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Show NEWS REVIEW OF CURRENTEVENTS Wages of Rail Employees Are Reduced Re-duced by Board and Big Strike May Result. HOOVER SETS COAL PRICES Germany Yields to Allied Ultimatum and International Bankers Plan Reparation Rep-aration Payments and Loans War Fraud Investigation Begins British Warn Ireland. By EDWARD W. PICKARD. ANOTHER great strike is threatened, threat-ened, this time of the railroad workers whose wages have been or fire to be reduced by the United States railway labor board. Already the board lias made public one decision deci-sion cutting nearly $50,000,000 from the annual wages of the maintenance of way men, and before this reaches the reader it Is almost certain another decision will have been published slashing between $50,000,000 and $75.-000.000 $75.-000.000 from the yearly pay of the shopmen. Either ruling is sufficient to bring on a walkout if the men remain re-main in their present state of mind, and still others may follow soon. The first decision announced orders a reduction of 13.2 per cent in the prevaHing pay of maintenance of way men, effective July 1. It affects about 400.000 workers, and their new wages will range from 23 to 35 cents an hour. It was signed by the three public members and the three railway members' mem-bers' of the board.' The three labor members signed u dissenting opinion, holding that the new pay does not constitute the "Just and reasonable" wages guaranteed under the transportation transpor-tation act, and that in fact it does not iiipresent a living Wage. The majority major-ity report, however, points out that common labor on railways, even after the reduction, will be better paid than similar labor In most other Industries. Edward H. Fitzgerald, president of the railway clerks' organization, took the lead in planning for the prospective prospec-tive strike. Inviting sixteen chiefs of rail unions to meet this week In Cincinnati, Cin-cinnati, lie was forestalling fin expected ex-pected decision by the federal board cutting the pay of the clerks, telegraphers telegra-phers and other smaller classes. There is a possibility that this conference will result in a defensive alliance between be-tween the railway workers and the miners. Such a compact really was formed several months ago. but failed to provide for aggressive action unless un-less each step was approved by referendum? refer-endum? of the various organizations Involved. This lack may be supplied at the Cincinnati meeting. The six federated shop crafts are concerned not lady in wage reduction. They accuse twenty-two roads of violating vio-lating the transportation act by letting let-ting out shop work to contractors not within the board's jurisdiction, and their president, B. M. .Icwell. has demanded de-manded that the board assume Jurisdiction Juris-diction in these cases and compel the : railroads to restore conditions In ef- feet previous m the alleged violations, i He said 1 1 in t unless this were done Strike ballots would he sent oat. regardless re-gardless of the wage issue. The board j already has shown that it sympathizes with the iittitude of the slionen in this matter, i Wages of train service men are not j Involved in the present and tmmedi-i tmmedi-i aiely prospei;e rulings of tl labor boi.rd. UNOFFICIALLY Hut authoritatively It Is announced that the go--rn-i luer.t Is laUins: tin action to end the i strike of coal miners and that it docs ; not look for any decisive turn In af-: af-: fairs before the middle of .Tunc or the ; first of .Inly, when the shorts.- in coul may begin to he felt. Secret try I of Commerce Hoover, however, docs not propose that the consumer shall suffer unjustly if he ran prevent it. t He hehl a conference last week with I the rc,H'i switaiivps of more than 5f) producers of bituminous coal whose mines are in operation in the nn- ro'.i' ' and tc!3 them thai he would assume personal responsibility for fixing minimi prices at the mine, in order to prevt profiteering. He asked, however, at the operators agree among themselves on fair prices in order that the anti-trust laws might not be infringed. Mr. Hoover then announced what he considered fair prices In three districts. These ranged from $2.20 to $2.60 a ton for the Alabama Ala-bama district; $3.50 a ton for the smokeless coal districts of West Virginia, Vir-ginia, and $3.50 a ton for the Harlan and Hazard fields of Kentucky and the southern Appalachian fields of Tennessee and Kentucky. The maximum maxi-mum for the Alabama district is 25 censt a ton below the final Garfield war-time scale, while the maximums proposed for the other districts are somewhat above the Garfield prices. The prices are to apply only to spot coal. GERMANY'S reply to the ultimatum ultima-tum of the allied reparation commission com-mission was near enough to complete acceptance to satisfy that body, which, after a day's intensive study of the A'le, telegraphed to Berlin its approv-7o approv-7o of the German promises to balance bal-ance tiie budget and to stop the Issue of paper money. The commission then turned over to the committee of international inter-national bankers in session in Paris the entire Question of German finances and payment of reparations. Those hankers, among whom is J. Pierpont Morgan of the United States, are now studying the questions of Germany's capacity to pay, the guarantees she can give for the series of huge loans that will be necessary, and, in connection connec-tion with the latter, the possibilities involved in the Russo-German pact. The German proposals were drawn up by Finance Minister Hermes nnd are not at all liked by some other members of the Wirth cabinet and many members of the relchstag. The Stinnes group especially attacked them as a surrender of sovereignty that will bring on catastrophe. The reicbstag refused to pass a vote of lack of confidence in the government, but the cabinet Is believed to be in a shaky condition. Lloyd George made a statement on reparations In the house of commons in which he strongly Intimated that Germany would be granted reductions, postponements and revisions when these appeared necessary, and this wns greeted with cheers. France, naturally, Is not pleased with developments, develop-ments, but is not in position to object strenuously. SENATOR M'CUMRER'S bill for a soldier bonus was approved by the senate finance committee by a vote of it to. 4, nnd he announced be would be ready to make a favorable report on the measure to the senate within a few days. He hopes to Induce the senate to sidetrack the tariff debate long enough to pass the bonus bill, but as the latter does not go Into effect until January I next, many of the Republican Re-publican leaders are opposed to this Idea. The Democrats will support Mi-Cumber's plan for Imt.rf'dlate consideration con-sideration of the bonus. The bill as approved by the finance committee Is almost Identical with the bill passed by the house. The Liemocrats are not satisfied with it. .and Senator Smoot will try to have his Insurance measure adopted as a substitute, so the d.-bate in the senate Is likely to bo a long one. INVESTIGATION o war frauds now is under way in Washington, the lirst of the government's series of cases, dealing with contracts for disposal dis-posal of surplus lumber, having been presented to the special federal grand Jury by United States Attorney Peyton Pey-ton Gordon. Attorney General l'augh-erty l'augh-erty issued n statement saying that at no time daring the grand Jury investigation investi-gation would an; Information be giv, n nut as to Its in' Iviiie" or t.-ie n.iiic s of the cases presented. MeanwV.l? Senator Caraway and others ci "tlnt.'e their attack on the attorney general untlaggingly. with the a owed intention of driving him out of the cabinet because of bi.x con-r,ection con-r,ection with the release of Charles W. Morse from the federal penitentiary. It is stated in Washington nat President Presi-dent Harding has full confidence in Mr. iNiijghrrfy's honesty and integrity, integ-rity, which of course n.nns that he wilt not a-k him to retire froru the cabinet. THE delectable Senator Tom Watson Wat-son of Georgia indulged in another outburst in the senate because Senator Sena-tor Lenroot intimated the Georgian had made an untrue statement concerning con-cerning the Hoover relief fund accounts. ac-counts. Watson yelled that he was not afraid of "the insolent Junior senator sen-ator from Wisconsin" on the floor of the senate or anywhere else, and that he defied him. Some day one of the husky senators will take Tom Watson at his word and "knock his block off." OVER in England ' short shrift is usually given criminals. Horatio Bottomley, member of parliament, editor edi-tor of John Bull nnd professional hater of America, has been found guilty of fraudulent conversion of $000,000 in connection with the victory vic-tory bond clubs he organized among poor people, and was promptly sentenced sen-tenced to seven years' imprisonment. He announced he would appeal but was denied bail and locked up in Brixton prison. Bottomley will lose bis seat in- parliament if the conviction convic-tion stands. IRELAND has about two weeks In which to establish a government in accordance with the treaty creating the Free State and to restore order to a measurable degree. If she falls the British troops now in Ulster and others oth-ers to be sent over will be used to suppress the republicans and the Sinn Feiners nnd put an end to the border warfare. Such is the warning given In the house of commons by Winston Churchill, who added that the British cabinet still has faith In Michael Collins Col-lins nnd Arthur Griffith. The Irish elections are to be held on June 18 and Churchill said that If De Valera and others who have rejected the treaty are elected to the Irish parliament parlia-ment they must publicly announce that they are bound by the treaty, otherwise the pact will become worthless worth-less and will be automatically violated. vio-lated. Collins and Griffith heard Churchill's statement and afterward said they believed they could work out the affair If they had time. Sir Lnmlngton Evans, minister for war, has complete' plans ready for military operations for the reduction of Ireland, Ire-land, one of the preliminaries being the full occupation of Dublin, Along the Ulster border the fighting fight-ing goes on merrily and every day a number of persons are murdered. In many localities the Free Staters and republicans are making common causa against the Trotestants of Ulster. Bloody conflicts between the military and constables and gunmen take place dally In Belfast. OBSERVANCE of Memorial day was made especially notable by the dedication of the beautiful Lincoln Lin-coln Memorial In Washington, now virtually completed. It was turned over to the nation by Justice Taft as head of the memorial commission and was accepted by President Harding In an eloquent address. In the 1 great throng that witnessed the ceremonies was Robert Todd Lincoln, son of the Great Emancipator. ONK of the pledges of the Harding administration and a prediction made eurly In the year by treasury officials was fulfilled last week. All issues of Liberty bonds sold at par or better, for the first time. The trading In them on Wall street was very heavy. At the low quotations of last year most of these bonds were yielding yield-ing from 5 to almost G per cent. On the present basis of values the 3s net exactly 3 per rent and the 4s and 4 Us from 4 to 4U per cent. I TWKLVK balloons started from Mil- j uaukce Wednesday in the national nation-al race, and at this writing six have landed. In Illinois, Indlami, Ohio and Missouri. The others probably were traveling northeast. One of the great hags, belonging to the navy and therefore there-fore a non-cotitestant, Is filled with helium and carries a new secret radio device from which much Is expected. The three balloons that travel the greatest distances will be America's 1 entries In the International race In I-r.un e later In the year. J I) LANS for the unification of China : are moving forward. Uuon the j cting of the old Republican parlla- in. -Hi. hacked by General Wu, the ive-iilei.t, Ilsu Chili Chang, resigned and vas succeeded by Former President Presi-dent 1.1 V 1 1 : 1 1 1 Hung. Overtures havt been mad! to Sun Yut Sen. |