The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1894-05-19
1T HITS THEM HARD.
Many Mechanics in the Santa Fe
Shops
DO NOT GET ONE DOLLAR A DAY
since the Recent Cut in Time Went
Into ERect-UnfOrtunate Lot OF Men
Who Have Families to Support

Who Have Families to support
Since the reduction of time at the
Santa Fe shops to forty hours a week, a
large number of the employees there are
receiving wages which will astonish
many people who do not understand how
the industrial depression is affecting the
workingman- There are hundreds of
men at the shops with families who are
now earning barely So week out of
winch they must pay hOuse-rent and buy
food and clothing.
The best paid men in the shops are the
most experienced mechanics and boiler
makers. There is no established scale
by which the pay of any of the men is
determined, but these get an average
now of twenty-seven cents per hour.
Al this rate fOrty-hOur week less their
hospital assessment of so cents a month,
leaves weekly stipend of $10.6S, and
these are the foremen and the highest
class of workmen. The helpers and ap-
prentices average IS cents an hour and
draw for weeks hard work the sum of
So.l4, after deducting the hospital assess
ment of six cents week.
The reader will remember that these
ngures are averages and fair ones, and
that the hospital assessment is deducted
from each total The next best paid de-
partment Is the coach painting shop
where tie average for skilled labor is %
cents an hour, and under the reduction
$9.OS a week.
The helpers and apprentices have
about the same average here as in the
machine shops, and make the same 50. IA
week. Next come the car shops where
the average for the best class of labor is
% cents an hour and the weeks work
represents an average of $8.6S. The ap-
prentlces and helpers here get also 1914
a week.
So far as wages are concerned, the
blacksmith may be classed with the car
shop both in skilled and unskilled labor.
Next and last of mention in this list are
the car repalrers or ''whackers" as they
are called The best of these-for they
are few-get for an hours work 20 cents
or $700 per week of forty hours.
Their helpers are compelled to worry
along with IL cents hour, which
makes them an income of $4.74. 1t is to
be understood. that these are not all
young men. Many of them have wives
and families to support, and some have
homes to pay for or to raise a mortgage
from.
We frequently hear it stated by peo-
pie who don't know the facts that there
is no poverty in Topeka. "Oh, no, no
poverty in Topeka" but it will be seen
from the above figures that there is a
great deal of poverty in Topeka and that
there must necessarily be much suffer
ing and deprivation in the families of
men who are earning but $5.14 a week
or $474 a week. If life isn't worth liv-
ing on $3.50 day" what can be expect
ed on less than dollar a day. 1t is not
surprising that there is agitation among
the ranks of the laboring men. 1t is no
wonder that those who can't get even
$4.74 a week are moving son to Wash
iagton." Readers of the JOURNAL who
have incomes ranging from 500 to 500
a month or more may have condemned
the agitation among the laboring classes.
but it is safe to say that if they were
compelled by force of circumstances or
bad Legislation to accept such pay, they
would become aeitators too. They sim
ply wouldn't endure it. The patience of
the working classes, under the circum-
stances. is remarkable