The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-03-13
THEIR WORK NOT so EASY.
CONDUCTORS AND eRIPMEH BATE
NO sINEOURE.

NO sINEOURE.
They Naust Pass Hsrd Ersuninntions - eet
Their Places aud submit 20 All Sorts o
Annoynnces TO Keep Them-Rswards o.
Good ssryIce-rhe Condltions InprovinE.
Cable car conductors and eripmon are nj
sinecurists. They have enough annoyance II
ono day to drive the average passenger into O
lunntic asylum for life. But thoy are Just
philosophic enough to get a good doal Of fur
out of life as they glide and jerk and jostlC
along and help other people to do the
same. Most persons regard the conductor
and gripman as q part OF tho car
which they run, as necessary bits OF ma
chinery, but they are not. They are men
with hopes and aspirations and dlsappoint'
ments. Their comments on tho actions OF
women ana men passengers, their contrasts bc-
tween the two. show then, to be intensely human,
Any able.bodicd man can get employment as a
conductor or gripman with the Metropolitan
Street Railway Company, provided he has a
satisfactory credential Rs to his character and
can pass tho necessary examination. This ex.
animation is by no means easy, and many of the
men have to 20 through q grind that would
make a college freshman think that no knew
nothing about grinds before they can pass and
be put on probation.
Three or four years ago. when H. II. vreeland
assumed the presidency of this company, he
went In for a reform among the employees OF
the road. He had risen himself from tho ranks.
and he know all about tho daily life Of the men
under HIS command as well as he did about the
financial and transportation probloms involved
In q corporation like this. Things were worse,
however. than he anticipated. He found that
the conductors and gripmen camo and went so
fast that nearly all Of the cities in America had
to DO called on to keep up tho supply. In tho
actual working force Of tho road that came In
contact with the public the extreme limit OF
employment seemed to be about q year.
This will never do" said Mr.. Yreeland.
whats wrong herei Why do the men not
stick TO their places - And then he answered
himself: Il have 1t. Up to this time most of
tho men employed by the road have beon ap.
pointed through political influences OF one kind
or another. and their allegiance is to the man
who procures them their employment, and not
to tho company that pays them their wages.
This is enough to make them discomfort
Cd" and he promptly set q just reward
upon faithful service, giving the men
something to hope for. 1t soon became
known TO all conductors and gripmen
OF the road that after one year of employment
without bad marks or complaints of any kind
the wages of an employee would be increased,
and II the record for the second year remained
good a further increase would be made. 1t was
hoped that after two years each man would
settle to his work. 80 to speak. become contented
and really enter tho ranks for promotion. either
in his own or some other department Of the COM
pany's employ. In this Mr.. Vreeland was not
disappointed.
In order to put the men on an equal basis and
to avoid the possibility of favoritism the Brown
system of railway discipline was adopted.
I'VE have over 5000 men enrolled in our
employ now" said Mr.. Vreeland, and their
livos and work are full OF human interest.
Among the motormen, conductors, superinten-
dcnts and clerks are 10 be found artists, actors,
journalists, professional men and what not.
Quite a few of them are college graduates.
but more arc men from the country-just
plain. honest mon. You know anybody can
get employment with US on certain con-
ditions. Tho first qualification that an
applicant must have is a healthy physique. Hys-
terics or degenerates are no good as gripmen or
conductors. When a man comes and says. L
want work. we say, What do you wantf' He
invariably answers. i want to become a con-
ductor or eripman,' and II his credentials arc
good tho first thing that he has to do Is to go
through a physical examination. II tho appli.
cant is after q gripman's place he Is asked all
about horses. That seems queer, doesn't it,
when he is going to ruin a cable cart
j 10 dlbo uSktu dUOuU uTlVlnRt WnhL an
giles q man can make turning with a
load on a single. double. and quadruple wheeled
vehicle. He must know about these things SO as
men arc also in reading and writing.
The conductors are put through u fairly hard
ing. but their hardest examination is in local
geography. They have to know all about the
streets and avenues and alleys, the public build.
ings. the railway terminals, ferries. and the
aires. and many applicants go through a reGu-
After these examinations are passed the
men are put on cara with experienced men, and
attention. The experienced gripman shows the
novice Just how to deal with tho idiosyncrasics
old conductor shows tho new one a fare that
he has failed to collect or how to keep an eye on
every PASSENGER at once SO as to know when
those who want to get on. After a man once
gets on u car his stay is determined by his own
record. The motormen are divided into classes
Of nIty, and each day one class meets In one OF
the large rooms over the stables at FiftIeth
street. The head gripman meets these classes
and shows tho men on a miniature model car
its mechanism. Every man becomes perfectly
conversant with the mechanism. just as much 50
as u first rate engineer IL with his locomotive"
What Is the pay OF the men T. asked the in
the first year.; II their record warrants it they
are raisrd to $2,so the second. and $40 the
third, and we always promote them to better
places in the comp my when we can find them
and they deserve promotion"
DO you nave TO discharge many men T.
The Brown system teaches that penalties
are imposed for two purposes" answered Mr..
Vreeland. First. to uphold tho law and pre-
vent It's further violation, and. second. TO reform
me yiolator. Punishment inflicted Indirectly
bencrts many who do not violate the law, as
well as the one VINO does. 1t often occurs that
the Disgrace and injury occasioned by Il strict
enforcement Of q sentence does more 10 ruin
the guilty. than, anything else, and a
wise provision has been made allow
ing courts TO use their Judgment as TO
carrying out punishments; this Is known as
,,suspend!ng sentence Ii the one-time offender
does better and is not guilty Of the Same or
other offences the Judge conveniently forgets
the Indictment hanging over him, but should he
other his record risse9 AMI NJ, ~ e"ndsmn HIM S,'er b hn'
lieye in the practice of suspending sentence
with street railroad employees.
Now the system IL to inform every man who
goes into tho employment OF the road that he
has what il known as n record. This record ID q
clean shoot OF paper containing nothing but his
name. He is told that whatever goes to mako
lp the record Is to be furnished nv himsrIf In