The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-12-18
STILL CUTTING FORCES.
EIGRTY-oNE MORE CENTRAL ME-
CHANCES DISCHARGED.

VIII Continue in All the Depart
ments of the Road-Sixty Discharged
Employees Claim Back Wages, and
Place Their Claims for Collection.
supt. McBee Announces the Policy
ofthe Company and the Reasons for
the Reductions-The City Council to
Be Asked to Condemn the Richmond
and Danviile's Action.
The discharging OF the Central shop
hands continues.
Eighty-one more mechanics were given
their walking papers last night. The cut
was made in all the departments. as was the
case with the cut of Tuesday. Most Of the
men discharged last night are skilled me-
chanics. and were earning from 81 so to
So so per day.
Averaging the wages Of the men at SO per
day, $240 may be put down as fair figure
of the amount of money lost daily TO them
and saved to the Richmond and Danville
by the latest reduction.
Including Tuesdays and yesterdays dis
charges the amount of money lost 10 wages Is
at least 81. GAO per week, or in round numbers
over $l35, 800 per year. To this amount can
be added at least 100000 per year taken
away by the removal Of the clerks to At
lanta, making q total Of S225, 600 lost to
Savannah in wages alone
DROPPED WITHOUT WARNING.
Last nights discharges fell like q thunder
clap among the shop employees. They sup
posed that there would be let-up for
awhile after the force had been reduced 100,
and felt secure OF their places until after
Christmas anyhow. Nothing was known
by the men Of what was going to take
place until late in the afternoon, when
Master Mechanic ANTI had those who had
been singled out notified that they were no
longer wanted.
Among the number were some of the
Oldest mechanics in the CentraIs employ
men who had grown up with the road.
Several had been working in the shops
thirty-five and forty years. and naturally
they felt aggrieved at being turned adrft
by corporation to which they had given
their best days of faithful service. Ex-
penses must be cut down, and past faithful
services counted for nothing
ORDERED FROM HEADQUARTERS.
Master Mechanic ANTI was seen by a
MORNING News reporter about the situa-
ton. He said that the latest discharges
were in accordance with orders from head
quarters to further reduce expenses. The
cut, he said, extends to every part of the
system.
When asked if there will be any further
reduction of the force, Mr.. ANTI said he
didn't know.
'As said BEFORE" remarked Mr.. ANTI,
u think the reduction of the force is only
temporary. Just now we are ahead with
the work and can afford to run on a short
force, but after awhile when business picks
up the road will be compelled to put the
men back.
Nobody regrets the discharging Of the
men more than do" said MIR. ANTI, "but
can't help matters. j wish, though, that
things would al .
bad fix.n
swITCHMEN AND TRACK HANDS OUT.
The discharge is not only Of shop hands
but Of switchmen and track hands as we'll
The latter say they have not received their
November wages They were paid day be-
fore yesterday their wages for December up
TO the time Of their discharge. Sixty of them
placed their cases in the hands Of T. d.
rockwell, Esq, who made demand upon
the road for payment The companY's
grounds for not paying the November
wages were that the pay rolls were not here
MIR. Rockwell notified the company's repre-
eentatves that unless the men were paid,
laborers' liens would be enforced and the
tracks and rolling stock of the road would
be attached. A settlement was finally
reached whereby twenty-seven of the hands
were paid and the rest will be paid to-day.
sUPT. M'BEE TALKS.
General Superintendent V. E. Mob % re-
turned yesterday after an absence OF several
days. To aM0RNINGNEWs reporter he talked
freely of the reduction of forces in the
shops at Savannah and throughout the
system.
1--WE regretted very much the necessity
for cutting down the forces" said Sups.
McBee, "but we could not do otherwise"
why was the reduction madeP'
well, the newspapers and the public
had about as much to do with it as any
thing | know" he olied.
LAYS IT ON The PUBLIC
Sever since the Richmond aud Danyille
leased the Central railroad the newspapers
from New York to New Orleans have per-
sistently fy-blown the securities of the
Richmond Terminal COMPANY. Eve erv
runor has been taken up and pIb-
llshed to the world for all it
was worth. These rumors have been
eagerly seized upon by the public. 1t has
gone to the extent that the public no longer
has any confidence Ia any Of the securities
OF the Richmond Terminal. The company
hos been shown to be perfectly solid. its
roads are known TO be IN good condition
and to be earning more than the interest
upon their securities. Nevertheless, the Sc
curities cannot be hoated. II the road can
not float its securities it will have
TO go to work to get the cold cash
to take their places. That is lust what wa
nomlcally as possible with the intention of
making and saving every dollar possible"
sUPr. M'BEE's RECOMMENDATION.
show about the reduction In forces herel
Who recommended itg'
II recommended it. IL is my intention
to cut off every unnecessary man not
needed in the system. We do not want a
single man that is not actually needed.
There will be a good many more reductions
yet"
I'm what department." he was asked.
'Well, in various departments. Every
where man can be cut Of"
you will not cut down the engineers and
firemen, will youT
mo, we will not cut down any of the
train men. We proposing operating the
roads and moving the business promptly as
heretofore"
"Will you be able to make out with the
reduced shop forcesg
1--WE will for several months at lest.
When the Richmond and Danville took
charge there were over 1, 100 condemned
cars aud over fifty old engines on hand.
These have all been renewed and the rolling
stock of the road is now in good shape. The
shop force was increased 70 do this, and
this, OF course, makes the present reduction
greater"
NOT AGAINST SAVANNAH
There is wide belief that the Richmond
and Danville is striking at Savannah"
q Ill n.