The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-12-29
WAGES ARE REDUCED
Citizens Street-Car Company
Makes a Cut on Its Pay Rolls.
Hard Times Make 1t Necessary, the Com
pany Claims-The New Schedule
Tor the Car Men.

The Citizens Street-railroad Company.
through its directors. has ordered cut in
the wages of its drivers, motormen and con-
ductors. The reason assigned is that the
hard times have caused the companys re-
ceiptS to fall off, despite the constant cry
that the company has not been making
suitable provisions for handling the traffic
on some of its northern lines. The cut
was anticipated several weeks ago. but it
was not officially declared until yesterday.
when the following was given cut as a set
of resolutions passed by the directors of
the company:
That General Manager Thomas II. Nc
Lean be directed TO reduce the wages OF
employees to the following rates, commenc-
ing Jan. l, 1894, to-wit
Conductors and motormen, 10 cents per
hour
Drivers 1872 cents per hour.
Resolved, That as soon as the receipts of
the company improve so as to reach their
old standard, the general manager be 8u-
thoriZed 70 restore wages, now reduced,
to former rates.
The wages of men employed in the barns
have already been cut on an average of 10
per cent Under the new scale the COM
pany claims the drivers will make about
s1.4S day, the old rate being Is cents an
hour. The old rate for conductors and
motormen is II cents an hour. The en-
ployes average about eleven hours a day.
AS three hundred conductors and motor
men are affected and about fifty drivers,
this will mean saving to the company Of
about 1928 a week, or over $4,000 a year,
on its pay rolls for car men alone.
President ~ dson, Of the company, said
last night that the companys receipts for
November We're less than at a correspond
ing period last year, while the operating
expenses had increased about 10 per cent
he thought that the conversion OF the mule
lines into electric lines would increase the
traffic, but the company claims that this
is not the case. When the November re-
port was submitted to Mr. Mckee In Pitts
burg, that gentleman called up Mr.. Mason
by long distance telephone ana told him he
regretted very much that there was such a
falling Off in receipts. The November re-
port so Mr.. Mason claims shows a falling
on OF from 10 10 20 per cent. 1t is insisted
that the employment OF an additional man
on a car where the change has been made
to electricity has increased the operating
expenses largely. The company now has
seventy four motors, twenty-three mule
cars and twenty tfallers IN operation, anu
instead or twenty-five miles of electric lines
II now has seventy nine miles. During the
Iast year conversion of power has been
H'6'ie on the Alabama-street, Columbia
avenue Clifford-avenue. Engiish-avenue
&C utn East-street, stock yards and West In
d'3napOiiS lines
1--WE noticed the falling off i'm receints a G
1ar back as June" said the president of the
company. Men are out of WORK and women
90 not shop as much as usual There is
q Seiierai disposition to economiZe every
hand, and this has had its effect on street
car travel People that formerly rode on
the cars now walk when they are out of
employment Nearly one-half of the lines
are not paying operating expenses. The
loss is not noticeable in the weather..
districts Of the city reached by the Pennsyl.
Vanla-Street Illinois and College-avenue
lines. The office force has been reduced
and road officers that were not absolutely
necessary were released. No cars have been
taken off, and the trailers will remain ex-
cept in some instances. We are absolutely
compelled to make reductions
The public Is apt to think that thp coun-
pany, having broken up the brotherhood, is
now taking chance to cut the men, when
1t Is believed the men will not be able TO
resist CUT? was the query put to the
president
That is absolutely untrue in every par
ticuar," said he.
There seems no general disposition of the
employees TO strike at the proposed cut, on
account of the hard times and the difficulty
in obtaining work. For several weeks the
company has had rails distributed along
Talbot avenue for the extension of the line
to Fourteenth street, but 10 work has been
attempted although the weather has been
pleasant for several weeks.