The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-02-14
UNABLE TO INCREASE WAGES.
TIE SOUTHERN RAILWAY Makes
A REPLY TO ITS Mk-.-

Inequalities OF Pay and Service
which Exist a. ResaIt OF the
Former Independents Operation of
Baerent Branches Of the System
80 Be E4uaIized-The General BUS
iress Depression Severely Felt b.
she Railroads SoIvency, NO.
Wealth, the Only Achievement oi
she Reorganization so Far.
Washington. Feb. S-Ihe expected
eonferenee between the officers Of The
-outhern Railway Company and their EN-
ployes in an endeavor to finally arrange
-he.r differences. took place here TO-
cay. MT. Baldwin. third vice presiden,
met the committee at 40 o clock. The
meeting was entirely harmon Gus.
IN its answer 10 the request OF the men
Tor a restoration Of the wages pad in 1881
the company has adopted a method OF
treatment Of this subject different il is
believed. from any heretofore used. In
thorough and exhaustive ana 'ysis Of the
commercial and industr al conditions at
Eecting the question OF wages. and he rel-
alive position Of railroad employees as com
pared with those engaged in other indus
tries. publishing the result in q pam
phlet addressed to the engineers. fire.
men. conductors and ira nmen. which
contains the reasons why the company
is unable to make general increases q.
present. rhis pamphlet was delivered
10 the committee OF the employees to-day
The communication is signed by Pres
ident Spencer and Wee Presiden;
Baldwin. and explains that IN
qualities OF pay and service
exist in consequence Of the pre-
vious separate control and management
OF the several component parts OF IN
system. and these are to be equalzed
The changes made on this account are
Increased. IN every case, and apply chief
ly to employees receiving the small pay
of SIS a month. those receiving less than
that amount on the East Tennessee. Vir-
Ginia and Georgia lines having had theii
wages reduced more than those on the
Richmond and Danville. THIS ,neluai-
lily Is corrected by the new schedule.
Until October 1888 the ules anu SEIZED
ules Of wages on the system had been
those adopted in 1890 and 1871 10 orde
10 partially meet the loss Of revenue
after the road went into the hands OF
To@efve~e ~o7--e+ i0rr ~ fro-1 S to 20
PER cent were naGe in October an
80. CT, 100. a..- te~l ally, lo3a
on all sasr es, and when the Southerh
Hallway Company tooA possess on a
Iur her reduction Of from 10 to % PEI
cent as lie in the salaries of The
general officers No fur her reduction
was made. however, in the wages Of III,
ira nmen.
The gross revenues for the year endin=
June 81 1891, IN VIII oh The old rates were
year ending June 30 1884, by nearly So
10000. or q per cent Al er show ng De-
detail the loss Of revenue to the ra J
roads. owing to Various causes. The pc m
phlet takes up the subject OF IN nj ned
pro1ts from all industries. 1t cites the
urea er fall of the Or ce Of cotton and
the resulting decrease of revenue TO the
planter and The lower returns TO tn
rlner and manufacturer by reason OF
the low price of pig IRON. Az 'ahor
skilled and unskiied. has had Its earn
ing power materially reduced. New con
Ut ons such as those have resul ed IN
FeVere loss of revenue TO all railroads IN
The south and IN he bankrupt Of many
The owners of the properties now com
Yrising the southern railway have &C
cepted Their losses as permanent, hav-
ing written off nearly - per cent. or
thefr investments represent ng by liens.
and IN addition contribu el some si20O),-
coo n new money on which they are not
receiving one cent OF income.
Attention Is call to tne general de-
preston existing in all branches Of in
dustry in the south, and the consequent
curtailment of the earning power OF al
individuals and corporations, and to the
fact that am q this shrnkage, which Is
almost universal railroad employees have
horne a smaller proportionate reduction
than any other class engaged IN indus
trial pursuits
# IS further said. From this depres-
son and shrinkage nothing has been eX-
en1pt. Every commodity has felt 1t, and
the purchasing power of the wages under
The new schedule is greater now than was
that Of the wages received under the old.
Moreover the position Of other en-
nIoyes of the company must be considered
They have equal claims with you Tor an
increase to the former basis of pay Many
of them, in the organization of the new
company, accepted positions al an agreed
conn ensation, with no expectation OF in
crease. varying from 10 per cent to 40 per
cent. less than they were receiving when
The general reduction was made.
..Nanifestly It would be unjust for the
.ornnanv TO increase the rates Of pay for
eome classes and not for all. A general
sncressa of exL enses is out OF the ques-
ION. except in the event or q general con
1.nuous and considerable Increase IN earn
ings.
-olvencv only. not wealth to the new COM
panv. Its prosp 4rity has sttil to be worked
out and ii is as much TO the interest of
the employees as OF the owners that It
should be worked out successfully That
his win be done seems reasonably as
sured, but prudence and economy are nc
assarv factors in the accomplishment of
such q result
In conclusion it is stated that the old
schedule required sixty days notice Of
any proposed changes, and that, therefore,
the new schedule viii not take effect be-
fore May !. unless the men deslre an
earlier date. The committee Of the train
mems associations took the statement IN
der consideration.
WESTERN UNION ON THE WATCH.