Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-12-14
Wages Of Metropolitan Railroad En-
ployes Cut Seventeen Per Cent.
REASONS GIVEN BY THE COMPANY
Expenses Must Be Materially Les
sened, Says President Phillips.
MUCH PUBLIC INDIGNATION

| Railroad Company were given the most
undesirable Christmas gifts In their ex-
perience yesterday. In the shape Of q re-
| duction of wages amounting to IL 1-2 per
cent. Heretofore the drivers and con-
| ductors on the various branches of tho road
have been paid by the trips they mace, the
men running on regular cars being enabled
| to make $2.O3 per day for between IL and
| Ii hours work. The crew Of a car running
from Boundary and 18th street to the east
| front Of the Capitol. and from Boundary
| and 9th street to the river front received,
| SO the men say. 70 cents a trip each man.
| and made ten trips a day. The price was
reduced yesterday to 16 1-2 cents a trip.
| On the main line, running from Georgetown
| to Lincoln Park, the former wages wero
"A cents a trip. Under the new arrange
ment but 70 cents will be paid for this SER
vice, and the schedule OF trips made is such
that the regular drivers and conductors
can make but $1.GS for a full days work
en- all the branches.
There are other employees OF this char
| acter who are employed on what is known
as side trips" and run cars during the
| busy parts of the day only, and the reduc-
tion comes still harder on them. because OF
the smaller wages they We're able to make.
All Are Indignant.
Star reporter rode on many Of the cars
| Of the several branches Of the road this
morning, and conversed with drivers and
conductors. All were indignant over their
misfortune. One conductor was seen On
9th street who has a wife and seven chill
dren. Under the new schedule of wages
he can make but ninety-nine cents a day,
as he Is side trip" man.
"Will there be striker" he repeated
when the reporter interrogated him. NO,
Sir; We are not in q position to make any
substantial objection to this action of the
n he nyie maj hot
under the collar like the rest of us, and
say We ought to strike, but there is no
organization among u.s. and q strike would
mean starvation to those who have fam
lilies to support. Many of the men will re-
sign, because they can't make both ends
meet on their new wages, but men situated
like L am Will have to grin and bear il, be-
cause "A crust is better than no bread at
all. Times are SO hard and SO many men
are idle that the company will have no
trouble in filling our places. even If We all
went out"
Popular Feeling.
Others talked with looked at the matter
with the same philosophy born of neces-
sity, and the fact was uncovered that the
indignation Of the regular patrons of the
Metropolitan lines was more intense, IL
possible than that of the sufferers from
the reduction themselves. The number Of
passengers had fallen of immensely on
lines OF communication to their destination
by walking square or two. This was
especially true on 9th street north of F.
street northwest and south of the mall,
where many regular passengers merely
Jumped on cars to tell the conductors they
would never ride on the Metropolitan again
and then jumped or again to walk over
TO the .th street cable in the southern, or
to that line or l1th street in the northern
section. The herdics that run down East
Capitol street were also crowded with for
mer patrons of the cars which run on that
thorouGhfare, and in Georgetown, where
the majority of the Metropolitan patrons
i've, the sentiment prevailing was one Of
downright anger In the stores and at
places where crowds congregate the de-
termination was openly expressed not to
patronize the Metropolitan line unless IL
was absolutely necessary on account Of
the weather. This incpient idea of a boy-
cott was not confined to the friends or ac-
Quaintances of tine employees, but prevailed
among all classes.
Il don't care to be personally quoted"
said well-known Georgetown resident
but can promise you that neither myself
nor any of the five members of my
family Will ever ride on the +
street cars again, even IL they do pass
our door, The company simply makes a
preposterous proposition when IL saws IL is
compelled to make its employees suffer for
an alleged necessity TO cut expenses On
the wages of conductors and drivers IL may
save $50 or $50 a day, and venture the as
sertion that it will lose twice that much in
Georgetown patronage alone. 1t has never
been popular line anyhow because 1t has
never done anything for its patrons comfort
and convenience unless Congress compelled
it to. In this latest shortsighted action Mr..
Phillips and his board of directors have
given the company financial black eve
that Will make it ugly looking for a long
time 10 monied men and capitalists from
whom it will be compelled to ask fayors
In order TO carry out the compulsory inn
prover'ents ordered by Congress-
shortsighted.
Business men down town are also con.
WINGED that the company has made a very
serious mistake in exciting popular indig-
nation at such critical period in its af-
fairs, especially at this time Of the year.
when the sympathies of the people are SO
exceedingly sensitive. The prejudice will
be still further heightened by the comparf-
sons being made between the new wages
paid the Metropolitan employees and those
in force In the other companies The
Washington and Georgetown Company
pays its conductors and gripmen 81 each
per day for about ten hours duty, and the
Columbia pays the same rate for about
twelve hours time.
Discussed at the Capitol.
The reduction of wages was quite gen.
orally discussed at the Capitol and there
was no sympathy for the company to be
noted Most of the Senators and Repre-
sentatives who rode to the Capitol by that
line had heard the news of the reduction
and many of them passed an encouraging
word to the drivers and conductors as
they entered and left the cars. The gen.
eral feeling at the Capitol is that there
has been no change in the revenues OF tho
road such as to warrant such a heavy cut,
and there is a disposition to claim that
the company should pay for Its betterment
of equipment by means Of the bonds that
were recently issued and not by such step
as has just been taken. There Is, of course.
no way in which Congress could interfere
with the relations of the company to its
employees as the matter of wages is pure
ly domestic, and. except work on govern
ment jobs. IL beyond the Jurisdiction Of
either House or Senate. But enough was
heard today to indicate that IL the Metro
rolitan should ever have occasion to APP
peal to Congress for any further favors
this reduction OF wages made 30 radically
and suddenly at such q period as this,
would be found to have hurt the company
very greatly In the estimation Of the 1egis-
lators
Such an appeal for legislation may b(
made In a few months. as It Is understood
the company win protest against bein(
compelled to build the East Capitol streS