The San Francisco call., 1897-02-09
Five thousand Supporters Of
Families Might Have Their
Salaries Cut.
ON SOME LINES THE RECEIPTS
ARE VERY LITTLE.
Senator Sam Braunhart Denounced as
Not Being the Frien1 of Labor
in Preparing the Bill.

was Joint meeting OF the san francisco
delegations of the Legislature tonight to
listen to the streetcar EN- ployes who came
here to plead against the passage Of the
Braunhart bill to reduce streetcar fares
between certain hours of the day.
1t was evident again tonight that the
two delegations are not en- rapport, the
Assem- blymen showing signs of restless
ness under the tight reins of Senator
Mahoney, chairman of the Senate delega-
ton. They claim they are given no op-
portunity to participate in proceedings
before the joint delegation.
There we're present the following deiega-
tons of streetcar employees from the
Market-street, Sutter-street, California
street and Sutro roads: W. G. Carpenter,
Frank Bell, G. A. Grimes E. E. Hardy, ].
C. Sawtele, L. w. Hallingsworth, ]. T.
Miller, l. J. Manning and William G.
Cook. Their first move was to present the
following petition:
We, the undersigned employees of the varl-
Gus street railroads in operation within the
limits of the City and County of San Francisco.
respectfully represent as follows: That fully
5000 men are at present in the employ of the
various street railroads within this City and
County; that the wages paid to employees by
cient to supply the necessaries of life under
present conditions, especially to those who
have families dependent upon them; that the
measure now under consideration by your
honorable body whereby it is proposed TO re-
duce rates of fare on streetcars is detrimen tai
10 the interest and welfare of every street rail-
road employe, inasmuch as the passage of
such a measure would entail a corresponding
reduction in the scale of wages paid to en-
ployes by the various companies; and firmly
believing that such would be the result we
therefore humbly petition your honorable
body to reject this and any such measure that
may be presen ted for your consideration.
w. c. Cook. a conductor on the Castro
street line OF the Market-street Railway
Company, spoke against the passage of
the bill, claiming that its ultimate result
would be to reduce the wages of the
employees.
In answer to questions he stated he was
paid % cents per hour and that the aver
age earnings of car on his line per day
is about SIC for eleven hours. He also
denied that the appearance of the street.
car employees before the committee was in
any way due to fear of or intimidation on
the part of their employers.
Mr.. Carpenter, the president of the
streetcar employees of San Francisco,
more street line, and that the amount col
lected on some OF the cars of that line was
as low 81 per day. In another Case he
said forty-hve passengers were carried on
one of these cars during the busy part of
the evening and forty-four rendered trans
| fers, while the other was policeman.
This he admitted, however, was an un-
/ usual case. He believed that a reduction
OF wages would follow, because the cor
poratlon would be only too glad to have
| an excuse 10 reduce wages. He added
| that San Francisco was the only city on
| the Pacific Coast where streetcar men re-
ceived more than 20 cents per hour. He
said that in the course of inquiries from
passengers on his car he had not heard a
single one express himself in favor of the
| reduction.
| F. Bell, gripman on the California
! street line, was of the opinion thai the
| men would have to stand any reduction
in 1ares. Sixty-five per cent Of the earn
ings OF the company, he claimed, went for
wages to employees. He informed the
com mittee that the company had been
! paying per cent on its capitalization, but
did not know that it was doing as well
now. AS the company with which he is
employed transferred to and from the
! Union-street and Sutro lines, it carried
MANY passengers for 12s cents, having to
| divide the 5 cents with the two other
| roads. Two-thirds of its passengers are
carried between the hours presented in
| the bill for the 21I-cent fares. The reduc-
ton, he said, might enable few persons
| to save 81 so month, but it would reduce
the wages of 5000 men $40 to SIS month.
IF you are trying to benefit labor" he
remarked to Senator Braunhart, ''you are
| on the wrong side. Labor organizations,
l am sure, when they know the circum-
| stances, Will not favor the proposed reduc
| tion infares."
l. ]. Manning, gripman on the Jack
| son-street line, declared San Francisco
was acknowledged 10 have the best street
| railways in the world. He knew of in
stances when but l5 cents were taken in
on round trip. He was convinced that
| II the men were to go out on a strike the
companies could replace every one of
them at once for less wages.
| Here wrangle occurred between Sem
ator Braunhart and other Senators. They
claim ed that the father of the bill under
! discussion was unduly lengthening out
The hearing by asking unnecessary ques.
tions.
Il. E. Hardy, a conductor on the San
Francisco and San Mateo electric railway,
said if The bill were passed that company
would not be able TO take a car out of
| their carhouse. He stated that the re-
ceipts OF his car on one Sunday was only
$6 80, and that out OF this his and the
motorman's wages, amounting to $4 SO,
had to be paid. He admitted this was on
rainy day and that on fine days the re-
ceipts on Sundays ranged between $11 and
S15 For five cents, he continued, pas
senger could travel on that road from the
county line to the ferry landing or the
Cliff House. or from the Ocean House to
the Union Iron Works. On weekdays al
most the entire receipts of the road came
in between the hours between which it
was proposed to reduce fares.
Carpenter closed the case for the street.
car employees by plea against the pas
sage of the bill.