I THE day ayvas was established The right to better conditions conditions condi condi- condi 1 li ons of employment was established and more fundamental than than- all there was established the p principle that whether jobs be plentiful or scarce carce and whether there be an oversupply of labor abor or a dearth of it cost of living must be e c considered as a f fundamental in any fair air wage scale The old rule was that labor went down first firstin in n times of repression and went up last in times of prosperity The railroad men set a good example ex ex- ample and ample and display sound business sense when sense when they agree to arbitrate wages and accept re reasonable reasonable reason reason- son son- able changes which demand in ret return rn strict economy economy economy econ econ- omy on the part of the railroad executives and lower rates for the public The result of lower freight rates would be he to stimulate freight movement take the iron hand of repression off of business and actually earn the railroads larger profits If labor as a whole will follow the wise lead of the railroad meri men they will be backed by public pinion opinion If prices must musi come down and profiteering must be cut cutout cutout I out and waste and extravagance must be eliminated eliminated eliminated then money wages can come down and II yet leave the worker better off If they see sec this and beat the other side to it they can save in the new arrangement all the theother theother theother other and great advantages won during the war i period Labor now has an opportunity for wise I statesmanship and from appearances seems seem abo about t to display it it I |