The evening tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 189?-190?, 1897-06-09
AID FOR EMPLOYEES.
IMPROVEMENTS IN THE METHODS or
RAILWAY RELIEF ASSOCIATIONS.

uumspity snd Good BssInsss Policy Dis-
tate Better Terms Ss Rsistsonship Es-
tween Employers and workmsn-.Yscts
Cleaned From Recent Reports.
Among many largo employers Of labor,
Jnd particularly among railway oom-
panies, there Is growing recognition Of
The fact that humanity and good business
policy alike demand some better and more
intimate relation between grcnt corpora
tions and their employees than mere buy
Ing and selling labor for "a price.
There are two principal means which
have been used by large employers Of labor
10 more closely identify the interest Of
their workmen with tho interest Of the.
employer. These are. FIRST systems Of
profit sharing, and, second, benefit or re-
lief organizations.
Profit sharing systems arc from tho ma
ture Of tho case unsuitcd u the condition
OF railway employment, Notwithstanding
tho fact that enthusiastic proposals Of this
sort have occasionally been made. But re-.
lief or benefit associations are exceedingly
we'll adapted TO the railway service, and "a
great deal of good has been done through
railway companies.
most Interesting study OF the orRani-
cation and management of tho various rail
way relief departments has recently been
made by Dir. Emory X. Johnson, assistant
professor Of transportation and commerce
at tho University of Pennsylyania, and has
been published us bulletin No. 8 OF the de-
partment of labor at Washington.
Roth humanity and eelf fpfaraaf haya
led the railway companies 10 establish
these relief departments. Under tho plan
generally adopted, the employees contrib
ute definitely fixed sums from their
monthly wageA toward fund admins
tered by tho department for the benefit Of
Its members. The organization Is managed
conjointly by the corporation and the en-
ployeos. Membership Is sometimes volun-
tary and sometimes compulsory. The
members receive aid In case of sickness or
accident, and at their death their families
or other benehciaries are paid definite
amounts, the benefits derived from mem.
bership being proportioned to payments.
Suoh an organization must be distin-
guished from the other and less compre-
heDsive arrangements by means Of which
several railway companies unite with their
employees In furnishing temporary relief.
1t forms one Of the three agencies by
means Of which railway employees can Sc
cure relief and insurance, the others being
the ordinary accident and life insurance
companies and the employees associations
or brotherhoods. At present the latter
agency Is most used by the employees.
Mr.. johnson points out that In bis report
the provisions of the relief departments
for the payments of death benefits have
been designated as insurance. Rail
ways, however, have no authority to trans
act an insurance business. The depart
ment that pays the death benefits has the
nature Of a trust and Is not an insurance
organization In the ordinary acceptance Of
that term.
Employees relief associations have ex
listed In England since 1850, and In Can
ada since 1873. The first organization OF
the kind In this country was the Balti
more and Ohio Employees Relief associa
|. tion, instituted In May, 1880, by the Bal
timore and Ohio railroad, largely through
the efforts of DR.. W. L. Barnard Of Balti
more. This organization was chartered
by the state of Maryland In 1882, but in
1889 the state abolished the charter, and
tho railway company at once esta tablished
relief department, which assumed the
liabilities Of the association. In Febru
ary, 1886, the Pennsylvania railroad Or
ganixed relief department on plan pre-
pared by MIR. j. A. Anderson Of Trenton,
who has beon superintendent Of the de
partment from its beginning In Octo
Der, 1883, the Philadelphia and Reading
Railroad Relief association was organized
at meeting of representatives Of EN-
p1ovcpa of tha varioua dppo rt autc a nj ~
Visions Of all the lines Of tho Philadelphia
and Reading system.
The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy
organized its s,relief department in March
1889, basing it's plan on that of MIR.
Anderson, with some notifications. This
department included the various lines OF
the c., b. & q. system. In April, 1880,
the Pennsylvania lines west of Pittsbure
and Erie, including the Pittsburg. Cincin
natl, Chicago and ST. Louis railway and
the Pennsylvania company, established d
relief department on the same plan as that
Of the Pennsylvania railroad In July,
1896, the Plant system relief and hospital
department was established as result OF
the popularity and success of the company
former hospital relief system, and this lns
est plan Is modelled upon that of the Balti-
more and Ohio railroad. These are the
six departments SO far organized. Three
Of these (the b. & O., the p & X. and the
Plant lines) mako membership compul.
sorry. The other three (the p. H. r., tie
Pennsylvania lines and the c., B. & Q
make IL voluntary. Mr.. johnson consid-
srs that the advantages and disadvantage
Of voluntary and compulsory nsmbership
are about equal ut present. .-Engi cheering