Elizabeth daily monitor. [volume] (Elizabeth, N.J.) 1868-1880, 1873-09-26
FOR PRESIDENT IN 1876,
GENERAL ULYSSES S. GRANT,
Of the United States.
THE Pennsylvania RAILROAD.

THE PENNSYLVANIA RAILROAD.
The Pennsylvania railroad company
had under consideration for several
months past, the question of general
revision of its great force of workmen
employed in its shops and along the
line of its tracks. The extensive i'm
provements demanded by its rapidly
increasing business involve the en-
ployment of very large number of
hands, and to this necessary number is
added the gradual accumulation of a
certain proportion of supernumerary
hands, slight at any given point, but
aggregating on three great divisions OF
the road very large amount Of force
and of expenditure. How to revise
his widely scattered army of workmen,
to curtail its expenses, and to bring it
into that shape which shall be for the
best interests of the road, with the
least amount of privation among the
men, is one of those periodical studies
which engage the attention of the man
agement.
The conclusion that has been arrived
at, says the Philadelphia Bulletin, is
very wise and good one. The hands in
the repair department and the mainten-
ance OF way department, who now work
and are paid for nine hours, will be I'M
iformly reduced to eight hours. The
excellent condition of the rolling stock
and track of the road will safely permit
of this reduction, and the burden of re-
trenchment will thus be evenly distri
buted in its lightest form among the
mass, instead of imposing itself heavily
upon the few, as would have been the
case had full hours been maintained and
the number of workmen reduced. At
the same time, while the reduction of
wages will be small in each individual
case, the aggregate Of saving to the
company will be very great, and will be
effected without arresting the important
Improvements now in progress, Or in
any way jeoparding the safety OF trans
portation and travel.
OF course the policy thus inaugurated
will not be applied at all points at once.
There are three great divisions of the
road, the New Jersey, the Philadelphia
and Pittsburg, and the Philadelphia
and Erie divisions, and on each OF these
are numerous divisions, to each of
which the retrenchment policy will ap-
ply itself according to the particular
condition of its working force. The
efficiency of the whole force will be in
creased by the wedding out of super
numeraries, the interests of the men will
be protected by the general distribution
of small reduction of wages to each,
and the interests of the company will
be promoted by the large aggregate of
saving which will be effected.
While the proposed retrenchment has
iittA hObhluS WAubONSl W wv nltA bhC
recent financial excitement, but is the
result of careful and deliberate fore
thought, it goes into operation at time
when, unless the meaning of the move
ment were clearly explained, it would
be apt to be misunderstood as conse-
quence of events which actually occur
red weeks after it was determined upon.
The plan of retrenchment is as consid-
crate of the interests of the workmen as
it is of those proper principles of econ
omy which should govern all business
undertakings, and we have no doubt
that the great body of workmen who
are concerned will cheerfully acquiesce
in it.