Another Helping?

U.S. railways, seized by the Government nine weeks ago to avert a strike, were returned last week to private ownership. The three holdout brotherhoods (engineers, firemen, switchmen) agreed, at long last, to the same 15 1/2-c--an-hour wage boost which had been accepted some time ago by all the other railroad workers.

Their reasons were simple. A federal court had enjoined them from using labor's ultimate weapon, the strike (TIME, July 12). More important, their colleagues, the conductors and trainmen, were already demanding another 25% wage boost. The engineers, firemen and switch men wanted to get the 15 1/2-c- raise tucked away so they could quickly get in line for another helping.

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