, 1877-07-22
THE LOCAL SITUATION.

| DOWN AT THE ROCK ISLAND cAR-snoPs.
Yesterday afternoon TRIBUNE reportcr spent
several hours among the employees of the Chi
cago, Rock Island i Pacific, and Lake Shore i
Michigan Southern Railroad shops, taking in all
grades of workmen, from the mechanic to the
trackInen. OF course the sympathtes Of the
railroad employees are with the Eastern strikers,
whose success they are urgently praying and
hoping for. On the first Of the present month
a reduction OF 10 per cent On all wages was
made on both the Rock 1slan1 s. Pacific and
| Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railroads.
Previous to that, shopmen were getting from I3
to Is cents an hour, apprentices ranging
from 10. to IL cents. The average
wages paid to machtntsts at the shops: were
about 25 cents au hour. There were three ma
| chinists who got 20 cents au hour. Their aver
| age laboring-day consists Of eight hours.
Freight frcn,en were paid $2.225 per 100 miles.
and passenger tiremcn SLID per 1U0 miles. At
| these rates they made frem = 10: to- $50
month. Freight engineers used to earn from
sos to $100 i month, and passenger engineers
| 500 to S110 per month. Brakemen obtained
I SIS per month after having been year IN the
cotnpany's employ. Previous to that, $40 Was
! the pay. The switchmen in the yarlls received
from $40 to S75 month. The track laborcrs
received from 81 to S1.lO per day. To get the
FEELINGS OF THE nRAKEMEN AND fIEEMEx
WIS the main object Of the reportorial mission.
All hands felt hard towards the Railroad Com
pany, because they had reduced the poorest
: paid workmen and left tire President, managers,
Superintendents, and foremen's salaries alone.
The frernen on the Rock Island recently had
some experience In strike, and they declined
to discuss the merits OF another. They hold
that the Chicago press refuses to give the rail-
roao emploses 1aar snow. iheT say their
"ork Is naru' ano 1nat even Soo amonth is not
pay commensurate Win thelr labor and
tne r1sk which they run one thing con he re-
i1eo UPON tuat ~ present stronger
organization Of fsnroan employees exists than
was ever KNOWN OF oe1ore. Inc nremell' Drake
ueu' a"u eonoue1ors a1e oanoeu to2etae1, anu
L. 'nere Is 10 pe ralt.oao lockout on these
1oaas' II "n1 ~ y. az nanqs: Inc feauction
a'"oe III "1ses o'' 1ue noch is!ano 'oao. aoose
~ nen.4oueo. W per sen1. oa nfe1nen th1s la!s
aea'1est ~ We one-lourtn per cent DEF Hli!e Is
taneu "a. en1n 81 1s' aAo LIE 'eu"et!o" 'nas'e gu
. oaf1e '. - Aoeo utaes, "4-n '11anes ~
equa1 - ~ ~ pei eeu'' "n'c' tncs looh upon as
Unjust 1uc piaAsinen are .et'cent' e iney oe-
~. o.ns w oa' "it1e lucy WIZ ~: 1ncy say tney
W. 4eua.... ~ 1nsn +.suts' out ~ a4'ose1ue1 Ut
penas '-r VI ~" tns tas19ln stf'Aes tutn ou1' Il
t.4et ..astela o4etluen nol'. oua u.'" @aohoa5'
en.' 70 ~, ~ t4t.ss p1aAsnen gong
w. Ane'. 4s4'us4s n"'s ne'o ase4et eoa'efeuces,
4.'u ene.et 1noS1 peileet eFS'aholns alone
sue "no.o nne- ~ 1uo u'ahGnen go on1' tao
n'Tmeu m.I anu eouuu.1ofs wiz tolioW sui
!, ."I e. ..aA.ca 1.e uof-cofnmtttm' out say
~. aues e..pnot @ e.,st auo support 1net families
W - Wy ou@ 'nes' too' a1o awaiting oe-
'elopnenu
w iAs AAAE SHORE AlcH1oAS SOUTHERN
Is escn : "olse sta.e o1 anass the Wages
having been '1rois' a to u per cent be-
10" those quoted above and upon
these another 10 ner cent reduction was made
Inc trackmen there are working as 10" Us 80
cents and ofakemen 1or so month Ihemen
claln tnat they are esen worse paid than the
employees OF the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad
They decline to say What they viii do, but they
confess that they Will stand up for their rights
Just as soon asthe opportunity Offers II strike
IS preciptated py tnen'' they say 1t viii Re
WITHIN the next sixty hours, or not at all II
the Eastern nrakemen hold out they vii surely
stFlke. Inc 1eeltnE against the datty papers Is
very strong tor the course they have pursued,