PAGE EIGHT
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN, LAWRENCE, KANSAS
MAY 24.1946
Rail Strike Hits U.S. Commerce 'Worst Blow In History
Rail Strike Coal Mining Stops, Food Shortage Grows
(By United Press)
The nation was struck today by the full impact of the railroad walkout which disrupted the lives of millions, threatened their food supply, and dealt commerce and industry the severest blow they ever suffered.
As the most crippling strike in the nation's history spread over the 227,000-mile network of rails, these were the major developments:
ONE. Millions were stranded but some roads managed to run a few trains manned by supervisory employees and railroad officials.
TWO. Steel mills banked furnaces almost immediately and the flow of metal was reduced drastically.
THREE. Coal mines began closing again and industry spokesmen said 99 per cent of bituminous production would be halted by nightfall.
FOUR. Government authorities planned to impose a severe brownout on 21 eastern and midwestern states next week if the strike continues.
FIVE. Large cities such as Chicago, New York, and Pittsburgh suffered shortages of fresh foods and meat almost immediately with the prospect of almost none at all within a day or two.
Railroad stations, the scene of mulling throats late Thursday, were deserted today. At Chicago, trains stood in long rows in the silent sheds and yards of the nation's greatest rail center.
The only roads operating were the Illinois Central, which has been under government operation since last summer, and the Bangor & Aroostock, over which trains still chugged their way through 603 miles of Maine potato fields.
At Philadelphia, however, the Pennsylvania announced it would maintain limited service between New York, Washington, Chicago and St. Louis. The Trailblazer to Chicago and the Jeffersonian to St. Louis were scheduled to leave New York late today.
Assistant Postmaster General Gael Gullivan predicted the strike would result in "civil insurrection difficult to quell" if it is not ended within 72 hours.
The effects were felt swiftly Within a few short hours steel mills and other industries began closing down in the east and thousands were thrown out of work. Industry's life-lines had been cut, and more industrial shutdowns were anticipated today.
The shipment of food was reduced to a trickle. Already housewives had begun stocking up, and large cities such as Pittsburgh and Chicago were threatened with almost immediate scarcities of perishable fruits and vegetables.
Hundreds of thousands of travelers and commuters were stranded. In large metropolitan areas, computers dependent on the suburban service of strike-bound roads had a hard time getting to work. Thousands staved home.
Travelers on streamliners and crack trains found themselves immobilized in such isolated whistle stops as the desert town of Carlin, Nev., population 750, where the two sections of the Southern Pacific's Challenger came to a stop.
A spokesman for the association of American railroads said the walk-out had resulted in "almost a 100 per cent shutdown." A few trains were being run by foremen and supervisory employees and in some cases by members of non-striking unions. But these were only a few of the 17,500 passenger trains and 24,000 freight trains run normally each day.
Studebaker Closes
South Bend, Ind. (UP) — The Studebaker corporation announced today that it would close its plant, idling 9,000 workers, if the railroad strike did not end.
Post Office Limits Mail to First Class
Washington. (UP)—The post office department today issued a drastic strike-emergency ban against all mail except first class letters and postal cards.
Even the first class mail must be limited to one pound.
With few exceptions, the embargo bans second, third and fourth class mail. These classes comprise principally publications and parcel post.
The nationwide embargo, first of its kind in the long history of the U.S. mails, will remain in effect until the railroad strike is settled or until a better system can be worked out.
Few Trains Move From Kansas City
Kansas City. (UP)—Several crack passenger trains, manned by supervisory employees, tolled into Kansas City today and continued enroute to distant points with only brief delays.
The Rock Island Rocket left for Minneapolis only two minutes behind its regularly scheduled departure time at 9 a.m.
The Santa Fe's Ranger arrived from Chicago at 7:01 a.m. and yardmen said its departure would be about an hour and a half behind schedule.
That road's eastbound Grand Canyon Limited, enroute to Chicago, arrived at 6:40 on a schedule calling for departure at 8 a.m. It had not left at 9:15, but was expected to get underway within a few minutes.
The Santa Fe Chief, running eastward from the coast, arrived at 5:25 a.m. and departed approximately on schedule at 6:07.
One local train, the Kansas City Southern running to Neosho, Mo.. was ready to depart.
The Rock Island Rocket, southbound, was expected to leave approximately on time.
Kansas City terminal executives said no crack trains had been halted here or in the immediate territory.
Meanwhile, executives of four railroads announced completion of lie-in arrangements with bus lines to accommodate passengers caught in route by the strike.
Greyhound bus lines were to haul Union Pacific passengers while the Santa Fe Trailways took on passengers of the Burlington, Santa Fe, and Missouri Pacific Inves. In each instance, service personnel were to be given preference on crowded buses.
Psychology Club Plans Picnic Monday, Frizeeil Announces
The Psychology club will hold a picnic Monday at Holcomb's grove, Beverly Frizzell, president, announced today.
The pressman was Ed Barnes, army veteran who has been with the Press about a year. Press officials originally promised the second run on Little Man for "not before Monday," but Barnes worked overtime and finished it early this morning.
A University Press pressman who worked half of Thursday night made possible the appearance of the "Little Man on Campus" souvenir cartoon booklet in its second printing on the campus today.
The group will leave from the psychology department office at 4:30 p.m. Cars will be provided for transportation. Those who plan to attend may call at the department office.
LMOC Fools Us, And Arrives Early
Sales of the booklet now have neared 1,000 copies. It is available at the Daily Kansan business office in the Journalism building, and at tables in the lobbies of Frank Strong hall and the Memorial Union.
Leaders Drive To Settle Dispute
Washington. (UP)—The government, its rali system crippled, drove with desperate urgency today for settlement of the coast-to-coast train strike before it brings hunger to cities and wrecks the nation's industrial life.
Presidential Adviser John R. Steelman met anew with rail union and management officials. He held out "hope" that the day-old strike could be ended by nightfall. Few shared his faint optimism.
The two striking unions-engineers and trainmen 250,000 strong—and the railroads still were-wide apart on their demands.
President Truman summoned his cabinet to a morning meeting to analyze the strike.
It struck its first staggering blow at 4 p.m. Thursday and, hour by hour, spread like a withering plague across the land until virtually every train came to a standstill.
Only a few passenger trains kept moving. They were manned by irregular crews of supervisors and other non-union engineers and trainmen.
Within six hours, the strike was reported nearly 100 per cent effective.
Settlement efforts snagged on union demands for rules changes, which were described as the "most important issue." The railroads and 18 other brotherhoods accepted, but the trainmen and engineers rejected Mr. Truman's compromise proposal for a $1.48 a day pay raise but no rule changes.
Hours after the strike began there was no evidence of violence. But army troops stood ready to carry out all necessary orders to safeguard life and property. The Federal Bureau of Investigation watched for any violations of the Smith-Connally anti-strike law or any law prohibiting trespassing on federal property.
The engineers and trainmen are willing to settle for an 18 per cent raise, with a minimum boost of $1.44 a day. But they are holding out for some rules changes which would mean more money to the workers.
There was little prospect that army troops would be called upon, except possibly on a limited basis, to run the trains. Only two army railroad battalions are in the United States.
The Smith-Connally law actually does not prevent a worker from striking, but provides penalties for anyone encouraging or inciting a work stoppage in an industry that has been taken over by the government.
AT THE HOSPITAL
Admitted Thusrday
Dorothy Norris, 1845 Illinois.
Richard Bryant, 1905 Indiana.
Richard Bryant, 1905 Indiana.
henry Paustian, 1 North Mississippi.
Manuel Maldonado, 909 Illinois.
Virginia Cooper, Corbin Hall.
Raymond Perkins, 1321 Tennessee.
Ray Robison, Foster Hall.
Ben McKinley, 1345 West Campus.
Loretta Phillips, 1627 New Hampshire.
Dismissed Thursday
Patricia Dye, 1941 Massachusetts.
Bonnie Brown, Corbin.
Note: Raymond Perkins had emergency appendectomy. Condition good.
Russian Prosecutor Killed While Cleaning Gun
Robert Day, PT 9.
Nuernberg. (UP) - American officials announced today that Gen N. D. Zorya, assistant Rusian chief prosecutor at the war crimes trial, was shot to death accidentally yesterday afternoon.
Zorya, the announcement said was shot while cleaning his gun.
These Two Helped Decide Rail Fate
Sidelights of the Strike
Des Moines, (UP)—The regular engineer of the Rock Island's Kansas City Rocket was a passenger aboard the fast passenger train when it left here. When the train pulled in to the station after the strike deadline, the engineer took off his work clothes, put on a business suit and purchased a ticket for his home in Missouri. A railroad supervisor took over the controls for the run to Kansas City.
Albany, N.Y. (UP)—Even homing pigeons were stalled by the railroad strike. A shipment of approximately 300 en route to Lyons, N.Y., were stranded here by the walkout.
y.
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New York, (UP)—The National Association of Chiropodists' advise to those stranded by the rail strike:
Alvanley Johnston, left, president of the railroad engineers brotherhood, and A. F. Whitney, president of the trainmen's brotherhood, arrive at the White House to confer with President Truman about their final decision on the train strike which started Thursday. (NEA Telephoto.)
"As soon as you get home, dunk your feet first in a basin filled with water hot as they can take it, then cold as they can take it. Repeat five or six times until feet tingle and feel refreshed."
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Indianapolis, (UP)—Pullman passengers aboard a New York bound train were living in the cars today. "Go ahead and live on the train," railroad officials told them when it stopped for the strike.
Boston (UP)—Travellers stranded in Boston by the railroad strike still could get to New York today—by taxicab. The cab drivers would haul five passengers the 250 miles for $125, or $25 each.
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Los Angeles (UP)—A woman approached the information desk at the Pacific Electric depot for "Accurate Information."
"Last Saturday I bought a lot of groceries to tide me over. The strike was called off, and the food spoiled." she told the information clerk. "Now I want to know how much to buy today."
. . .
Washington (UP)—Coal production was checked prematurely by the railroad strike today while John L
Lewis considered government contract proposals.
Government and industry officials expected 90 per cent of the bituminous industry to be idle by nightfall because of the railroad's failure to deliver coal cars. Even before the rail walkout, more than half the United Mine Workers (AFL) had refused to report for their jobs in the government-operated mines.
It was explained that empty coars cars were delivered at night and that many mines would have no cars today. Few mines have storage facilities.
Advocates of strike restrictive foresaw speedy victories as a aftermath to a 14-hour session which lasted until 1:15 a.m. today and so them batter one major triumph through opponents who had stall action for two weeks. The senate an hour early at 11 a.m. too to resume its drive for a labor b
It was adopted by a vote of 48-30. It would ban employer contributions to such a find unless it was administered jointly by union management, and the disbursement limited to medical and hospital care insurance or pension programs, sickness and injury benefits.
Washington. (UP) — An ang senate, aroused to fever pitch coal and rail strikes, rolled today to ward enactment of stringent union curbing legislation.
Aroused Senate Acts To Curb Labor
The first victory came early morning on a proposal by Harry F. Byrd, (D.-Va.), to or the welfare fund demands of John Lewis in the soft coal dispute
Lewis has demanded a 7 per levy on total mine payroll to be ministered exclusively by his Uniite Mine Workers union and without specific restrictions on its use.