El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1899-03-11
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POINTS ON THE POOLING SYSTEM.

POINTS ON THE POOLING SYSTEM.
David Davis Writes a Very Interest
ing Letter to the Locomotive
Engineering" on That Subject.
The pooling system, or which is
familiarity called ''the chain-gang sys-
ten" has been the source of great an
noyapce to the employees in the train
service of a / roaus which have adopt
ed it.. All roads leading into this
point, with the exception of the Mex
lean Central, use the chain-gang sys-
tenn as q meaus of getting more work
out of the engines. Mr.. Davis says:
Believing the so-called pool system
to be against the best interests of rail-
road companies and the men in charge
of engines and the men running en-
gines, shall presume to open a dis
. cussion on the subject, which 1 hope
will bring out the views on both sides
and give US fair comparison of the
advantages and disadvantages of the
system. In the first place. wish to
state most phatically that I am un-
interested in the matter, except to see
the road with which l am' connected
run on economical lines, believing
that we are more apt to receive a bet
tenance Is reduced to the minimum.
Let US take for an example a road or
. division of system having 200 en-
gines and 800 miles of road, $50 en-
gineers and 25O iremep, making q
mileage os 400, ZOO per month. 1t will
take eight inspectors. mschinists, boil
or makers and air men to inspect those
engines. and then only half as we'll as
the engineers would do it without
compensation. Allow the inspectors
$3.50 each per day, and il amounts to
500 per day, 81 300 per year. A boy
putting supplies Cd engines at 81 .25 or
S456.75 per year.
ALI master mechanics know and ex-
pect that the cost of repairs will be
greater under this system; and we be-
lieve that the smallest smount that
could be figured as increase on that
account for 20O engines would be 81, 900
per month, or S24, 600 per year.
The fuel in all cases will be the larg-
est item, and l know of a road that
made "a miles and q fraction per ton
for 1897. and the same road fell on less
than 20 miles per ton in 1898, the
change in the system of running en-
gines taking effect January 1, 1898.
This, in round mum bers, cost the COM
pany 3, 334 tons of coal. at 50 so per ton.
This would amount to $685. per
month, or 100000 per year. If this
bad been Southern o. Western road,
amount to S179,9l6. So if it is poor
policy for a road paying $3.50 or less
for fuel, it is still poorer policy for
roads paying 81, so or upwards.
The oil suffers still more than the
coal urder the pool system: but as it
does not prove as large an item in dol
lars and cents, We will not attempt to
compute the amount. But from the
conclusion drawn we have;
Cost of inspection per year.. $1,000
Engine supplies per year. ..... 456
Extra cost of labor in making
repairs per year. .... $4,000
Extra cost Of fuel, at So. so per
ton, per year. 100 O2O
TOTAL 1851, I76
Surprising q new engine to cost s. i
600, this would buy 164 engines per
year, and in twelve years it would buy
an entire new equipment of engines.
Now why will the pool system never
be successful? To get good work from
a number of men, there must be some
incentive, besides the money consider
alton. If we can get them on a CON-
petitive bash, that is all that is neces-
ary. When gun club goes out to |
shoe. at mark, there is prize given,
and everyone shoots his best. If every
man runs his own engine and the blue |
print is carefully kept, any man with |
pride will shoot his best and try to be !
near the top of the list When he gets |
there he feels that be has accomplished |
and he tries to maintain |
his record; while the men further down |
the list feel that their abtlitys is in |
doubt, and they must put forth great
err effort.
Some of the advocates of the pool |
~ stem say all engines of size and |
build are a ike, and a man can do as
we'll with one the other. The writ
or used to think so, too, but hasslong
since been convinced TO the contrary.
Each engine has it's weak points and
is strong points. The regular en-
rineer does or should, know them: q
ian Cd a hundred ingines never will.
Show me an engineer who favors the
pool system, and L will show you man
who is an engineer in name only. He
s afraid to enter the competitive list
IN his merits. or he is too lazy to keepl
lis work up, or doesn't have the abili-
y or skill to keep up his engine, and
links he is in luck to have someone do
t for him.
Two years ago we we're advancing.
)ur engineers were working on their