The morning times., 1896-12-07
STARVATION WAGES CUT
Belt Line Reduces the Pay of
Drivers and Conductors.
LIGHT TRAFFIC THE EXCUSE
Under-Paid Employees of SchOepf's
Road Must Hear the Brunt OF
It's LOsses-Ten Cents a Day Cut
From Their $1.7O-Work Thir-
teen Hours.

An unpleasant surprise was given IL
| large number Of the employees of the Belt
| Line Railway Company On Saturday even
| ing by the issuance of the following order:
t"General Order No. 81
December /, 1896.
''On and after December Z, 1896, the pay
| of all conductors and drivers of runs Nos.
l, ., 3, A and 8, early; Nos l, 2, 3,
| and D, midday, and Nos. l, ., 3 and 4,
| late, on the Belt Line, and Nos. l. 23 4,
| and 6 on the Eleventh street line viii
| be reduced TO the uniform rate OF 81 60
| per day.
This reduction is made necessary by the
| great difference in the receipts and the
! operating expenses. and only affects those
| who have the most desirable runs.
| tSignedD w KEsLEY SCHOEPF,
| Receiver"
| A Times reporter talked to some OF the
| men affected by the order last night and
! discovered "a rather interesting condition
| OF things.
TWO-THIRDs AFFECTED.
| The number Of men affected by the re-
| duction is considerable, being about two
| thirds OF the whole number OF drivers and
| conductors. They, heretofore, have been re-
| ceivins $1.7O per day Of about thirteen
! hours, and make in that time ten trips over
| their routes.
The Iaen not affected have been receiv-
| ing $50 per day OF about eleven hours,
! and make nine trips. While the hours OF
| labor do not vary this much in all cases, it
| is nevertheless a fact that some difference
| In time does exist, and one trip less is
| the invariable difference in work on the
| Eleventh. street line, while on the Belt
| line, according 10 the statement OF one man,
! the difference is one of hours rather than
| trips.
AT any rate, ii Is fact that the man
| agement has always recognized the differ
! ence in the desira bllity OF the runs by pay
| ing the less desirable at a higher wage rate
I For the extra trip ON The Eleventh street
| line the conductors and drivers got ten
! cents more pay. on the Bet line the longer
| hours maze the difference as near as
! can be learned
The order going into effect today seems
to be based ON principle that loses sight
OF the conditions Which originally caused
| the difference in pay. one Of the CON
| ductors seen last night said:
EXPLAINED BY THE MEN.
Il can't see any justice in a reduction
! that affects the men who are now work
! ing for less per trip and less per hour
/ than any one else We men ON the
! Eleventh street line who come under the
/ provisions OF the order, while we are paid
by the day. really get thirteen cents an
| hour and seventeen cents a trip as near
as | ca figure it.
The men not affected get fourteen and
half cents hour ana nearly eighteen
cents trip. Under the new Arrangement
the very men WHO are now getting least
will be reduced while tie others will run
along the same. MI. Schoepf calls these
| runs the most desira bic. but the only de
| sirahle thing about them was the extra
ten cents, and that was allowed because
the time and number of trips made rem
al nh gnff
| anybody to work for less, just because
| | am reduced, but it seems to me that if
| cut was necessary it should have fallen
on all alike, or at any rate, should nave
been in the direction OF equity
| We make bare living as il is, and
| some OF with families find il diff
| cult to DO that
| When you compare our wages with cur
| necessary living expenses. you can see
| what contriving and economy is required
| to make buckle and tongue meet We
| are laid off three day every mouth for
| the extra or swing men 10 work This
reduces our time To twenty even working
| days iii each month AT the rate of S1.1U
l made, as you sec, S46.90 month.
Our rent will range anywhere from
| Sl5 To $50 a mouth, and that's q bigger
| hole in it than you can realize if sou
haven't tried to pay grocery bills and
| ciothe d family OH what is left What
! with buying our uniforms and overcoats
| just at this time of the year, it's going
| To pinch some of us tell YOU
| DRIVERS ARE INCENSED.
| Yes, the drivers are affected in the
! same way and what / have said about my
| own case will apply To Billy out there i'll
| front. OF course the other men have been
| obliged to get along on 81 .60-I mean
| the fellows not affected-but that does
not ma he t any easier on Us. 1t is going
to make difference of about S33 Il year
| in my pay"
SomeJ of the men took a hopeful view
| of the situation and expressed an opinion
| that the reduction was only temporary.
No such roseate aspect is justified, how
| ever, in the opinion OF most OF them, by
| the conditions of the road and the traffic
| thereon, and the feeling among the en-
| ployeS was decidedly blue last night.