The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1894-07-04

ever they can to help themselves 10 tue
over the hard times which are so Sc
riously felt In every part OF the country.
May 10Th. the day after tne secon,
conference above mentioned, WORK wen.
on at Pullman as usual. and the Only
Incident OF ncte was the beginning by
MIR. Wickes, assisted by Mr.. Brown. the
general manager OF the company, OF the
promised formal investigation at run
man OF the shop complaints. A large
meeting OF employees had been held the
night before at kensington. which, as was s
understood by the company, accepted
the necessity OF the situation preventing
an increase OF wages. but at a meeting
OF the local committee. held during the
night OF May 10Th. strike was decide a
about 200 OF the employees quit their
work, leaving about coo at work, OF 1honi
very few were skilled workmen. AS u
was found impracticable to keep I'M, sms
shops In operation with a force mus
diminished and disorganized, the ne ,,,t
day those remaining were necessarily
laid OF. and no work has since oeeh
done In the shops.
The pay rolls at the time amounteu
TO about 5000 a day, and were reduceu
5000 by the strike. so that during ,he
period OF little more than SIN "eens,
which has elapsed. the employees Mno
quit their work have deprived thenselves
and their comrades Of earnings Oh more
than 100000.
1t is an element OF the whole situation
worthy OF note that at the begitiiiIts
OF the strike the Pullman Savings Bank
had on deposit in its savings department.
S4Ss,OD OF which about nine-tehIns De
longed to employees at Pullman. ana that
this amount has since been reduced w
the sum of $4,000.
ITS SYSTEM OF BUSINESS.
While dcploring the possibility OF an
noyance TO the public by the threats y.
irresponsible organizations to INTERRUPT.
the orderly ministration TO the coin! OF,
OF travellers on railway lines asgIesatnIs
l25.V00 miles in length, the pullman COM
pany can do no more than explain ia Io,i us
situation to the public. 1t has two sepa-
rate branches of business, essentially
distinct from each other; one is 70 pro-
vide sleeping cars, which are delivered
by IL under contract to the various rall-
way companies TO be run ~ them on
their lines as part OF their trains Tor
the carriage of their passengers, over the
movements of which this company mas
no control. Contract arrangements pro
vide for the making Of all repairs 10
such cars by the railway companies
using them. as 10 certain repairs abso-
lutely, and as TO all others upon the re-
quest OF the Pullman company, when IN
ordinarily finds it most convenient 10
utilize It's own manufacturing facllltleS
to make such repairs. The other, ana
a distinct branch of the business or the
Pullman Company. Is the manulaa,cturee
of sleeping cars for the aforementioned
use Of railway companies and the man
ufacture for sale TO railway companies
Of freight cars and ordinary passenger
cars, and of street cars, and this Dusl.
ness is almost at standstill throughout
the United States. The business OF
manufacturing cars for sale gives en-
ployment 10 about 20 per cent. OF the
shop employees. The manufacture OF
sleeping cars for use by railway com
panies under contract, and which under
normal conditions gives employment 10
about II per cent. of the shop employees
cannot be resumed by the company 10
an important extent for n very long
time. for out Of the provision made Tor
the abnormal travel last year. the com
pany now has about 400 sleeping cars In
store ready for use, but for which there
is no need I'm the existing condition OF
public travel.-From the Railway Age and
Northwestern RaIlroader.