The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-03-12
GOUID'S STRIKING SHOPMEN.
Vice-President Hayes, of the Missouri
Pacific, Gives the COmpany's View.
No Material Change in the Situation-Failure
Of Several Efforts at Compromise
Wages Restored at st. Louis.
vIcE-pREsIDENr HAYES.
He Thinks that Only "a Small Number Of
Employees Are Dissatisfied.

Tie Thinks that Only a Small Number Of
Employees Are Dissatisfied.
ST. Louis, March 11.--Capt. r. s. Hayes SEN
Tor vice president of the Missouri Pacific rail
road, in an interview on the strike, said: 1.-THE
main question in this strike is one of personal
liberty. or whether a handful of men who are
not satisfied with their positions employees
shall be allowed to prevent other men who have
no expressed cause of dissatisfaction from
tinuing at work. Out of %, 900 employees of the
Southwestern and Wabash systems not 600 are
directly affected by the reduction of wages which
is alleged to be the reason for this strike and
am morally certain that Of this ] 900 at least 500
would 60 to work to -morrow if they were not re-
strained by their bulldozing co-empoyes. The
reduction made is in regard to men employed in
machine shops and round houses, and some of
the coal-chute men. The train service men have
not been reduced. The reductions have been
principally in Texas where they may be said, in
general way, to range from to 10 per cent,
but still leaving the wages at figures
at which other men following like
means of livelihood have heretofore
got along very comfortably. In Arkansas,
Louisiana and Kansas the reductions are not So
great, but the Texas lines were not moro than
paying expenses and fixed charges, as rule, and
some of them were not even doing this in these
depressed times 1t was simply question
of whether a given sum of money, allotted for
expenditure to repair rolling stock and keep up
round houses should be so distributed as to give
employment to large or small number of men,
and it was decided to keep many men as pos
sble during the dark winter days. Hours were
limited by reason of the shortness of daylight
and the Shopmen worked but five days in q week
nj nil mr. n
This time rule prevailed in all the shops in Kan
Bas and Missouri, but on the 10th of last month
the schedule time was raised to SIX days OF ten
hours, giving fifteen hours more earning
time each week. or from tour TO six days extra
pay in each month. Some ten days ago both Mr..
Hoxie and myself We're in Texas, visiting differ
eDt places where these troubles have since
CURED, and the men, if they had complaints, had
full opportunity to present them; but no com
plants were made. We heard of no grievances.
AS to the train-service men, some three years
ago Mr. Talmage arranged schedule of prices
for engineers and fremen, and agreed with the
men that no reduction should he made, except
on sixty days notice. This agreement has been
lived up to- and understand and believe that
our trainservice men are anxious and willing TO
work if they can only be permitted to do so.
Captain Hayes further said that the paymaSter
stood ready to pay off all hands who by reason
of failure to return to work after proper notice,
had voluntarily dropped their positions the
companys rolls. The fact that some of the
SLflkeFS HdQ refused 10 accept IHelf CneChS
did not place them on any better footing Dis
charged men refusing their wages did not by
that refusal constitute themselves employees. but
simply assumed the relation of creditors
Returning to his original proposition that the
men who wanted to work should be allowed to
do so, he said that so far as repairs to rolling
stock were concerned, the railroad mad now in
good shape three times the amount of rolling
stock that was necessary to do the present vol
ume of business. Repairs could be done by con-
tract, If necessary, and the public need not
suffer if the laws were properly enforced and
the railroad company enabled to run its trains,
as it had right to do.