The record-union., 1897-12-03
LABOR AND OUR RAILROADS.
ENORMOUS SUMS PAID TO EN-
PLOYES IN WAGES.
Reductions in Wages Certain to
Follow Adverse Legislati0n-
Necessity Of Union.

| The report of the Interstate Com
| merce Commission just issued con-
| tains for the first time some facts in
| relation to the total amount of money
| paid out by our railways in wages and
| salaries to labor. These figures, en-
| bracing 80 per cent. of all employees,
show that for every 500 paid out as
| operating expenses of railways more
than $50 Is paid over directly TO labor.
OF the remaining $40 probably an equal.
| if not a greater, proportion is indirectly
paid out for labor.
! The interest of labor in the railway
question is far greater than the inter-
est of capital, and yet, for some un
known reason, says Robert P. Porter in
the New York Sun" the defense OF
these properties has been left TO capl-
tai, while labor has, until a compara-
lively recent time, taken little interest
in the conflict. During a period of
nearly twenty-five years there has been
more or less national legislation and an
Infinite variety of State legislation in
relation to railways, and yet during
that whole period experts inform US
that legislation has never been friendly,
but always unfriendly, to railway in
terests. As consequence of this, the
capital originally invested in railways
has lost its earning power, and for
every 500 thus invested more than $40
has no earning power
During this period there has been no
reduction in the rates paid labor, but
in one way labor has suffered and Sc
verely. The plight in which our rail-
ways have found themselves has not
only actually reduced the number of
wage -earners employed, but relatively
to the increase of mileage has pre-
vented the employment of additional
hands. On the basis of 100000 miles
of railways, we should employ at least
| five hands for each mile. giving direct
| employment to 900 600 persons. In
stead of this. we had only S26,620 per-
sons employed in 1896 Thus, while
Populistic Legislators are joyously dilat-
ing over the manner in which they have
| destroyed the earning powers of the
railway monopoIists, the heads of near
| ly 100000 American families, repre-
! senting nearly 100000 men, women
and children. have been seeking in vain
for job. On the other hand, had half
| the annual earnings. say at per cent.
of upward of 81, 100000, 900 of stock
and bonds now in default been applied
maintenance Of these properties. as over
90 per cent of them would have been,
every one of these homes might have
been made prosperous and happy.
The facts show that two-thirds of the
capital invested in railways is to-day
earning nothing, without counting the
| 16 per cent of bonds in default of in
! terest. On an estimate of 100000 idle
men out of 100000 our railways
should employ. if prosperous, 20 per
cent. of the labor is earning nothing. If
rates continue TO decline and properties
| deteriorate, labor, which, even under
| these adverse conditions, is receiving
far more than capital, will come next,
and reduction of wages, with all it's
attending horrors, must come, not as
a matter of choice, but of necessity,
| because a greater share Of the capital
| has already gone down under adverse
| legislation and the terrific competition
which has continuously and unreason-
ably reduced the earning powers of so
many of these great enterprises. In
| 1896 the official figures show that of
! the operating expenses alone the enor-
nous sum of $46S, ,S24 .531 was paid out
| in wages and salaries. This does not
represent the sums indirectly paid for
| labor, but only those directly paid. Rel
atively to labor, dividends, interest,
rentals, and so forth, are comparatively
small. The time has therefore come
| for the labor interests of the country.
| directly and indirectly dependent upon
| railways, and the immediate business
| interests all over this vast domain of
| ours, whose prosperity is equally de-
pendent upon the success of these un-
! dertakings, to look over the situation
| and decide for themselves if it is not
! time to cry halt on all legislation
which has for its direct aim the furth-
| er wrecking of interests so tremen-
| dously interviewer with the welfare Of
| every class of labor