The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1892-09-26
RAILROAD RELlEFs.
The Proposed State Organization Soon To
Be Accomplished.

r y
steps towards an organization which, il
is hoped, will do for railroad men all
over the state, what the Grand Trunk.
Boston & Maine and Maine Central
reliefs are doing for the employees Of
those roads.
Mr.. Edgar E. Rounds. presided, and
| Capt. r. A. Williams acted as secretary.
Secretary Foster, of the Maine Central
Relief Association, and Major Thomas P.
Shaw, who has been actively identified
with relief work, were present as ex-
perts, to give information regarding the
practical working of their organization.
Major Shaw, spoke at some length, de-
scribing the working of the Maine Cen
trail Relief. The special points of the
proposed state organization were then
brought up one by one and considered.
President Rounds said the idea was to
have death benefit, graded in amount
by the age of the late member For ex-
ample the estate of man between 20
and 80 would receive $1,000, that of a
man between 80 and 40, $500, and that of
man between 40 and so, $500.
Major Shaw suggested a change of the
figures. A man who is between 20 and
% is seldom married, above that age he
is commonly married, and has family
growing up about him.. The central
idea of such an association as the one
proposed, is to provide for the living.
With general adoption of the idea of
the state organization, he could not see
why so cents month and 81 assessment
on the death of member should not be
enough.
A gentleman asked Major Shaw at
what figure he would have the death
benefit fixed and he replied, 'sNot more
than $1,000.
In answer to question President
Rounds said the benefit association with
which he is connected, only a small affair
has paid out over $1,000 in sick benefits,
and has done it with so cents month
assessment.
Capt. Robert A. Williams spoke of the
Crank Trunk Relief Association. 1t is
doing much good, paying out as it does
about $4,000 a year. 1t provides a
doctor, pays for medicine, and pays sick
benefits from the first day the member
is sick, and the relief is paid promptly.
There is no calling for the money. Capt.
Williams believed that the time was not
far distant when a man who asks for
work of any railroad, will be met with
question, do you belong to relief as
sociation?"
sNo"
"Then you must join one, either our
own, or some other
The relief associations will do away
with the necessity of sending around a
paper, when railroad man dies poor.
Capt. Williams said that the proposed
association would do him no good as he
has passed the joining age, but he was
anxious to see state association formed
for the benefit of others.
1t was voted after thorough discus
sion, that committee of three should
be raised, and that they should have
power to add to their number three men
from each of the roads entering Port
land. They to meet, confer, consider
the bylaws and constitution of the
present relief associations, and draw up
constitution and bylaws for the pro-
posed relief. President Rounds then APP
pointed the following as that committee.
Capt Robert A. Williams, of the Boston
& Maine, George A. Varnam of the
Maine Central, and John McCallum of
the Grand Trunk. The committee, with
such as they may join to them, will meet
at Columbia hall next Sunday, and will
present the results of their deliberations
to an adjourned meeting of all interested
in the proposed organization, to be held
at the same hall one week later.
President Rounds then presented the
special claims of the proposed state as
ISOLATION. There are railroads in Maine
that do not center here. and there are
railroad men who do not have the ad-
vantages of reliefs. Of the 1900 mutually
insured railroad men of the state, almost
all are in the southwestern section. 1t
is proposed to give every railroad man in
Maine chance to 60 into the proposed
relief, and to make it what the name will
imply, state organization.
George A. Varnum, of the Maine Cen
trail, thought that this is something in
which every railroad man in Maine will
feel an interest. He suggested that it
would be for the interest of all railroad
men to go in as soon as possible. A
good many who did not go into the
Maine Central Relief at first, found good
reason to regret it, as later on came
more rigid medical examination than
was required at first.
MI. McCallum, of the Grand Trunk,
thought that no one should be declared
from the proposed association, if in good
health.
A gentleman suggested that medical
examination would be required from the
start. and MI. Varnum, replied that it