The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-03-17
THE INDUSTRIAL COMMISSION.
Grand Master Frank Sargent Pre-
sents His Report.

New York, March 16.-Frank P. Sar-
gent, grand master of the Locomotive
Firenen Brotherhood, was before the
industrial commission today. He pre-
scented a report prepared by himself
and other chiefs of railroad brother
hoods, replying 10 the printed questions
of the commission This statement was
suggested by Chiefs Arthur of the En-
gineers, Sargent OF the Firenen, Clark
of the Conductors AIoTTissey Of the
Trainmen and Powell of the Telegraph
ers. It covers. all the points involved
in the relationship of employees 20 the
transportation COMPANIES in a general
way.
The statement gave a scale of wages
paid TO railroad men in all branches of
the service, and it was stated that the
scale was determined by conference
with the railroad managers. 1t was
contendesl that while blacklisting was
no longer followed by the railroad COM
panieS, they have adopted a system OF
inquiries which has about the same eff
feet as the blacklist. Some instances
of apparent attempts on the part of the
United States courts to compel service
for the railroad companies were re
ferred to.
There was some complaint of the
long hours required of telegrapheTs
ana Nd1QlllGI, Dul IL AdS SldlC1 ll6Ie
was no fault to find on the part Of the
trainmen under this heading. The
chiefs united in the expression that the
practice Of running trains on Sunday
should be abolished.
Replying to an inquiry as to the fore
ing of men to work by the courts, the
railroad chiefs said in their statement
that only one such case was on record,
and this was the one in which Judge
ick-t1et1 n
ton with that effect. 1t was recon-
mended that some law be enacted to
restrict such powers to the courts. They
antagonized the -so-called voluntary
insurance features" of some railroads
because this insurance was, in fact, not
voluntary. as the men could not get
employment on roads conducting them
unless they allowed the amount of the
insurance TO be deducted from their
wages
This insurance also relieved the en-
ployees from. liability. and the money
paid in as insurance was lost in case Of
loss of employment. Altogether, the
employees considered the insurance
features merely resulted in allowing the
employer to dominate the actions of the
employee
In New England. Mr. Sargent said,
there is very little Sunday work done
in connection with the running Of
trains In the west there is a great deal
of Sunday work, because stockrnen
want their stock put into the market
Monday morning. He said the railroad
companies had a disposition to abolish
Sunday work as far as possible, but
there was a good deal of Sunday work
that is demanded by the public He
said there is ID great deal less Sunday
traffic now than there was five years
ago. Mr.. Sargent said he had been the
executive of the association of firemen
for fourteen years, and he had never
failed to satisfactorily settle any diff
ferences between the employees and
their employers.
Speaking Of Judge jenkins action in
issuing an injunction, he said it had
called cut spirit Of rebellion on the
mart CT the employees which threatened
serious consequences.
AIr. Sargent said he was Served With
this injunction, and was restrained from
counseding the men. Had that injunc-
ton not been issued there never would
have been the great strike on the
Northern Pacific in 1894.