The Canton advocate. [volume] (Canton, D.T. [S.D.]) 1877-1897, 1880-11-04
SOMETHING ABOUT CONDUCTORS

An Interview on a Rear Platform
Slim Wages for an Able Bodied
Man.
dollar and a quarter" said q con
ductor on a horse car going down town.
in an undertone.
Zone dollar and quarter ~ the re-
porter repeated, inquiringly.
"That's what I've made since last
Saturday."
"Only dollar and a quarter?"
"Thats, all"
Honest?'
"That's honest. And l don't expect
to make any more. I made only 81 %
! last week, and that was an extra good
week.
"Why ?"
"Because Pm an EXTRA
can extra?''
eyes Pm Oh the extra list. What |
mean by that is that i am one of the
extra men kept waiting for something
to turn up"
Are there many eXtras"'
"Three every day ON our line. On
registration day there were over twenty
That was done to allow some of the
regular conductors to lose trip or two
and register"
1" And you are paid when you take a
carp"
"That's ALL"
"And not when you are waiting?'
Not cent"
"That's rough"
~ should say so. I am running a
tripper." o.,
eyes. Twenty-Five cents round
trip, you know. Up to one o'clock to-
night I'll have five trips, and that's all
I've made this week, so far"
'And you don't know when you'll
get another trip"
"No more than you do. You see,
this is what's the matter, and it's the
same on the other roads, suppose, as
on this. The extra men are kept wait
ing for some regular conductor to slip
up. For instance, an extra goes to the
stable early in the morning and gets an
order for a punch. Now, if a conduct
Or should miss taking his car at the
right minute, the extra is ordered to
take it, After one trip is made the
regular conductor is probably ready to
take his car, and the extra has SO step
down. The extra gets twenty-five cents
for that trip, and the regular is fined
seven days pay for missing his car. If
another conductor doesn't slip up, the
extra doesn't get another job, and per-
haps he'll wait two or three days for it..
OF course, if a regular conductor
resigns or is discharged, the head
extra gets a regular tripper.
But what is rough on us is waiting all
day, perhaps, and buying our meals
without being paid cent. A dollar a
day wouldn't be too much, and SO cents
would be better than nothing. 1t would
pay for meals anyhow. We can't 20
away for an hour or two. We must
stay at the stable all the time, except
fifteen minutes allowed at meal time"
'.sWhat are the chances of a regular
carp"
every slim. The conductors are, as
a rule, men who have taken the work
because they could find nothing else to
do. When a man has family to sup
port, he'll do almost anything, if he's
any kind Of a man. A conductor can
make about 81 a day. That's better
than keeping books for So a week.
That's all a merchant offered me, and
| don't ask odds of any man in keeping
books"
Cali the time. It's hard work to get
on the regular list"
'Did you have much trouble?'
ri had to have the names of four
business men references. But [ had
them
ssMuch knocking down now?'
'Not much, guess. 1 haven't
knocked down cent yet, and I don't
mean to. It don't pay in the long run,
and what is more, a man never ought
to take place unless he means to be
honest. If conductor has steady
work he ought to be satisfied. I know
| would be. 1t is dogs life at best,
but l tell you there are plenty men
who would be glad to get on the road.
It's--Get off here? All right. Good
night"