Show Interior West Vest Fights Railroads On Repeal of Short Long-Short Haul Law San Francisco Oct 3 3 Approximately Approximately Approximately Ap Ap- proximately railroad men who had jobs in 1929 have been deprived of employment by the diversion of traffic from the railroads railroads railroads rail rail- roads to carriers by land and and- a d water water water wa wa- wa- wa ter which are free from rate and other federal regulation applying to according to Harry See Chairman of the Western Conference Committee of the Standard Railroad Labor As a result of the long and short haul clause and other dis discriminations dJs dJs- eliminations criminations in public policies against against against a- a railroad employment Mr See said annual railroad payrolls have been reduced almost a billion billion billion bil bil- lion and a a. half dollars In one year during this period these dis- dis conditions threw 95 railroad men men- with wages amounting a- a amounting mounting to approximately 19 19 a year out of jobs Due to general business conditions conditions conditions con con- and to unfair discrimination tion there were in this country nearly fewer employees in 1933 than in 1929 Annual payrolls payrolls pay pay- rolls had declined These redu reductions in payrolls and employment were sharply felt in inthe inthe the Intermountain region where comparatively sparse population and long main line railroad mileage mileage mileage mil mil- depend substantially upon transcontinental traffic as aa a basis basis basis bas bas- is for railroad employment payrolls payrolls payrolls pay pay- rolls maintenance and taxes The contemplated modification of the Fourth Section or long-and- long short-haul short clause of the Interstate Commerce Act would materially increase transcontinental railroad traffic and and ri l would provide employment employment employment employ employ- ment for hundreds of unemployed railroad workers in each of the Intermountain states Efforts of various traffic associations associations associations as as- to block such modification modification cation canon of the Fourth Section would I if successful intensify the unemployment unemployment situation in every Western Western Western West West- ern state and cut off from the people of the state payroll in increases increases in- in creases equivalent to or greater than the payrolls of the largest industries in the state a- a aide from the railroads Arguments that modification of the Fourth Section would injure home industries are entirely unjustifiable unjustifiable unjustifiable un un- justifiable as any rates made by bythe bythe the railroads as a consequence of modification would only be in to competition competition com corn petition with those of the steamship steamship steamship steam steam- ship companies and for traffic which would continue to move bywater by bywater bywater water through the Panama Canal Canale at still lower rates were the Fourth Section continued as at present To say that tonnage recovered under modification by the railroads railroads railroads rail rail- roads from the steamship lines could be handless handled in existing freight trains without material increases increases in in- creases in payrolls and employment employment employ employ- ment is not In m accord with the facts Following a period of the lowest on record and therefore of the lightest freight train consists four of the principal principal principal prin prin- cipal transcontinental al railroad sy systems systems report the employment o of more men in the second quarter of ot 1934 than in the same period of 1933 with an increase of in wages paid during during during dur dur- ing the period Figures for the Santa Fe Union Pacific and Northern Northern Northern Nor Nor- thern Pacific systems are not in included included included in- in in these totals but they nevertheless illustrate in a most convincing way the benefits to railroad employment that are certain certain certain tain to follow modification of the thelong thelong thelong long and short haul regulations which are ate being insisted upon by bythe bythe bythe the members of ot the Standard Railroad Railroad Railroad Rail Rail- road Labor Organizations From the Western Conference Committee of ot the Sta Standard dard Railroad Railroad Railroad Rail Rail- road Labor Organizations |