The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1877-08-16

TWO classes, viz, the :. commissioner
men,, Who are regularly and permanent,
attached to the service, and the !" oriinarl
men," who are engaged by the day, weei
or month. This establishes reward TO
good behavior and earnest application
from the hrst, a. the hope of commits
sion, uniform and permanent tenure, in
spires every man who enters the tempoTa
~ service. This system OF reward iskep
up in various ways. Thus the fotemer
and der-f0remen, the station gang
men, the ewitchmen and under-switch
men, and so on, are divided into several
Classes, with difference of $40 q year in
the pay of each class. The same system
extends to conductors, train agents, clerks
and other employees. Economy is pro
NOTED by certain money allowance fol
station supplies to the agents, train-sup-
plies to the conductors, stationery. pen.
ellis, etc., to the clerks, out of which they
can provide what is necessary and make
a small saving for themselves if they arc
careful Some difference in pay is also
made between those who live in large
cities, where the cost of living is more
considerable, and those who live in the
smaller towns. Employees are also given
advantages in Communication. tickets for
their families and reduced rates for the
transportation of their supplies. Reason
able allowance is made for the repay.
ment of counterfeit money and for indem-
nifying those who handle large amounts
of money. 1t is also the custom to issue
monthly orders, in which special acts Of
probity and devotion to the Company's
service are publicly acknowledged reeu-
lar gratuities are granted every year to
those who have not been punished during
that time, and special gratuities frequent.
ly made for exceptional services or great
energy in case Of blockade, or IRE, or
other accident. ALI the employees are uni
formed the Company assumes two thirds
of the expense of the clothing, and 8 per
cent. of the wages is retained for the re-
mainder. Thus in 1865, 1896 men were
uniformed at an expense of $Q9, 034, of
which the employees paid $31 ,061 and the
company $67 1913. A certain leave of alb
sence is granted every year, and provis-
ion made for the allowance of nav and
part pay during illness, according to the
time of absence from work. Bathing
houses, the furnishing of coal at a. fixed
and low price, the furnishing of cold
drinks in summer and hot drinGssj1f win
ter to the labOring men, and a monthly in
demnity when the price of bread rises to
an extraordinary point, are also features of
the system.
ALI that has been described so far is
cone by the Company itself; the further
provisions in case of sickness and infirm-
ity are furnished by the joint efforts of
the Company and the employees. There
is " Pr0vident Fund" and a " Pension
Fund" For the Provident Fund, the
employees pay monthly per cent of their
salary, which may be increased on ex-
traordinary occasions, but must never
exceed 2 per cent. the Company always
pays into this fund an amount equal to the
aggregate assessment on all the employees.
Out OF the "Provident Fund" sick or
disabled employe receives half lis wages,
beginning from the time when the Com
pany ceases to pay him full wages, which
the Company pays during the first two
months of illness or disability. This half
pay, the medicines, physicians and nurs-
ing, the hospital expenses, expenses for
trips to watering places, funeral expenses
and contributions to families of deceased |
members, form the chief drafts upon the |
!" Provident Fund" Of course, the ad- !
of this fund is protected by |
strict regulations, under the immediate |
supervision of the officers and physicians |
OF the Company.
The Pension Fund.- is distinct from |
shfsrieg Ua'adfpfoyes aha d conulDutIon
from the Company equal to the aggregate |
of the assessments. The minimum age of
a retiring pensioner is fifty years, and the |
minimum period of service twenty years. |
The funds are dispensed on the Tontine
plan. A pensioners proportion of the
fund is determined by dividing the sum
of salaries earned by him during his
whole term of service by the snm of the
salaries received by the whole force during |
the same term, and multiplying the result
by the amount in the fund, which yields
the amount on which an annuity is
paid The. annuity must never exceed,
however, the sum Of 81 200 a year; and,
if the surplus shows a larger sum than
this, the surplus reverts to the fund. The
pension applies in the case of death after
ten years Of service; it is then so divided
that the widow receives One-half and the
minor children one-half; or, in the case
of the death or second marriage of the
widow, the deceased employees children
get the benefit of the annuity till they sew
Ell ally become of age. When employees are
dismissed on account of the abolition OF
their positions before the term of service
expires which entities them to the PEN
sion, they are entitled to the restoration of
what they have paid into the fund, but
when they arc discharged for cause they
have no claim on their contributions. The
fund is administered by the operating off,
GERS and the Directors of the Company
and an account is rendered the Council OF
Administration every three months.
M. Jacmin, the Manager of the Eastern
Railway, has furnished tables showing the
term of service in the various departments
and branches, which prove that this sys-
tenn has exerted direct influence on the
permanency of the staff. The great ma
iority of the train masters, conductors.
passenger and freight, brakemen Of both
classes, foremenand sub forelnen ofengine
houses, engineers and firemen have been
in the employ Of the Company over five
wears, and their term Of service ranges
from that to more than twenty-five
years. The entire corps feel identified
with the welfare of the road, and the sys-
tenn is worthy of the attention OF our
leading railroad managers in America
Chicago Tribune.