The western sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1887-1926, 1895-02-21
CANNOT RAISE WAGES,
SOUTHERN r +ILwAY TO IT'S EN-
PLOYEES
The Business of the Company wilt not
Permit of a Restoration of Salaries
What Some of the Men Get

I The Business of the Company will not
| Permit of a Restoration of Salaries
| What Some of the Men Get
THE SENTINEL has been furnished
| with copy Of a full and frank address
| which was presented yesterday to the
| committee reoresenting the engineers,
dfemen, conauctors and trainmen of
the Southern Railway. and to tue
! joint committee of the Brotherhood
| of Locomotive Engineers, Brotherhood
of Locomotive FIremeD, Order of
| Railway Conductors and Brotherhood
of Railroad Trainmen, by President
| Spencer and Third Vice-President
| Baldwin.
The address refers to the restoration
| OF salaries formerly received by the
employees of the Company and is a re-
| ply to the respective Committees
which met in Washington last De-
| cember and asked the Company to
| place the salaries OF the employ ees back
| where they were prior to the reduction
| made in October, 1893.
The SENTINEL only has space to
give few OF The more important
| points found in the excellent address,
which fully shows that the present
business of the Company will not ad-
| mt OF an Increase OF wages. 1t gives
| d statement of The gross and net earn
ings oi ali lines, showing large de-
| crease Siuce the reduction of salaries
was made in 1893. The Company in
vItes all employ ees who are not salts
| ded with the report to an inspection
| of the books What fairer proposition
| could be made?
The present average salaries of all
| empluJ eeS Win the average mum Ger of
urur> en- pluy ed each day, are gwen in
| the report UefUre Us.
The engiueeTS on passenger trains
| ecelve SIG per monJh for dn average
| OF nouIs aud 36 minutes work pei
| ids. IntIr dfemtn average SoS.
| Freight eng gineero work an average OF
| hours aud 80 minutes per day aud re
| celve Sl2O per mouth. Flremeu re
ceiVe S6U %. Conductors on passenger
| trains average Z hours and 10 minutes
| per day aud receive 800 10 per month
| The brakemen and fldgmen work the
| same number of hours and receive S42
pei mouth. Conductors on freight
| trains receive $76.6I for nine hours
ana 45 minutes work per day, while
| the orakeInen and fdgmen on these
| trains receive $3S. 30.
| The address concludes with these
| paragraphs:
This general. statement of facts and
of the economic conditions affecting
| The properties, and of tue practical
results 10 you, is submitted in order
| that you may thoroughly understand
| the position of the company in this
matter which is so impOI tant to you
| and TO it.
Ii would be difficult to make all of
| this clear by verbal statements. PRINT
| ed copies of this statement and Of the
| schedules will, therefore, De handed
| To you for consideration, with The
hope that you will recognize the force
and fairness Of the reasons given for
the cumpany's present inability to
make the increases in the rates of pay
which you ask.
You have before you the evidence of
| the great decline in the cOmpany's
| business; its smaller revenue, both
gross and net, and the diminished
| freight and passenger rates for the
| last several years; the general depres-
sion existing in all branches of in
dustry IN the South, and the conse-
Quent curtallment OF the earning
| power of all individuals and corpora
uIons, and of the fact that amid this
| shrinkage, which is almost universal,
| you have borne smaller proportion
| ate reduction than any other class en-
gagged in industrial pursuits.
From this depression and shrinkage
| nothing has been exempt. Every
commodity has felt it, ard the pur-
| chasing power Of the wages under the
| new schedules is greater now than was
| that of the waAeS received under the
| old.
Moreover, the position of other em
| pIoyees of the Company must be con-
| sidered. They have equal claims with
you for an increase to the former basis
| of pay. Many of them, in the Organi-
| Zation of the new company, accepted
| positions at an agreed comp ansaJlUD,
| with no expectation of increase, vary
ing from 10 per cent. to 40. per cent.
less than they were receiving when
the general reduction was made.
Manifestly 1T would be unjust for
| the company to increase the rates of
pay for some classes and not for all.
A general increase of expenses is out
of tue question, except in the event OF
a generdI, continuous and considerable
| increase in earnings.
| The successful reorganization of the
several properties composing the sys
tenn, and the establishment of new
company upon solvent basis, does
not Indicate any increased power tC
pay wages or other items of operating
expense. These must be paid from
| earnings, ana, as aIf6dOy SuOWn, bQt
earnings have not improved, except
for a short period, and then only as
compared with the worst year in the
history of the roads. They have not
increased at all-in fact, have de.
creased-as compared with the year
Immediate preceding the reductions
in wages, while in 1891, the year 10
which the old rates of pay were estab.
lished, the gross earnings were more
than 20 per cent. greater than in 1894
The reorganization has resulted in
solvency only, not wealth to the com.
pany. Its prosperity has still to be
worked out, and it is as much to the
interest of the employees as of the
owners that it chould be worked out
successfully. That this will be done
| seems reasonably assured, but pru
dence and economy are necessary fac
tors In the accomplishment of such a
result.
The resources provided for the new
company through reorganization are
for permanent Improvements only
such as better road bed, appliance:
for greater safety and speed, and more
and better equipment. These, it Ii
hoped, will result in increased bust
ness and in increased benefits for those
engaged in train ser vice.
Except in respect to the effects oi
these improvements when made, tht
company must earn it's revenues prac
| tieally under the same conditions a!
before organization, and upon III
ability to earn depends its ability II
, pay.