St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-02-14
CONFERENCE WITH HILL.
MASTER MECHANICS, ENGINEERS AND
FIREMER.
ANOTHER MEETING TO-DAY.
President Hill Promises That if
They Will Accept His Proposed
Cut He Will Restore Their
Observation-Disclosures May BE
Called In Next.


Railroad conferences in this section
are getting to be quite the fashion, and
no sooner is one fairly out of the way
than another bobs up serenely to take
It's place. At the time when the North
ern Pacific made its order through the
receivers and general manager to cut
the salaries of certain classes of its en-
ployes, President Hill, of the Great
Northern, in the interest of economy
for his line, requested the attendance
here of committee representing his
engineers and tirsmen, to whom he sub
mitted his plan for reducing expenses.
A number of informal talks were had
in the matter,but nothing was definitely
agreed upon. All further consideration
of the question was necessarily post
poned by Mr. HIPS sudden departure
Tor Now York and Washington, where
he had bigger fish to fry" He has
been back from Washington for some
time. Gradually gathering, for day
Or two past, have been the various mas
ter mechanics from the different di-.
visions Of the Great Northern system.
The list of all these who have arrived so
far are the following: William Kelly,
Spokane, Cascade division; George
Bailey, Breckenridge, st. PAU division
George Buck, Fergus Falls. st. Paul
division; Frank Bruce, Great Falls. of
the Montana Central; Joe Seibert,
Minot, Montana division; L. E. Adams,
GAINESVILLE. Northern division; George
A. Bruce, Breckenridge, Dakota di-
vision. 1t is learned Oil good authority
that these master mechanics came
here to talk over the wage-reduc-
ton matter with President Hill, il
being considered that through their
direct contact with that class of EN-
ployes under them, this matter could be
better and more speedily brought about.
Yesterday the master mechanics were
cloSeted with President Hill, General
Manager Case, General Traffic Manager
Finley and Superintendent of Motive
Power Pattee. Almost simultaneously
with the appearance of these there
came in two committees. one of nine
men representing the engineers. with
j. q. Nolan as chairman. and another
of eleven men, representing the Great
Northern firemen, with John Driscoll as
chairman. At 3 D. III. yesterday these
two committees met the president and
thO OtiCl OlHCitIS GIlu Hdll Iolh OtSl
their matters for the purpose OF
getting more thorough under
standing of MIR. HIPS proposition
alluded to. Another meeting was
agreed upon to take place at 10 a. IN.
today. 1t was learned last night that
Mr.. Hill has pledged himself that, in
case the engineers and firemen accept
the reduction, with the dawning OF an
era of greater prosperity the wages OF
the employees will be restored.
1t will be remembered that every
official and empioye receiving salary
of a certain sum per month or per year,
was, by order OF August, 1898, reduced
from 10 to 80 per cent. Engineers and
fireInen were exempted from that cut.
as they are a class who are paid so much
per day or per mile for time actually
served. The company gets its work in
ON the Shopmen and others Of that Xix
i'll different Way-that of reducing
their number Of hours of daily labor.
This, however. is q general and Gus
temary practice. BY the order of a
month or So ago, engineers and firemen
are directly affected. Thus far the con-
ductors and brakemen have not been
affected. 1t is more than probable, al
though nothing definite OH this subject
has been aScertained, that this class
may be summoned next. Future de-
velopmeDts may prove very interesting.