| Show making strikes unlawful solution ol of problem for public utilities in regulation of wages As well As rates by OSCAR S STRAUS MAUS chairman airman new york wilt public service CommUs lon all cm employees places of public service corporations aro arc 0 4 servants of ilia public just as soldiers Bol diers and sailors and postal clerks and school schoolteachers teachers are arc servants of tho the public they must bo be protected in tile matter of wages and working conditions by public regulation but as their employment is not a private employment and as a strike by them is of necessity a strike against tile tho public ilia public must safeguard itself by legislation curtailing the right of concerted action in the case of employees of public service corporations in curtailing tile right of strike or concerted action in tile interest of tile public ilia same public should not object to accord exceptional exception a provisions and wages to public service employees and to pay when sary increased rates for services rendered tile industrial problem in public service utilities subjects the welfare and necessities of the whole people within tho ilia areas affected to tho ilia mercy or perhaps it is better to say to tile the arbitrary power of two comparatively Y small groups ilia operators and the employees these f groups although small are year by year becoming more compact and more powerful so powerful indeed that unregulated they constitute a direct menace to tho ilia state now in the ilia past thirty years I 1 wo we havo have made very considerable progress in placing ono one of these groups group s under public control tile the men mail who operate railways and public utilities are being put more and more under public restraint and government control it is timo time we did ilia samo same tiling thing to tile the other group abe employees public service corporations are monopolies and endowed with rights hs fas well as with the duty to serve ilia public they are dedicated to public interests owned by private capital but controlled and regulated by tho the public in order flaat these public service monopolies may bo be compelled to servo serve the public their employees must also bo be made to recognize their duty to ilia public and they should not be permitted to paralyze the operation of public utilities in return they should bo be accorded special wages and conditions of service I 1 lay stress upon the right of ilia employee of a public service corporation to exceptional wages and conditions in favoring tile tho regulation of wages as well as rat rates I 1 of course believe that the ilia human element clement ilia wages wages of the men and their conditions of employment should be paramount bates should always bo be subordinate to wages and not wages as now subordinate to rates |
